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The PCBs have arrived

A project log for GPS Receiver for Nikon D3100 Cameras

An inexpensive and more accurate GPS receiver accessory for Nikon D3100 (and compatible) cameras.

kevinKevin 05/20/2016 at 03:470 Comments

Three days ago I received the PCBs I had ordered from Elecrow for this project. I tried a dry fit of the USB connectors, switch, and pushbutton to make sure the footprints I created for those parts was correct. I was pleased to find all the parts fit. The next day I sat down to start assembling one of the boards.

I'm not properly equipped for working with surface mount parts but I have previously assembled a small board that used all surface mount components. Unfortunately for me the voltage regulator is in a SOT23-5 package and was very difficult to solder. I ruined 3 regulators and one PCB and was about to give up but gave it one last try. I finally succeeded on my fourth and final attempt. It isn't up to my usual soldering standards but it was on the board and with no shorts between the pins.

I soldered the rest of the components needed to provide 3.3V to the ATtiny45. I was pleased to read 3.3V on my meter when I applied power to the board and moved the slide switch to the on position. With that success in hand, I spent some time yesterday to finish installing the remaining parts on the board except for R1 and the LED. I plan to run some tests on the LED brightness versus current to make a final determination on the value for R1.

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