Sucessful Operation of the Grinches

[RRohn]

after a couple of months of my grinches not working, i just had to start over. i went back through the forums looking for a clue, rereading and rereading the troubleshooting guides and other places. i found out a couple of things i had overlooked. first, when using the MBI chips, there needs to be a 1N4001 diode placed inline with the incoming +5V to limit the power to about +4.5V. Also, upon closer inspection, a number of cold solder joints were found on the Grinches and had to be reflowed with the correct solder (not the heavy duty electrical or plumbing solder). so in conclusion, dont be in a hurry to assemble and recheck your supplies before starting. then recheck after construction. totally my fault to be sure but i had a very good excuse.... i really wanted the blinky flashy now! grats to wjohn for a fantastic product. i'm sure everyone will enjoy our show. blink on my friends

[g2ktcf]

Originally Posted by RRohn

after a couple of months of my grinches not working, i just had to start over. i went back through the forums looking for a clue, rereading and rereading the troubleshooting guides and other places. i found out a couple of things i had overlooked. first, when using the MBI chips, there needs to be a 1N4001 diode placed inline with the incoming +5V to limit the power to about +4.5V. Also, upon closer inspection, a number of cold solder joints were found on the Grinches and had to be reflowed with the correct solder (not the heavy duty electrical or plumbing solder). so in conclusion, dont be in a hurry to assemble and recheck your supplies before starting. then recheck after construction. totally my fault to be sure but i had a very good excuse.... i really wanted the blinky flashy now! grats to wjohn for a fantastic product. i'm sure everyone will enjoy our show. blink on my friends

Congrats! There is nothing like your first blinky flashy event!