Itaca Innovation uChip Instruction manual

shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Kit user manual
mchip Kit quick start
manual
Document Version 1.0 –17/05/2020

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Kit user manual

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Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................................4
Getting started..................................................................................................................................................5
Soldering..........................................................................................................................................................10
Contact US......................................................................................................................................................10

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Kit user manual
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for buying a uChip kit!
In this document you will find the basics required to mount your uChip Kit!
uChip is a small, open-source, Arduino
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-compatible development board, which can fit alow cost 16-pin socket.
The uChip Kits provide a fast way to test uChip potentialities and, why not, have some fun!
These kits are designed to be very easy to mount. Surface mount devices, where present
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, are already soldered
onboard, and you only need to solder pin-through-hole components!
uChip Kits contain all the required components, the PCB and one uChip. Not included in the package are:
-Cables (in particular USB B and micro USB cables, audio cables, power cables).
-Memory cards.
-Power supply.
-Batteries.
These must be provided by the user, paying attention to get the suitable specification shown in the particular
kit description (with particular reference to batteries and power supply!).
The full source code of these kits, as well as the updated schematics and PCB layout (KiCad format) are
available on the website.
ESD Warning! uChip contains electrostatic sensitive devices. Electrostatic charge might
permanently damage uChip. Observe precautions when handling it. Itaca Innovation is not
responsible for any damage caused by ESD or improper handling/usage. Please note that other
components (e.g. MOSFETs, ICs, etc.) provided in the kit might be electrostatic sensitive devices.
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Arduino is a trademark of Arduino s.r.l. There is no connection between Arduino s.r.l. and Itaca Innovation S.R.L.
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We may also offer complete unsoldered kit, for experts!

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shop.itaca-innovation.com uChip Kit user manual
GETTING STARTED
Please find all the components shown in the bill of materials (BOM), and make sure that none is missing!
Try to keep everything well-organized, so that you can quickly find everything when you need!
If you have a good expertise in soldering, you can safely skip this section. If it is one of the first kit you are
soldering, then following these steps will ensure the success!
All the components are clearly indicated on the silkscreen of the board! We suggest to follow the bill of
materials, which is arranged with the following criteria:
-All the components with the same specifications are grouped.
-The components are listed in order of height, to facilitate soldering.
RESISTORS
The resistance is not explicitly marked with a number on a resistor. Instead, a series of colored rings/bands are
shown. The resistors found in our kit might have 4 or 5 color bands. Each band have different meaning: the
first N-1 bands show the resistor value. The last one, which is typically more spaced with respect the other,
show the resistor tolerance.
The resistance value is calculated with the following table. The first N-2 bands determine the first N-2 digits.
The value corresponding to these digits must be multiplied by the value indicated by the (N-1)th band (i.e. the
3rd or the 4th band).
In the example above on the left, you find a resistor with red, violet, brown and gold bands. The first two bands
correspond to the digit 2 and 7, i.e. they form the number 27. This must be multiplied by 10, so the resistor is
a 270 Ohm. On the right, there are brown, black, black, orange and brown bands. This corresponds to digits 1,
0, 0 (i.e. 100) which must be multiplied by 1000, i.e. 100kOhm.
4 -band resistors 5 -band resistors
Color 1st Band
(first digit)
2nd Band
(second digit) 3rd band
(multiplier)
4th band
(tolerance)
Color
1st Band
(first digit)
2nd Band
(second digit)
3rd band
(third digit)
4th band
(multiplier)
5th band
(tolerance)
Black 0 0 x100±20% Black 0 0 0 x100±20%
Brown 1 1 x101±1% Brown 1 1 1 x101±1%
Red 2 2 x102±2% Red 2 2 2 x102±2%
Orange 3 3 x103±3% Orange 3 3 3 x103±3%
Yellow 4 4 x104-0, 100% Yellow 4 4 4 x104-0, 100%
Green 5 5 x105±0.5% Green 5 5 5 x105±0.5%
Blue 6 6 x106±0.25% Blue 6 6 6 x106±0.25%
Violet 7 7 x107±0.1% Violet 7 7 7 x107±0.1%
Gray 8 8 x108±0.05% Gray 8 8 8 x108±0.05%
White 9 9 x109±10% White 9 9 9 x109±10%
Gold - - x10-1 ±5% Gold - - - x10-1 ±5%
Silver - - x10-2 ±10% Silver - - - x10-2 ±10%
Red, violet, brown, gold: (2 7) x 101 = 270 Ohm ± 5% Brown, black, black, orange, brown: (1 0 0) x 103 = 100k Ohm ± 1%

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In our kits, you will find only two types of resistors:
-Carbon Resistors (like the example on the left). These have typically a brown-beige color, and they
have only four bands. In our case, the last band is always gold-colored (when not specifically specified
in the project), indicating a 5% tolerance.
-Metal film resistors. These resistors are blue (like the resistor on the right), and have 5 colored bands.
The last band is always brown, as metal-film resistor provided in uChip Kits have a 1% tolerance.
Note! While for carbon resistors it is very easy to determine which band is the first one, and which one is the
last (the gold one!), on metal film resistor, sometimes the bands are too tightly packed to clearly identify which
one is the last. In fact, in many cases, both the first and the last color of the band might be brown (think of a
1% 1.5 kOhm resistor –brown –green –black –red –brown, which might be confused with a 12 MOhm
resistor: brown, red, black, green, brown !).
At this regards, the quickest way is to use a multimeter to get the resistance value (be aware of the tolerance!
A 1% 10kOhm resistor might read as low as 9.9 kOhm or 10.1 kOhm–you must then consider your multimeter
tolerance, therefore you might read even smaller or higher values!).
Another way is to decode the bands in one direction, and try to find the decoded value in the BOM list (the
BOM list also include the color sequence, so you do not have to manually decode the values!). If you cannot
find the resistor in the BOM, then you should read the resistor in the opposite direction.
Yet another way, is to use common sense! Let us consider a 18 kOhm resistor. This has brown, grey, black,
red, brown bands. If you decode those bands in the opposite way, you would achieve 120 * 108Ohm = 12
GOhm. While this value is still standard, it is insanely huge, and very unlikely that such a resistor would be
included in our kits!
Still, there might be some cases in which the value is “reasonable” when you read the color code in both ways.
In particular, with the 15 kOhm example, both 15 kOhm and 12 MOhm are quite reasonable values. However,
uChip Kits are designed so that in such case there would be either just 15 kOhm resistor, or 12 MOhm resistor,
but not both values!
CAPACITORS
There are fundamentally two types of capacitors. Polarized (electrolytic capacitors) and unpolarized (ceramic
disc capacitors, polyester capacitors, etc.).
Electrolytic Capacitors
EXTREME care should be paid to put the capacitor with the correct orientation, otherwise they will heat-up
and they might even explode.
In such capacitors, the capacitance value and the working voltage are explicitly written on the side of the body.
Furthermore, the negative terminal (typically the shorter one) is shown as a strip of minus (“-“).

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Ceramic Capacitors
The capacitance value is shown numerically, but not explicitly: the value is encoded in a similar way used for
resistors. That is, the first two digit make the numerical value of the capacitor, and the third digit shows how
many zeroes you must add to the right of the first two numbers. The final number you get is the capacitance in
PicoFarad (10-12 F)
For instance, in the picture above, 105 means 10 x 105pF = 106pF = 1 microFarads, while 331 means
33 x 101pF = 330 pF.
Polyester Capacitor
The value might be either shown in an explicit way either on the side, or on the top of the component, or like
the ceramic capacitors. For instance, 220n stands for 220 nF. The value 224 means 220nF as well. Sometimes,
instead of 1.5n, you might find 1n5. In other words, the decimal place is removed and changed with the
multiplication factor (typically n).

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DIODES
Diodes are polarized devices, and must be inserted correctly. In particular, there is always one band close to
one of the two terminals, which indicates the cathode. The diode should be placed with the band as indicated
in the silkscreen.
LEDs
LEDs are Light Emitting Diodes, and like normal diodes, they are polarized. Unfortunately, different
manufacturers use different standards for indicating the Cathode position. In the particular Kit user manual,
we explicitly indicate which terminal is the correct one.
Warning! Never connect an LED directly to a battery or power supply!
TRANSISTORS
There are many transistor packages. On the left a “TO-92” package, on the right a TO220, and these are just
two popular examples. Some 3-terminal integrated circuits (for instance linear voltage regulators) might have
the same shape, so pay attention to the part number! In any case, always remember to read the part number,
which is printed on the component! Also use the correct orientation in the silkscreen!
The transistor should be mounted with an adequate clearance with respect to the PCB (for a TO92, 3-5 mm
are adequate). If a transistor requires an heatsink, we suggest to mount first the transistor to the heatsink, and
THEN solder it on the PCB. Otherwise, you can solder it directly.

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ESD Warning! Some transistors (MOSFETs) are electrostatic sensitive devices. Electrostatic
charge might permanently damage these components. Observe precautions when handling them.
Itaca Innovation is not responsible for any damage caused by ESD or improper handling/usage.
INTEGRATED CIRCUITs (ICs)
In our kit you will either find 3-terminal voltage regulators (they have the same package of transistors) or dual-
in line package (DIP). ICs have a specific orientation which is shown either by a dot, or by a “D” slot.
ESD Warning! ICs are electrostatic sensitive devices. Electrostatic charge might permanently
damage these components. Observe precautions when handling them. Itaca Innovation is not
responsible for any damage caused by ESD or improper handling/usage.
Note! In our kits, we always provide you with IC sockets for DIP packages.
Of course, you must first solder the IC socket (pay attention to the notch, to match the IC pin 1 indicator!), and
then, once you have finished soldering all the components, you can insert the IC.
Connectors, switches relay, etc.
There are so many other components! Particular components will be indicated in the kit manual, if required.

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SOLDERING
We suggest a good a soldering iron with a decent power (e.g. 25W at least). Soldering irons with less power
might be inadequate because they cannot easily melt the soldering wire and heat the pad/component wire, for
a reliable joint.
We suggest to solder the components based on their height, therefore, as a rule of thumb:
-Diodes (not light emitting)
-Resistors
-IC Sockets
-Ceramic capacitors
-TO-92 components (transistors and IC regulator)
-Polyester capacitors
-Headers
-Connectors
-LEDs
The particular order might of course depend on the particular bill of materials of your kit!
Each kit might have its dedicated soldering section, especially if particular attention needs to be paid for some
components. Furthermore, each guide might provide some other useful suggestions.
CONTACT US
For any question, bugs, support, suggestion, etc, contact [e-mail].
Due to the large number of emails, we kindly ask you to be very concise, clear, while being exhaustive in order
for us to reproduce your issue.