Technical information

Micro-KIM Users Manual
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Caution: Make sure this capacitor is installed correctly. Failure to do so could cause the capacitor to
explode and may cause injury.
The last piece to solder on is the DB9 connector for the RS232 interface. Install the connector slowly to make
sure all the pins are lined up correctly. You should solder the outer posts so the connector holds better to the
PCB.
The most common error in soldering boards is missing a contact on a socket. I like to take each socket one at a
time and look at each pin with a magnifying lens. Look for missing, cold, or low solder points and correct when
found. Before you insert your chips, you can attach your power supply and power up the Micro-KIM. While it
won’t function, you can make sure the LED comes on. This shows us that voltage is applied to the board.
The last stage of the assembly is installing the chips. The board is clearly labeled showing where all the chips
go. Duel wipe sockets were used for people who have not built kits before. While machine sockets are much
higher quality, they are difficult to insert chips into. For this reason, the duel wipe sockets were chosen.
Be sure to install the chips with pin 1 on the right. See the picture below for an example of where pin 1 is.
Notice the notch at the top, the pin on left is pin 1.
Figure 5: IC showing pin 1
You may find that the 74LS145 and the 6532 are very close together, almost touching. This is normal. After all
the chips are installed you are ready to test your Micro-KIM. See chapter 6 for operation and chapter 8 for any
troubleshooting that may be required.
NOTE: There is no connector for CN1. It is optional to add if wanted for external keypad operation.