GENERAL BUILD GUIDE

Building Tools Required

1 - Good quality soldering iron

2 - Good quality solder

3 - Snips/Needle Nose

4 - Solder braid or solder sucker

5 - Multimeter (one that can read RMS)

6 - Oscilloscope (one that can read RMS)

7 - Parts tester

 

 

Component Information

All 100n capacitors labeled with a " * " are ceramic decoupling bypass caps used to filter the power rails. We recommend populating the 100n* capacitors before you install other valued capacitors. Some module will have multiple 100n components, so pay attention to the " * ".

Recommended Building Order

This page will guide you on how to start building all Prism Circuits modules. Please build in this order for best results and ease of build. 

1 - Resistors 

2 - Capacitors 

3 - Diodes

4 - Transistors 

5 - IC's (IC sockets are recommended!)

6 - Power header & all rear facing parts

7 - Potentiometers (solder once PCB is mounted to the panel)

8 - Finally mount the banana jacks in their corresponding locations. (Paper panels should have already been attached and covered in a protective layer as explained below). Save all of your cut resistor legs to mount the banana jacks to the PCB. 

 

*Calibration procedures will be linked to the individual module pages as required. 

If the module does not work after completing the build, please follow this simple check list to solve the problem - 

1 - Make sure all parts have been installed in the correct orientation. Especially transistors, diodes, IC's and polarized capacitors! 

2 - Refer back to the PCB photo to determine if a wrong part or wrong value has been installed in the wrong location. 

3 - Make sure all solder joints are clean and shiny. You want to use just enough solder to cover the pads, no more or no less. 

4 - Check for any solder bridges between tight component placements.

5 - If none of this works and you become frustrated, please remember to take a step back and gain your composure. Once you've reached a point relaxation, approach the PCB again and really go over the build with a fine tooth comb. The problem is closer than you think! 

 

Paper Panels and Drilled Panel Info

When printing the paper panels, always remember to print the panels at 100% scale and print in landscape. 

Once you have all your panels printed out on paper, it is recommend that you cut all panels with a very sharp razor blade. I found that a hobby knife works best for this application. Cut all panels 1mm from the side edges so that the panels do not overlap. Do not cut the top or the bottom portion of the paper! You will need that extra paper to fold over the top and bottom of the Drilled Panel. 

The way you choose to attach your paper panels is truly up to you, but I would recommend using a sticky printable paper to avoid using glue or other adhesives.

You can find a good quality sticky printable paper HERE. 

Once all panels are adhered to the drilled panel, it is recommended that you cover the paper panels with some kind of clear protective covering. You can find this product HERE. 

Please feel free to use your own methods of accomplishing these tasks, as it is DIY and 100% up to you on how you want your system to look. 

 

Prism Circuits Disclaimer

All DIY PCB's are “build at your own risk”. Prism Circuits will not guide you through the building processes as you should have the proper tools and skills to accomplish these tasks. Any issues with modules will need to be discussed via the Prism Circuits Forum (Coming Soon), Mod Wiggler. The community is always happy to help fellow DIYer's to solve problems and answer questions.