New JeeNode means: new build instructions.

Here goes. A long description of how to go from this:

… to this:

Make sure you’ve got a nice soldering iron (not too hot, not too large) and some solder wick to remove solder in case you need to back up a bit to fix things. The JeeNode printed circuit is very sturdy and can handle a lot of abuse, but some traces are thin, so be careful and don’t apply too much force.

Components are soldered on from lowest to highest profile, because then you can turn over the board and push on it to get each component snugly against the board as you solder it. So let’s start with the resistor:

Once you’re satisfied with the soldering, turn it over and snip off the leads:

More…

Next, the four small yellow ceramic caps – which you can either pull out of the cardboard strip or just cut free:

The fifth capacitor is a small black one, and the key here is that it is polarized, so you have to put it in the right way around – like this (the long lead is “+” and should be on the right-hand side):

Next, the 3-pin voltage regulator chip. Again, make sure it goes in the right way:

New on this board is the diode. It’s slightly tricky. First, bend the leads as follows, and then very gently “wiggle” it into the two holes:

As you will see, it barely fits – the holes are almost too small. But it does fit. Don’t push too hard, just wiggle until the diode is all the way in, almost against the board. Then turn it over, solder it, and snip off those thick soft wires.

UPDATE – the diode is no longer included in the JN5 kits (reason). Please use the solder jumper on the other side of the board instead, or your JeeNode won’t work!

Next step is the IC socket. Put it in the right way (see the notch on the left?) and solder down only two opposite corner pins at first:

Now make sure the socket is completely flush against the board – not like this!

If there is a gap, re-heat the pins and press on the socket while the solder is molten. Until everything is ok. Then solder those remaining 26 pins.

It’s time to put the port headers in. These fit in holes which are slightly staggered – that keeps them in place as you turn the board over for soldering:

Put all the headers in, then turn the board over on a flat surface, so that the headers are flush with the board when you solder those 4 x 6 pins.

One last component is that orange resonator with 3 pins. For convenience, I always put it in with the “16 Mhz” readable from the outside. Once soldered in, snip off the pin ends, because they are relatively long:

Almost there now. The last bit is the wireless part. Put a small dab of solder on one of the RFM12B pads:

Then place the radio module on it and hold it down with one finger while heating the solder until it flows under the radio module. That will hold it in place as you solder the remaining pads:

The FTDI header is also a bit tricky. I use a flat 6-pin male header, because that way the pins come out at almost the same level as the board itself, which works well with a USB-BUB.

The trick is to use one of the middle pins to align everything, so I first put solder on one pin and the matching pad. Looks as if I’m one off here, but that’s because the header is flipped over before soldering:

With a bit of experience, you can get the pins just right by holding the header with your fingers and pressing it down while re-heating the solder. Otherwise use a little clamp. Continue only when the pins are well-aligned and flat on the board. Don’t heat them too long or the plastic will melt. Then, finish the remaining pins and you end up with something like this:

Now the ATmega chip. You have to be careful – the pins usually stick out a bit more than is practical with an IC socket (that’s to help automated equipment pick up such chips). So first bend those pins slightly closer together:

The way to do that is to place them on the table with the pins on the surface, and then push the chip slightly towards the pins. Then turn it over and repeat for the pins on the other side.

Once adjusted, put the chip in the socket (watch the position of that notch!). Careful … this is how not to do it!

Once properly placed, push down so the chip goes all the way into the socket:

Ok – last step now, promise. Strip the antenna wire a little, and solder it in place (I usually do it from below):

Then bend the antenna wire so it doesn’t get in the way. I usally fit it as follows:

That’s it. Congratulations with your new JeeNode!