My WP-34S : USB to Serial cable prototype

[jebem]

Hi ANetzer,

1) Thank You so much for your information on the "pogo" pins from a European local supplier.
I wil have a look and perhaps order some pins from them if my Canadian order doesn't show up in good time.

2) As for project documentation, I can only promise that I will document it the best I can in the small spare time I have.

So, once I can successfully flash my HP-30B, I will publish:

- The final manual drawing schematics;
- Part's list;
- The components layout design over a prototype board like the one I am using.

Please keep in mind that this is a hobby - and hobbies consume time and money - in the end, if one just looks to how much the serial cable did cost to make in this way, for sure it will cost (much) more than just buying a commercial solution.
It depends on what materials and tools one have in house, and what ones have to be acquired to get there.


3) Electronics knowledge:

A minimum knowledge of practical electronics is recommended.
At very least, as it is critical for the project's success, one needs good soldering skills. There are plenty of instructions on the net if someone is not trained on this matter. Training is mandatory here, by "killing" a few spare components just to get the soldering skills.
For instance it is easy to destroy LED's while soldering - one very well know trick to protect them is to use tweezers attached to the terminal base before soldering it.

We need at least two different types of soldering machines, one of low power (like 15 Watt) for small delicate components that requires a very fine soldering tip, and another one with medium power (like 25 Watt) for bigger components that require more thermal moment.
Or for deep pockets there are temperature controlled soldering stations that can help here.
The secret is simple - we do not want to kill the components by overheating them - so we need power enough to maintain the correct temperature in order to make a good soldering as fast as possible (obtaining a good solder melting and minimizing the heat transfer to the component's internal parts during the operation).
My experience with soldering delicate electronic components (like LEDs, small transistors, IC's, and of course the SMD components) tells me that more than 2 seconds with the soldering gun on the component lead is half way to kill it.