Assembly instructions for the MOTM version of the Blacet / Wiard Miniwave If you have decided to build the Blacet / Wiard Miniwave and convert it to the MOTM format, you have no doubt found that this procedure is more complicated than simply purchasing and building a Synthesis Technology MOTM kit. And, you have found that Blacet's concept of "MOTM versions" of his kits is simple omission of the parts you would not use. The additional parts you need are not included. The instructions are not revised to reflect the changes involved in conversion to the MOTM format. Instead of having everything you need delivered to your door in one neat package, you must accumulate parts from a variety of sources. Here is what you need to get started: 1. Blacet Miniwave kit (MOTM version to save you a few bucks) 2. MOTM format Blacet Miniwave panel (available from Stooge Panels, Inc.) 3. Four-pot wide, long version PCB mounting bracket (available from me). 4. A handful of other parts from your favorite electrical supply house including: * Four 50 K linear pots * Four 1/4" Switchcraft 112A phone jacks * Two MOTM style switches - one SPDT and one DPDT (if you want to replace the one's Blacet includes. The supplied switches are nice, but don't match) * Four MOTM style Alco knobs * PCB mounting hardware including PCB stand-offs (or spacers). * Solder (organic and no-clean) * Some additional # 22 and # 24 gauge wire for panel wiring. * Some various sizes of heat shrink tubing and about 12 small wire ties. * Tube of latex caulk (if you use my LED attachment method)0 * Two 82 K resistors if you choose to make my Control Voltage modification. I will not attempt to list the part numbers here. Changes and a variety of vendors and suppliers make that task unreasonable to include in the assembly instructions. Instead, I will refer you to "the" definitive MOTM compatible parts reference assembled by Dave Bradley. Visit http://www.hotrodmotm.com/parts_list.htm for everything you need to know about where to get these parts. You will also need to refer to your original Blacet assembly instructions for the graphics including the schematic and PCB drawings. I cannot include those in this document without infringing on John's copyright (which, of course, I would not do). Before you begin with the electrical construction, you have some mechanical issues to deal with. My PCB mounting brackets are universal and are not specifically made for a certain PCB. Some modifications are required to the four-pot long mounting bracket to work for this assembly. I have taken several photos of the construction process for my Miniwave. You will find relative hypertext links to the photos throughout these instructions in the HTML version. If you are reading the HTML version of this document on-line at www.wiseguysynth.com, these links will take you directly to the photos. If you have saved the HTML document to your hard drive for reference, you will need to save each photo to the same directory as this document. The photo links will then work for you off-line. You can take a quick tour of all photos at the link on my web site. MS Word and text users need to view photos separately (as indicated by [photo ##] throughout this text). Two modifications are needed to the four-pot long bracket. Both end pot holes must be extended to the upper edge and side of the short side of the bend. This will knock out the interference between the bracket and the location of the LEDs on one end and the switch on the opposite end. I originally thought only the LED end would need trimming. But, when I went to mount my switch, I found the lock washer would not sit flat without the bracket trimmed. So, some of the photos show only one side trimmed. Now, you know why, and you know better. I have my PCB on the left side (looking from the back) like MOTM modules. However, it will work either way. Putting it on the left as I did causes the PCB to be upside down from its original configuration. However, since no pots are board mounted, it really makes little difference. [photo 04] [photo 05] The second modification requires drilling two holes for mounting the PCB to the bracket. Unlike earlier Blacet PCBs, the Miniwave does include mounting holes. However, they are slightly undersized for # 6-32 machine screws. Fortunately, two of these holes line up perfectly with the middle set of holes in the bracket. Two additional holes must be drilled near the back of the bracket. I recommend a 5/32" hole in the bracket if you plan to use # 6 hardware. [photo 01] Since, I did want to use # 6 hardware, I decided to drill the holes in the Blacet Miniwave PCB slightly larger. The correct size drill is 9/64 inch for a # 6-32 screw to go through the PCB. If you do not want to drill your PCB, change to # 4-40 hardware. Reduce the size of your hole drilling in the bracket to 1/8 inch. [photo 02] This might be a good spot to make sure all your mechanical parts go together well before you move to soldering. Mount your PCB to your bracket using stand offs. Attach your bracket to your front panel using two of the four pots. Do not forget to install backing nuts on your pots. This is CRITICAL. The concept of my mounting brackets is that the bracket is held in place by sandwiching the bracket and front panel together between the back nut and front nut on the pot shaft. You cannot tighten against the pot body. You will have nothing but trouble if you try. You should always use backing nuts on your pots. Hopefully, everything fits together well in your trial fitting and you are ready to heat up the soldering iron. [photo 03] I will confess that I have been spoiled by the completeness of MOTM assembly instructions. The Blacet instructions are not nearly as complete, leaving the assembler to jump back and forth between the schematic and parts list to figure out what part goes where. As I write these instructions for the conversion to the MOTM format, I am also adding to the Blacet document some more specific instructions that I believe are easier to follow. I also changed the relative order of the component placement on the PCB. Here goes: First, a word about solder. I am assuming that you will follow the MOTM solder standard and use organic solder (requiring a board wash) for much of the soldering, and then switch to a no-clean solder to complete the construction. If you adopt another strategy, you are on your own concerning the need to wash the PCB. I like to install my components based on relative height. It seems to be easier for me. However, feel free to jump around the instructions to suit yourself. I started with the individual resistors. PART 1: Installing the individual resistors (network resistors later) and diodes You will use organic washable solder for this part of the construction. First, the 1% tolerance blue resistors: * Install (1) 1.37K ohm resistor at R5 (left side of PCB near J1 connection). * Install (1) 200 ohm resistor at R6 (just below R5). * Install (2) 49.9K resistors at R9 and R10 (middle of board, just right of U3). Now, the 5% tolerance resistors: * Install (3) 200 ohm resistors at R8, R11, and R13 (R8 and R11 are just above and below R9 and 10. R13 is near the bottom, just right of U5). * Install (2) 100 ohm resistors at R19 and R28 (R19 is left of U9. R28 is near power connector) * Install (1) 20K ohm resistor at R18 (just above R19). * Install (1) 56K ohm resistor at R17 (just above R18). * Install (1) 3.3K ohm resistor at R14 (just right of U5). * Install (1) 270K ohm resistor at R16 (just below R14 and RT2). * Install (1) 24K ohm resistor at R15 (just left of U5). * Install (3) 100K ohm resistors at R23, R26, and R27 (R26 and R27 are in the upper right corner. R23 is near the bottom, just right of U6). * Install (6) 10K ohm resistors at R7, R12, R21, R22, R24 and R25 (R7 is just below U2. R12 is just below U4. R21 and R22 are near the bottom, right of U6 and above R23. R24 and R25 are in the upper right corner above R26). * Install (1) 1K ohm resistor at R20 (near the bottom, just above U6). That completes the installation of all the individual resistors. Next, you add the diodes. Please note that 3 different diode types are used in the Miniwave. Use care not to confuse them. And, be certain to note polarity. The arrow on the PCB points toward the stripe on the diode. * Install (2) 1N4001 diodes at D6 and D7 (the black ones) (near the power connector). * Install (2) 1N4148 diodes at D3 and D4 (just to the right of U4). * Install (3) 1N5240 zener diodes at D1, D2 and D5 (D1 is above U3. D2 is below U3. D5 is near the bottom of the PCB below U6). PART 1 continued: Installing the non-electrolytic capacitors * Install (3) 0.1 uF ceramic axial lead capacitors (marked 104) at C18, C21, and C24 (C21 and C24 are next to the power connector. C18 is near the top of the PCB between U7 and U8. Note that C18 is installed "standing up") * Install (4) .001 uF ceramic capacitors (marked 102) at C5, C6, C8, and C9 (all of these capacitors are near U3). * Install (1) 560 pF ceramic capacitor (marked 561) at C13 (just below R19). * Install (2) 150 pF ceramic capacitors (marked 151) at C4 and C10 (C4 is below U2 and C10 is below U4). * Install (1) 100 pF ceramic capacitor (marked 101) at C16 (just above R21). * Install (2) 22 pF ceramic capacitors (marked 22K) at C11 and C12 (near bottom of PCB, below U5). * Install (1) .022 uF red mylar capacitor (marked 223) at C17 (near bottom, right of D5) This completes the installation of all capacitors except the larger electrolytic. Do not confuse the PS1 and PS2 resettable fuse-like devices as capacitors. They resemble small ceramic capacitors but are distinguished by preformed leads and are marked "R010BOVS." You will install those later. OK. This is a good stopping point for your first board wash. Run the board under warm water (do not use any soap or cleaners). Gently scrub both sides of the board to remove the organic flux. Any small brush will do the job. I use an old toothbrush. If you have not done so already, this would be a good time to inspect your solder joints. Check to be certain you have not forgotten to solder one end of a component or that you have not accidentally bridged one thing to another with excess solder. Personally, I check my joints right before I clip my leads. It seems easier to me to find what I have just competed that way. Here is what your PCB should look like. [photo 06] PART 2: Installing the remaining components on the PCB Next you will install the resistor networks. Notice that each resistor network has a white dot on one end. Be absolutely certain to align the resistor networks on the PCB so the white dot is at the end indicated by the white dot on the PCB. Before you insert your resistors, check that the pins are not bent. Bend them as needed to form a straight line. Cinch resistor networks to the PCB by bending the end pins over, one in one direction and the opposite end the other direction. Then, solder a couple of pins and inspect to be sure you are happy with the position. Straighten the bent-over pins and solder all remaining pins. * Install (2) 5.6K resistor networks (6 pins, marked 6A652) at RN1 and RN3 (both are at the left edge of the PCB. RN1 is near the top. RN3 is toward the bottom). * Install (2) 10K resistor networks (8 pins, marked 8B103) at RN2 and RN4 (RN2 is just right of RN1. RN4 is just right of RN2). * Install (3) 100K resistor networks (8 pins, marked 8B104) at RN5, RN6, and RN7 (RN5 is above U3. RN6 is below U3. RN7 is near bottom below U5). Next, you will install the sockets. Notice that 8, 14, 16, and 20 pin sockets of the same width are used. Be certain not to place a shorter socket in the wrong location in place of a longer one. The number of pins are indicated on the PCB. The PCB also indicates the end for the notch. Align the socket notch as marked on the PCB. Bending two opposite corner pins is a good way to hold the socket to the PCB wile soldering. Solder the other two corner pins ONLY. Then, check the socket flat on the PCB while it is still easy to re-heat one pin and squeeze the socket to the PCB if it is not perfectly flat. Once you are certain the socket is flat, solder the remaining pins. * Install (4) 20 pin sockets at U2, U4, U11, and U12. * Install (1) 16 pin socket at U8 * Install (3) 14 pin sockets at U3, U5, and U6 (See note). Note: A special jumper is required at socket U6 if you have the MW2090 Miniwave PCB Rev 0. There is a missing trace on this PCB. I assume that boards above Rev 0 have this error corrected. Please contact John Blacet if you have specific questions. When installing socket U6, solder all pins except pins 1 and 5. Before soldering pins 1 and 5, make a short jumper that will connect these two pins together along the bottom of the board. I recommend an insulated jumper to avoid any possible shorts to the traces below. I used a resistor lead covered with small heatshrink. [photo 08] * Install (1) 8 pin socket at U7 * Install (1) 28 pin socket at U9 (the normal black one) * Install (1) LIF (low insertion force) 28 pin socket at U10 (the blue one). Next, you will install the transistors and voltage regulators. Notice the orientation (flat side) of each is marked on the PCB. Be sure to face them in the correct direction. These devices will not be pushed all the way down on the PCB. Leave 1/4 inch or less between the bottom of the transistor and the PCB. Cinch the device by bending the outside leads, then solder the middle terminal only. Then, straighten the leads and the transistor and solder the remaining two leads. * Install (1) voltage regulator LM317 at U1 (left side of PCB near J1 connection). * Install (1) voltage regulator 78L05 at U13 (near the power connector). * Install (8) 2N3904 transistors at Q1 through Q8 (all transistors are near the left edge, between the rows of resistor networks). Next, you will install the remaining capacitors. All remaining capacitors are electrolytic and polarity must be observed. Notice the PCB is marked with a "+" sign. The caps have "+" indicated by a longer lead and "-" indicated by a stripe on the capacitor. Install all capacitors with the "-" stripe facing away from the "+" mark on the PCB. * Install (1) 1 uF capacitor at C19 (right edge of PCB) * Install (2) 100 uF capacitors at C22 and C23 (near the power connector). (Notice they face opposite directions from each other) * Install (7) 10 uF capacitors at C1, C2, C3, C7, C14, C15, and C20 (the locations should be easy to spot now since nearly all component locations are filled). These are the last three components to be attached to the PCB with organic washable solder. After these, you will be ready for your last board wash and a break. * Install (2) resettable fuse-like devices at PS1 and PS2 (near the power connector) * Install the power connector at J5 The locking tab faces to the inside of the PCB as indicated by the double line on the PCB. OK. This is a good stopping point for another board wash. Run the board under warm water (do not use any soap or cleaners). Gently scrub both sides of the board to remove the organic flux. This is your last board wash. You will NOT use washable solder for the remainder of construction. If you have not done so already, this would be a good point to inspect your solder joints. Check to be certain you have not forgotten to solder one end of a component or that you have not accidentally bridged one thing to another with excess solder. Verify the polarity of diodes, and electrolytic capacitors. Check that the transistors and regulators are installed with the flat side as marked on the PCB. Allow your PCB to dry completely, and put away that organic solder. All soldering from this point forward will make use of no-clean solder. Your PCB should now look like this: [photo 07] PART 3: Installing the trimmer pots and connecting wires to the PCB The four trimmer pots are the last components to be soldered to the PCB. Notice that all 4 are different values. Be certain to get the correct value in the correct location. Check their value with your meter if you have any doubt. Don't forget to switch to no-clean solder. * Install (1) 100K trim pot (marked 104) at RT1 (near lower left corner) * Install (1) 50K trim pot (marked 503) at RT2 (bottom of PCB between U5 and U6). * Install (1) 10K trim pot (marked 103) at RT3 (at top of PCB) * Install (1) 2K trim pot (marked 202) at RT4 (at top of PCB) Congratulations. You are complete with all soldering of components to the PCB. Up until this point, you have basically built the PCB as if it were going behind the Blacet panel (except you did not attach the four front panel pots or LEDs to the PCB). From this point forward, you will be departing considerably from the Blacet version of the Miniwave to attach to the MOTM style front panel. I will assume at this point that you already have your MOTM style front panel drilled and ready to go. I will also assume you have your bracket trimmed and ready. If you plan to implement my CV scale modification, this might be a good spot to install the two 82K ohm resistors. See the details in the CV modification instructions. Your next task, is to prepare the front panel controls for attachment to the PCB. Gather up your four 50 K linear pots, one SPDT switch, one DPDT switch, and 8 LEDs. I wanted my "wave" and "bank" LEDs to be different colors. So, I replaced four of the green LEDs supplied by Blacet with four red ones of the same size (standard T1). I decided to prepared my front panel controls by attaching all the wires of the correct length to facilitate the attachment to the PCBs. I also decided to adopt a color standard for the pot and switch numbers. I highly recommend this. Throughout the remainder of these instructions, I will often refer to the colors I used. You may select different colors. But, please write down your color strategy. For my standard for pots and switches, I elected to use these colors (I used wire John supplied with the kit): Pin 1 = blue, Pin 2 = red, Pin 3 = black. Please be aware that all of the wire lengths I specify in this document assume a PCB mounted to the left (looking from the back). Opposite side mounting will change these recommended lengths. First, attach three wires to each 50 K panel pot. Be sure you have a backing nut for all four of the pots. If you use pots intended for PCB mounting (as I did), use heat shrink to insulate the wires connected to the pots. One pot should be fitted with wires about 4 inches long. Two pots should be fitted with wires about 3 inches long. One pot should have wires attached two inches long. You may wish to leave the leads about one-half inch longer for trimming and stripping the ends for soldering. After I attached the wires to the pot, I like to twist them together to keep everything neat. [photo 10] Each of the two switches must have wires attached. Like the pots, I used heat shrink to provide insulation after I attached wires to the switch. Switch one is the SPDT switch. Attach 3 wires per the color standard. These wires must be at least 8 inches long. Like the pots, I twisted all three wires to the end to keep everything neat. You will have LOTs of wires on the back of this panel. Neatness will be important. My switch was not marked. So, put the red wire on the middle terminal, and the blue and black each on one of the end terminals. Switch # 2 is a little more complicated because all of the wires do NOT go to the same location on the PCB. Looking from the back of the switch, you need to call one side (row of 3 terminals) the "a" side and one side the "b" side. It makes no difference which side you choose, but write it down. For switch "a" you will attach all 3 wires. Following the standard, you will attach blue to terminal 1 (either end, my switch was not marked). That wire must be about 8 inches long. The black and red wires need only be 6 inches long. Attach the red wire to terminal 2 (center) and the black wire to the remaining end terminal 3. The "b" side of the switch will have only 2 wires attached. Terminal # 1 will not have a wire. On the "b" side, attach a 8 inch long black wire to terminal 3 (across from the black terminal 3 on he "a" side. Attach a 10 inch long red wire to the # 2 (center) terminal. Apply heat shrink as needed to insulate the wires on the back of the switch. Now, here is the tricky part. When you twist the wires together, you will mix the "a" and "b" sides. This will correspond to the locations for the wires to attach to the PCBs. First, twist only two of the wires from the "a" side together. Twist the 6 inch red and black wires together. Leave the blue wire out. Next, twist the remaining three wires together. That should be the 8 inch blue from the "a" side, the 8 inch black from the "b" side and the 10 inch red from the "b" side. This will make more sense later. [photo 09] All 8 of your LEDs must have wires attached. You must pay attention to polarity and assign a color code so you are certain to hook them up correctly. Notice that one lead is longer than the other on the LED. So, assign your colors based on lead length. Here is how I did it. For my four "bank" LEDs (I changed to red ones), I attached a white wire to the long lead and a blue wire to the short lead. These wires should be about 7 inches long. Write your colors down. For my green "wave" LEDs, I attached a red wire to the long lead and black wire to the short lead. These wires should be about 5 inches long. You will need to insulate your wire-to-LED connections with heat shrink. [photo 11] There is no need to prepare any jacks for the front panel. We will actually start those wires from the PCB end. Let's do that now. Attach 3 wires (I used black) to the "COM" connection by the power connector. These leads must be at least 10 inches long. You will also attach four more wires to the jack connectors on the PCB (J1, J2, J3 and J4). I used a different color for each to make it easy to follow. The wires at J2, 3 and 4 (in a common location on the PCB) should be about 9 inches long. I used blue for J2, yellow for J3 and red for J4. The wire attached to J1 should be about 7 inches long. I used green. Part 4: Attaching front panel controls and wiring to the PCB Instead of trying to connect wires to the front panel after parts are attached to the panel (as common on MOTM construction), you will wire everything except the jacks to the PCB and then attach to the front panel when mounting the PCB. I think this is easiest for this module. And, that is why we prepared all components with leads. You will start with the LEDs. I recommend tying the other wires back out of the way while making these attachments. I used some wire ties to temporarily control the wires. When connecting the LEDs, you must observe polarity. The "long" LED leads connect closest to the edge of the PCB for all 8 LEDs. Notice the LEDs are numbered between the LED location and the resistor network. Each group is also labeled to its bit significance of 1, 2, 4 or 8. The LEDs 1, 2, 3, and 4 (between the pot locations R1 ad R2) are the "bank" LEDs. You will attach the LEDs you prepared with the longer wire leads (red LEDs with red and black wire leads on mine). I trimmed my leads to be a comfortable reach to the location on the front panel. I also slightly staggered the length since some are closer. I made 8 the longest, 4 about 1/4" shorter than 8, 2 about 1/4" shorter that 4, and 1 about 1/4" shorter than 2. When attaching the wires, I put my white leads closest to the edge at the "anode" side as indicated on the PCB. My white lead corresponds to the "longer lead" on the LED before I attached wire. Remember that I told you to write that down? What colors did you select? Be sure you put your so that the lead that was long on the LED is now attached to the terminal closest to the edge of the PCB. The LEDs 5, 6, 7, and 8 (between the pot locations R3 ad R4) are the "wave" LEDs. You will attach the LEDs you prepared with the shorter wire leads (green LEDs with blue & white wire leads on mine). I trimmed my leads to be a comfortable reach to the location on the front panel. I also slightly staggered the length since some were closer. I made 8 the longest, 4 about 1/4" shorter than 8, 2 about 1/4" shorter than 4, and 1 about 1/4" shorter than 2. When you finish your LEDs your PCB should look like this. [photo 12] Next, you will connect the pots. Be certain that the terminal numbers on the pots match those on the PCB. Notice that terminal 1 is marked at each pot location. Following my color standard, blue goes to 1, red to 2 and black to 3 for each pot. * Attach 50 K panel pot with 4 inch leads to PCB pot location R1. * Attach 50 K panel pot with 2 inch leads to PCB pot location R2. * Attach 50 K panel pot with 3 inch leads to PCB pot location R3. * Attach 50 K panel pot with 3 inch leads to PCB pot location R4. If you have not done so already, twist the pots around so that all the leads between the PCB and the each pot are neatly twisted together. The switches are next. The connections are marked with the switch number and terminal numbers. For example, "S1-1" is switch 1 terminal 1. And, S2A3 is switch 2, side A, terminal 3. * Attach all three leads from switch 1 to the PCB. (All 3 connections are located together next to the EPROM.) Using my color standard, blue connects to S1-1, red to S1-2, and black to S1-3. After you make the connections, twist the switch until all three leads are neatly wrapped together from the PCB to the switch. * Switch 2 connects at three different PCB locations. First, connect the two short 6 inch leads (one black and one red from the "a" side). The connection point is near trimmer RT3. Connect the black lead to S2A3. Connect the red lead to S2A2. Next connect the two 8 inch leads Slightly unwrap the 10 inch red lead from the black and blue 8 inch leads if you have all three twisted together. The second connection point is near trimmer RT2. Connect the black wire to S2B3. Connect the blue wire to S2A1. The one remaining red lead connects to S2B2 which is about 2 inches to the left near RT1. When you are complete with your switch and pot connections, your PCB should look something like this. [photo 13] Part 5: Attaching to front panel You have many wires on your Miniwave panel now. I find it helpful to pull back and tie out of the way the ones not being used. Front panel attachments will start with the pots. Two of the pots will hold the PCB mounting bracket to the front panel. I am assuming you are following my lead to have the PCB on the left side as you look from the back (MOTM style). Adjust accordingly if you have selected the opposite side. Be absolutely certain to use the backing nuts on your pots. You cannot tighten against the pot. This will ruin the pot. * Attach the four Switchcraft jacks to the panel. I normally install mine MOTM style with the bevel to the top right. Align and tighten all four. * Attach the PCB to the mounting bracket using 4 screws, standoffs & nuts. * Insert the "Bank" pot (which is wired from the R1 position), through the bracket pot hole # 2 (# 1 was cut out for the LEDs), and then through the front panel "bank" position. Place the nut on the front and hand tighten. * Insert the "Bank CV" pot (which is wired from the R2 position), through the bracket pot hole # 3, and then through the front panel "bank CV" position. Place the nut on the front and hand tighten. * Before tightening these pot nuts to secure the bracket, be certain to align the bracket to your satisfaction. Make certain it is not interfering with the switch or LED holes. I recommend lining the bracket edge (where it is bent) up straight with the panel front edge and set back inside about 3/16 inch. One method is to place the bracket flat on a table with the panel "edge" against the table to line everything up straight. Once you are satisfied that the bracket is lined up to your satisfaction, tighten both bank and bank CV pot nuts on the front of the panel. Use a nut driver to avoid scratching the panel. * Insert the "Wave" pot (which is wired from the R3 position) through the front panel "wave" position. Place the nut on the front and hand tighten. * Insert the "Wave CV" pot (which is wired from the R4 position) through the front panel "wave" position. Place the nut on the front and hand tighten. * Tighten both wave and wave CV pot nuts on the front of the panel. Use a nut driver to avoid scratching the panel. This is the point in time where I inserted my chips in their sockets. Of course, you can do that at anytime. But, the remaining wiring will connect several wires over the top of the PCB. Chip insertion will be easier if you do it before wiring the jacks and switches. Take care to get the chips in the correct sockets and with the notches all facing toward the front panel. * Insert switch # 1 (SPDT) in the "bank A/B" selector position. Don't forget to use your backing nut and lock washer on the back of the panel. Do not overtighten. The switches will not tolerate much torque. Just snug them up. This switch should be installed with the blue wire (terminal # 1) toward the top. * Insert switch # 2 (DPDT) in the "range" position. Install the switch with the blue wire (terminal # 1) toward the bottom of the panel (Yes, opposite of switch one). When you finish the switches your PCB will look like this. [photo 14] You can see that I still have my LEDs tied back out of the way to help with the wire clutter. Next, you will wire the jacks. You have three long black wires attached to the "COM" point on the PCB by the power connector. These are all attached to the same point, so it does not matter which one goes to which jack. However, you will notice that you have only 3 wires but 4 jacks. Due to the distance between the PCB connection and jacks, you may find it beneficial to tie these 3 wires together with wire ties for neatness. All these wires will attach to the bevel of your front panel jacks. * Attach one "COM" wire to the "IN" jack. * Attach one "COM" wire to the "OUT" jack. * The third wire provides ground for both the "WAVE" and "BANK" jacks. Attach your wire to one or the other and add a short jumper wire that connects the two bevels of these two jacks together. The remaining 4 wires all attach to the terminal on the left side of the jacks (looking from back). Nothing will be attached to the top terminals on any of the 4 jacks. * Attach the wire from the PCB terminal J4 (red wire on mine) to the OUT jack left lug. * Attach the wire from the PCB terminal J3 (yellow wire on mine) to the IN jack left lug. * Attach the wire from the PCB terminal J2 (blue wire on mine) to the WAVE jack left lug. * Attach the wire from the PCB terminal J1 (green wire on mine) to the BANK jack left lug. You now have everything attached to your panel except the LEDs. Your project should look something like this. [photo 15] If you tied the LEDs out of the way, you should now untie them and form the leads around to insert the LEDs in the front panel. The LEDs with the longer leads (from between the R1 and R2 positions) go to the "bank" side of the panel. The numbers at the edge of the PCB (1, 2, 4 and 8) correspond to the identification numbers on the panel. We will NOT be actually attaching the LEDs to the front panel at this time. But, you will find that the stiffness of your wires and a couple of wire ties should be all you need to relatively secure them in the positions they belong. Insert the other four LEDs with the shorter wire-leads into the "wave" position in the same manner. These LEDs connect from between the R3 & R4 positions on the PCB. Congratulations. Your Miniwave should now look completed. [photo 16] [photo 17] Add your four knobs to the panel pots. Your Miniwave is now ready for testing and calibration. Please refer to the Blacet documentation for testing and calibration. Once you are complete with testing and calibration and absolutely certain that everything is functioning properly, you can secure the LEDs to the front panel. The reason for not securing the LEDs to the panel before testing is simple. Once you secure them, they can be removed. But, it will be a somewhat troublesome affair best avoided if possible. Of course, you can attach these LEDs to the front panel by a variety of methods. One person suggested a strip of PCB with all the LEDs attached. The PCB was them secured at the ends to hold all the LEDs in place. I could not find any off-the-shelf PCB material with the correct spacing to make that work for me. Another method that apparently works well is to drill your holes slightly undersized for the LEDs. Then you freeze the LEDs, but not the panel. Insert the frozen LEDs in the panel holes. Once they thaw and expand, they are wedged in to the panel very well. While this method might work well. It did not meet my construction method since I already have the LEDs attached to the PCB. Therefore, here is the method I used and recommend: After you are certain the LEDs and the rest of your Miniwave is working properly, the LEDs can be secured into their holes using ordinary bathroom caulk. I would stay away from the silicon based products. I used a DAP product called "ALEX PLUS" It is an acrylic latex caulk. Any latex based caulk should be fine. Also, remember that when I attached wires to my LEDs I used heat shrink. So, all the conductor on the back of my LEDs is completely insulated. However, this should not matter. I checked the dried caulk for conductivity and found the resistance to be so high that it would not register on my DVM. I like the caulk solution for a variety of reasons. But, probably the most significant is that if I need to replace a LED, the procedure is relatively easy. After the caulk is dry, it can be easily cut with a razor or Exacto knife to extract a single LED. Once the LED is replaced, the caulk can be easily patched on the back. Here is what the LEDs look like ones the caulk is installed. [photo 18] Now, if you have ever used caulk you know how difficult it is to install the stuff neatly. As you can see from my photo, I have a nice neat box of caulk around my LEDs. The method to accomplish that is easy. Use 4 pieces of masking tape to outline the area where you want the caulk to be. Align all of your LEDs in the holes they belong in. Squeeze your caulk out along both sides of the LEDs. Use you finger to push the caulk between the LEDs as needed and to make an even distribution around the edges (and out onto the masking tape. The caulk should be thick up around the LEDs so that you cannot see any of the actual LEDs. However, it should be feathered out thin near the edge at the masking tape. After you are satisfied that you have your caulk distributed to your liking, simply pull the masking tape off carefully once piece at a time, revealing your neat clean edge. It will be helpful to have a couple of paper towels handy to keep your fingers clean and to have a place to drop the tape that is messy with caulk. You have plenty of time after the caulk is in place to adjust your LEDs to uniformity. The caulk takes a long time to set up. After you have your LEDs aligned as you want them, set your module aside and give the caulk several hours to firm up. That concludes my instructions for assembly of the Blacet / Wiard Miniwave in the MOTM format using Stooge panels and brackets. I hope my work has made the process more enjoyable for you and helped you to achieve success. I always welcome feedback and constructive criticism. If you have any ideas for improvement of this document, please drop me a note. Here are the completed photos. [photo 19] [photo 20] Larry Hendry 01/17/02 Revision 1