Step-by-step Assembly guide (draft) published @ thehighnibble.com

[TheHighNibble]

Folks,

my priority over the past week has been in packing and shipping kits to the people that took the brave step and ordered and paid for a kit in good faith and almost without exception, without asking the price. I thank you.

Now that kits have started to arrive in peoples hands my priority has shifted to publishing a written step-by-step assembly guide, supplemented by the assembly videos I've been releasing on YouTube.

The first draft of the step-by-step assembly guide is now available on http://thehighnibble.com

Its about 50% complete and takes you through soldering everything on the PCB, up to but not including the rocker/toggle switches. 

Over the course of this week I aim to finish this online guide and release the next sequence of videos to support the guide.

Next week I am on annual leave from my day job and will have the time to complete more documentation including all the configuration information you'll need to successfully operate the IMSAI 8080esp and to tie up any loose ends with the online assembly guide and make more videos and etc... 

Thanks for your interest, support and participation in the forum.

Dave.

[TheHighNibble]

The step-by-step assembly guide has been extended to include soldering in the rocker switches.

https://thehighnibble.com/imsai8080/assembly/

Just need to complete the guide to include bolting all the acrylic panels together and putting on the lid.

Dave.

[TheHighNibble]

A full first draft of the step-by-step assembly guide is now complete and available at https://thehighnibble.com/imsai8080/assembly/

I'm keen to take feedback and have errors pointed out so I can correct them, so I will now leave this open to replies for that purpose.

[Kean Maizels]

You have two steps numbered 24.  And the steps numbered 27a-29a and 27b-29b seem a bit confusing and out of order.

I'd also recommend soldering in the IC sockets before doing the LEDs so you can lay it flat while soldering them.

Otherwise the instructions were good for me.  I admit that I couldn't help skipping ahead a bit though, which almost screwed me over.

I struggled to remember the correct front panel operation with deposit and deposit next, but I got there in the end.  Glad that the test programs are so short!

[Kean Maizels]

Just watching the latest video, and I realised why you solder the LEDs first...  If the IC sockets were in place, then you couldn't use the acrylic spacer for the LEDs.

I just always tend to solder the lowest profile parts first, and go up from there.

[TheHighNibble]

On Monday, 24 June 2019 18:37:18 UTC+10, TheHighNibble wrote:

Thanks for the feedback on the numbering. I’ll fix that.
Yes you figured it out correct, LEDs first because of the spacing and alignment guides. I know it’s against convention, but entirely necessary.

[TheHighNibble]

The numbering is now fixed. And I've added s few more steps to cover mounting the metal finished cover around the toggle switches (my personal favourite part).

[John Kennedy]

Suggestions: 

1. A diagram that clearly indicates the name of each piece of acrylic / case

2. A diagram that is a cross section showing what the finished "sandwich" of acrylic and cct board will look like.

[TheHighNibble]

Agreed. The BOM is missing the photos of the acrylic pieces, I will rectify that shortly.

The cross section has been on my mind, I'm not the greatest at graphic artist. I might try for a photo first.

[John Kennedy]

This style would be the best thing ever. You should recognize it :-)

Also, the entire set of instructions should be in mono-space courier as well.

At least, let's make a PDF version in that style that can be downloaded and placed in a binder :-)

On Friday, June 28, 2019 at 5:43:49 PM UTC-7, TheHighNibble wrote:

Agreed. The BOM is missing the photos of the acrylic pieces, I will rectify that shortly.

The cross section has been on my mind, I'm not the greatest at graphic art. I might try for a photo first.