LED spacers and the "click"

[Scott Barrett]

From the page on building the PiDP-11

"LED spacers are actually a great help when putting in LEDs. When you know how to use them; see the pictures below. The solid end of the spacer goes onto the PCB, the hollow end faces the LED. Put the LED into the spacer, with its pins only protruding a bit. Now mount the LED+spacer onto the PCB. Once the LED is in, press it in all the way. A click, and the LED is solidly in the right place. But best press the LED in with two fingers, not one. "

I've followed the instructions on piecing the items together prior to actually soldering anything.  however I don't hear any sort of click when assembling per the above.  Is the click coming from the LED into the spacer or the spacer on the board?  Is this a previous version and the currently supplied parts don't click?

Thanks,

Scott

[Jeff Thieleke]

I think the "click" was oversold in the instructions - sometimes you'll feel a tiny snap as you slide the spacer up on the LED but I never felt anything that I'd call a click and most of the LEDs had nothing.

Just be sure that you have the spacer so the hollow end is facing the LED and push up all the way and you'll be fine.

[oscarv]

Yes, the click on inserting the LEDs was definitely oversold. Up till a few days ago, I even mentioned it as a satisfying click, over the weekend I toned it down to a click after the livestream of Christopher Masto - who wondered about the lack of click at all.

For me it feels like a click but it may all be in the mind... I wrote that after finally figuring out how LED spacers were to be used. For months I mounted them upside down, which adds to the wobblyness before you solder. With the described procedure they made the kit easier to make rather than adding wobblyness... maybe that is why I imagine a click.

I'll gently let the word slip from the building instructions ;)

But I swear I can feel a click when they are pressed in... or at least a plop or maybe a tschwop?

Kind regards,

Oscar.

[Geoffrey McDermott]

I missed the part about which end should be toward the PCB, and used my judgement, which was not correct. But, one the nice 'cover piece' is in place, there doesn't seem to be any problems.

Oscar should get an award for the 'switch fixer' idea for aligning the switches for soldering all those switches.......we all know how bad the aligment would be without it.

[Bob Flanders]

I like "satisfying click". There's a certain cachet, even dignity to this phrase. 

Perhaps the revision could read "After a satisfying, imperceptible, and ephemeral click, the LED is solidly in the right place."

:D 

Click or not, this is a great build and a great device.

Regards,
Bob

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[terry-...@glaver.org]

On Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 4:43:50 PM UTC-4, oscarv wrote:

But I swear I can feel a click when they are pressed in... or at least a plop or maybe a tschwop?

It is there. The leads on the LED have some extra material where the ends that go inside the LED were held and formed. It varies depending on the type of LED and the QC abilities of the manufacturer. Here are examples with not much extra material and loads of it:

[Scott Barrett]

Thanks all.  That all makes sense to what I was seeing.  The only thing I could think was that the LED was supposed to snap into the spacer at the base, but the spacer has a significantly smaller diameter than the LED, so I couldn't see how it would fit. 

[Tom Lake]

I felt a click for each one. It is a satisfying click! At least to me it is. Then again, I'm easily satisfied. :)

Tom L

On Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 4:43:50 PM UTC-4, oscarv wrote:

[emt377]

I'm pretty sure I concluded that they were 'supposed' to have the flat end near the LED.  D'oh.

They say there's nothing so dangerous as a programmer with a screwdriver, but programmer with a soldering iron is surely worse.