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Smol Tracker Soldering

This guide offers two ways to learn to solder your Smol Tracker: a video and a step-by-step text tutorial. Choose the method that works best for you!

Table of Contents

Soldering Tutorials

Lyall Smol Tracker Soldering Video Tutorial

If you prefer to watch a demonstration, you can follow along with the video below.

Depact Smol Tracker Soldering Text Tutorial

Tools Needed

Essential Tools
  • Side cutter pliers
  • Tweezers (used for holding buttons and header pins in place)
  • Soldering iron
  • Soldering sponge (used for cleaning the soldering iron tip)
  • Flux-cored solder wire (recommended for ease of use over separate solder and flux)
  • Scissors (used for cutting Kapton tape)
Optional Additional Tools
  • Soldering jig (optional, but makes holding the board easier)
  • Soldering mat (optional, protects your workspace)

Soldering Steps

  1. Solder the Button

    • Prefill the through-holes under the button contacts with solder.
    • Place the button onto the solder-filled holes.
    • Heat the area with the soldering iron until the solder connects the button pads securely.

  2. Solder the Breakaway Header

    • Break off a segment of 6 pins from the breakaway header strip.
    • Insert the header into the through-holes, leaning it slightly toward the center of the board to hold it in place.
    • Solder each pin one by one, making sure they remain straight and securely attached.

  3. Insulate the IMU

    • Cover the backs of the IMU with Kapton tape to prevent shorts.

  4. Solder Headers to the IMU

    • Solder a row of breakaway headers to one side of the IMU.
    • Solder the headers on the other side at a slight angle to ensure contact with the IMU pads.

  5. Trim and Inspect Header Pins

    • Use side cutter pliers to trim excess length from the header pins.
    • Inspect the solder joints and add more solder if needed, but avoid overheating, as this can loosen the pins.

  6. Solder the Antenna Mod and Battery

    • Solder the antenna wire and the battery leads to their respective pads.
    • For the antenna, cut a wire approximately the length of the board—just make sure it is at least 31.2 mm long.

Double-check each connection carefully before powering the board.

Use the info command in a serial terminal to check if the IMU is detected. If it is not detected, this usually means there is a soldering issue, or less commonly, a hardware fault.

Created by Shine Bright ✨ and Depact