Smol Tracker Soldering

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

Table of Contents

• Lyall's Soldering Video Tutorial
• Depact's Soldering Text Tutorial
  • Tools Needed
    • Essential Tools
    • Optional Additional Tools
  • Types of PCB Soldering Defects and Solutions
  • Soldering Steps
• Additional Materials
  • Ibis Soldering Fixture

Lyall's Soldering Video Tutorial

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

Depact's 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)

Types of PCB Soldering Defects and Solutions

Visual guide for PCB soldering and identifying soldering defects and proper solder joints.

Image source: [RayPCB](https://www.raypcb.com/pcb-soldering/)

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 back of the IMU module 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 so they make solid 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 optimal performance, the antenna wire should be cut to 31.2 mm. Any deviation will reduce performance.

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.

Additional Materials

Ibis Soldering Fixture

You can optionally use the Ibis soldering fixture to hold your IMU and headers securely in place while soldering. Note: That this fixture does not work for every IMU, as it is specifically designed for the LSM6DSR/LSM6DSV from Deyta's Moffshop and ICM-45686 from SlimeVR Store.

Download STL file

Created by Shine Bright ✨ and Depact