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THE ETHERNET DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Part 1: Putting it all Together
by Fred Eady

Start ý Overview ý Elmerýs Silicon Glue ý Time to Kill ý The CS8900A-CQ ý Software and Firmware ý ICSP and LVP ý Assemble the Ethernet Electronics ý No Floating Allowed ý Installing the Bypass Capacitors ý Pin Point ý Finishing Installation ý Assemble the PIC16F877 Electronics ý The Rest of the Project ý Winding Down ý Finishing Up ý Sources and PDF

ELMERýS SILICON GLUE

Start your construction of the EDB (Ethernet Development Board) by placing a small drop of wood glue in the center of the CS8900A-CQ pad area as shown in Photo 1. Take care not to use too much glue, because when you press the CS8900A-CQ down on the board, itýs going to spread. Trust me, you donýt want any glue in the fine traces. The whole idea here is to hold the CS8900A-CQ firmly in place for soldering.

Photo 1ýA little dabýll do yaý. You donýt need expensive adhesives just to set an SMT IC in place.

Throughout this whole process donýt be embarrassed to use magnification. I wore magnifiers and then looked through a desktop magnifier to make sure the CS8900A-CQ leads were exactly mated to the printed circuit board pads. However, my daughter needed absolutely no optical enhancement tools when checking my alignment job.

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