Renard 64XC Construction

Board Assembly

The following sequence of steps is by no means the only way to Assembly the Renard 64. It is simply a suggested order of assembly. Many will have varied opinions on what the order should be.

NOTE: The part numbers referenced in the following instructions are those taken from the Renard 64 BOM.

Start by checking the PCB over for any obvious production faults. Check for traces that end abruptly or have cracks/breaks in them. Also check that all holes are clear. Also, look for damage that may have occured during shipping and handling. Large scratches over traces can be an issue.
Install two 750 ohm resistors R1 & R2. Make sure that the resistors have a value of 750 ohms [violet/green/brown/gold stripes]. These resistors have no polarity to worry about.
Install the 120 ohm resistor R3. Make sure that the resistor has a value of 120 ohms (brown/red/brown/gold stripes). This resistor have no polarity to worry about.
Install two (2) 1K ohm resistors R4 and R7. Make sure that the resistors have a value of 1K ohm [brown/black/red/gold stripes].
Install three (3) 27K ohm resistors R5, R8, and R14. Make sure that the resistors have a value of 27K ohms [red/violet/orange/gold stripes].
Install one (1) 300 ohm resistors R19. Make sure that the resistors have a value of 330 ohms [???/???/???/gold].
Install four diodes D1 thru D4. The diodes will have a silver/grey stripe on a black body. Make sure that this stripe lines up with the stripe on the PCB silk screen.
Install zener diode D5. The diode must be installed correctly. The diode should have a black stripe on the orange/red body. Make sure that this stripe lines up with the stripe on the PCB silkscreen.
Install zener diode D6. The diode must be installed correctly. The diode should have a black stripe on the orange/red body. Make sure that this stripe lines up with the stripe on the PCB silkscreen.
Install eight (8) 0.1uF capacitors C3-C10. These capacitors are not polarized so the orientation is not critical.
INSTALLATION NOTE: The following resistor network is a "bussed" type resistor network. This means that the seven (7) resistor components (pins 2-8) are all connected in a common buss to pin 1. Installing the resistor network backwards will cause a multitude of malfunctions. So please take the time to make sure they are installed correctly.
Install the eight (8) 330 ohm resistor networks R10-R13 and R20-R23. The resistor network should have a dot on it to indicate pin 1. Insert pin 1 of the resistor network into the square solder pad.
Install the Power LED, D7. The LEDs are polarized and must be installed with the proper orientation. The short lead is the cathode and must be placed in the square solder pad.
Install sixty four (64) Green Channel LEDs. The LEDs are polarized and must be installed correctly. The short lead is the cathode and must be placed in the square solder pad. This is marked on the silkscreen with a "K". Now, the question seems to come up a lot.."how do I get these straight". Since the LEDs are rectangular, it is VERY noticeable if they are not. The best answer is to put them into the board and bend the leads back slightly as you would do for any other LED. Then, put a piece of tape across the LEDs to hold them in place. Solder one lead on each LED and remove the tape. Now, you can reheat each single LED lead and make adjustments to line them up. Once you are satisfied, solder the other lead.
Install one (1) 2-pin vertical header JP1. These headers have not polarized so the orientation is not important.
Install the clock oscillator U3. The oscillator must be installed in the correct orientation. The oscillator has three rounded corners and one squared corner. Mmake sure that the squared corner is positioned to match the PCB silkscreen.
Install the voltage regulator U1. The voltage regulator must be installed correctly. The voltage regulator's tab/heat sink must be aligned with wider line of the PCB silkscreen outline (facing outwards to the PCB edge).
Install the 2200uF capacitor C1. This capacitor is polarized and must be installed correctly. The capacitor should have a black stripe on the body to indicate the negative lead. The positive lead of the capacitor will be the longer lead. Make sure that the positive lead is placed in the square solder pad.
Install the 47uF capacitor C2. This capacitor is polarized and must be installed correctly. The capacitor should have a silver/grey stripe on the body to indicate which lead is negative. The positive lead of the capacitor will be the longer lead. Make sure that the positive lead is placed in the square solder pad.
INSTALLATION NOTE: Pin 1 of the following IC sockets must be aligned with the square solder pad. Another way to verify that you installed them correctly is to make sure that the notch on the socket is aligned with the notch on the PCB silkscreen outline.
OPTIONAL: Install two (2) 8-pin IC sockets for U4 & U5. These parts are not included in the REN64 BOM. However, it is strongly suggested that you use sockets for these IC chips.
Install eight (8) 14-pin IC sockets for U7-U14.
OPTIONAL: The BOM calls our for spades. However, many users prefer to use a single 2 position terminal here. Install two terminal blocks for 120V input.
Install two (2) RJ45 modular jacks J3 and J4. Due to minor variations in manufacturing, some RJ45 jacks are a tighter fit than others. Care should be taken to ensure that the pins are aligned first before applying too much pressure to seat the locking lugs through the board.
Install sixteen (16) RJ45 Top Entry modular jacks J5-J16 and J18-J21. Due to minor variations in manufacturing, some RJ45 jacks are a tighter fit than others. Care should be taken to ensure that the pins are aligned first before applying too much pressure to seat the locking lugs through the board.
OPTIONAL: Install the DE9 connector J22. This connector is only needed if you plan on using a normal serial cable to connect to the first board in the chain. You can, however, make a DE9 x RJ45 cable instead. For boards after the first one, this connector is not needed.
If you are unsure about your ability to build this board, then you should go to The Beginner's Setup Guide at this point. The Beginner's Setup Guide will walk you thru some initial tests to make sure that everything is working correctly before inserting the IC chips.
INSTALLATION NOTE: Pin 1 of each IC must be aligned with pin 1 of the corresponding socket. This can be verified by noting that the notch on the IC is aligned with the notch on the socket.
Install the H11AA1 optocoupler U2.
Install eight (8) PIC microcontrollers U7-U14. The PICs need to be programmed with the appropriate firmware before installation. More info on programming PICs can be found here.
Install two (2) RS232/RS485 Interface ICs U4 & U5.
Install 24 optoisolators M1 thru M24 (PN# 859-MOC3023).
OPTIONAL: Install a heat sink (PN# 532-577102B00) on voltage regulator U1. The mounting hardware and heat transfer compound are not included in the BOM since any common hardware can be used to attach the heat sink. If you don't have any heat transfer compound handy, you can use PN# 532-249.

Completed Renard 64XC

Congratulations! You have finished building your Renard 64!