Congratulations on the purchase of your Real Time Clock kit for your Commodore computer. While this clock was designed for use with GEOS, we are writing programs to read and display the time and date within BASIC. The program disk provided contains programs for setting, reading and displaying the time on the desktop; for reminding you of important dates, and more. As new programs are written, they can be obtained by downloading from our BBS, or upon request, on disk.
Your clock can be assembled for plugging into joystick port#2, with pass-through, or installed inside you Commodore 64 or 128. Instructions for internal installation are found in other doc files on this disk. This file tells how to assemble an external clock. Because the components are sensitive to static shocks and heat, the clock has been partially assembled, and designed so that all soldering is done before installing the main unit., which is plugged into the assembly. Read these instructions thoroughly; if you then feel you don't have the experience to be sure you can do the job, you should put everything back in the box, and send it back to us, along with the difference in price: we'll be glad to send you a finished device. We want you to be happy with your clock.
Included in the kit are:
1. Main module, in a twenty-eight pin socket.
2. Twenty-eight pin wire-wrap-type socket with all but six pins removed, and the six pins clipped short.
3. Male and female nine-pin "D" plugs.
4. Nine-lead, 1.4 inch ribbon wire. Extra wire is included in case you need it.
5. Anti-static enclosure for outer case.
6. Two two-inch machine screws with nuts.
7. Outside "Mystic Jim" label.
The following tools are recommended:
1. Soldering iron: about 25 watts recommended.
2. Solder, very fine acid core for electronics.
3. Soldering flux.
4. Needle-nose pliers.
5. Sharp utility knife (X-Acto).
6. Wire stripper for about 27 gauge wire.
7. Devcon 5 MINUTE EPOXY GEL (optional).
Before assembly, make the following preparations. (some may have already been done for you.):
1. Carefully strip about 3/32nd inch of the insulation from each end of nine-lead ribbon. The best way is to score the insulation
@of all nine leads on each side with a soldering iron, then strip the insulation all at once with your fingernail. If you haven't had much experience with this, practice with the extra wire.
2. Put a small amount of flux on the wire ends you just stripped, then dip the wire into a blob of hot solder on the soldering iron. This is done to fuse the strands of each wire.
3. Cut the wires apart about 1/4 inch on each end using the X-Acto knife.
Preparing the socket:
With the X-Acto knife, cut away the plastic bridges in the upper channel of the socket, flush with the base, to create a clear path for the wire ribbon .
Now you can begin assembly:
1. Folding the ribbon into a "U" shape, and separating the leads, solder one end of each of the nine lea
Now you can begin assembly:
1. Folding the ribbon into a "U" shape, and separating the leads, solder one end of each of the nine leads into it's respective pin on the male "D" plug, then into the corresponding pin of the female plug. Each wire goes straight across from one plug pin to the other.
2. Solder each of the six individual wire leads into it's appropriate pin, as shown
in the diagram. Try to keep leads as flat as possible using a minimum of solder, so the finished wire-plug unit will fit neatly into the channel you just cut in the socket. Identify the free end of each wire so you know where to solder them in the following steps.
3. With needle-nose pliers, or sharp tweezers, thread the free end of each wire through the slots in the socket, while fitting the unit into the channel. If the wire ribbon is too short for the plugs to fit around the socket, you can shave the ends of the socket to shorten it enough for a tight fit. If the wire is a bit long, that's OK, because the machine screws and nuts will push it togther for a good fit.
4. Fit the free ends of each of the six individual wires to it's appropriate socket pin, and cut the excess wire for a good fit.
5. Strip a bit of the insulation from each lead. A good way is to melt it back with the soldering iron. Put a small amount of flux on the bare wire, then "tin" with a bit of solder.
6. Carefully solder each wire to it's respective pin. Be sure the joints are well soldered, so they won't break later.
Now check each circuit for shorts or open leads using an ohm-meter, or similar device. This very important: shorts can damage the chip when it's plugged in, and open leads can prevent the joystick from working properly, or the clock may not work.
If all checks well, it's time for the final assembly:
First, carefully plug the main circuit into the socket. Be sure it's turned the right way!
1. You may use a good silicone epoxy or "potting" compound to glue the "D" plugs to the socket, using the machine screws to hold it while drying, or just use the screws permanently. Make absolutely certain that any glue is non-conducting!! We use Devcon's "5 MINUTE EPOXY GEL", which comes in a two-part package, with excellent results.
The static-resist plastic enclosure provided makes an excellent outer casing. Just spread it carefully, so it doesn't stay spread, and snap it over the unit. ( without the machine screws). At this point we test the unit in GEOS to be sure it's OK, then spread the epoxy over the exposed wires, glue the socket, plugs and outer case together. We then glue the label around the unit, being sure not to glue the main module to anything, and it's done!! Good luck, and if you find you need help, or have problem, please leave a message on our BBS, and we'll do what we can to help.
we can to help.
mount of flux on the wire ends you just stripped, tbbon into a "U" shape, and separating the leads, solder one end of each of the nine lea
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