Soldering the 3.3v Regulator to the Switcheroo

Soldering the surface mount 3.3v regulator to the Switcheroo can be done with a regular soldering iron, no SMT setup needed!

Step 1: Prep One of the Leg Pads

The first thing you want to do is lock the Switcheroo board down in a bench vice or somehow ensure it won't scoot around on you while you're working.

To make things easy on yourself, prep one of the leg pads with solder. Just tin it up nice with plenty of extra solder domed up on the pad.

Step 2: Place and Solder the Regulator

Place the regulator on the board by hand (or use fancy tweezers if you have them) so the regulator sits correctly over the pads. The regulator will not sit level on the board but as soon as you place the hot iron on the leg sitting over the solder-tinned pad, it will melt the solder on the leg pad and the regulator will snuggle right down on to the board. Once the solder cools, your regulator will be stuck in place and the rest is a breeze!

Solder the other leg in place, then move to the ground pad. The ground pad is quite large and will take some time to heat properly. Be patient and let the soldering iron do it's work. Once it's hot enough, the solder will flow into place perfectly, without much fuss.

Step 3: Attach Power Supply Wires

Your power source can now be unregulated DC power from 4v to 20v DC! Just connect source and ground supply to the two unregulated power pins on the side of the board and you're ready to go!