This is part of our Alpenglow Beginning Soldering weather-themed series. It is a solder-it-yourself through-hole board that uses self-flashing blue LEDs.
Not all weather is sunshine and rainbows! Combined with our Happy Rain Cloud and Angry Storm Cloud, these three boards are great introductions to through-hole soldering that are quick to build and sure to make you smile! Our Sunny Surprise and Radiant Rainbow are the perfect follow-ons that teach a few more skills.
Its snowflakes are exposed copper covered with HASL-lead free solder giving it it's shiny (and chilly) look.
The design on this board is super simple so you can solder the components on in any order. Personally, I like to start with the switch and battery holder. I made the holes for the battery holder snug so with a little pressure it should snap into place for easy soldering!
*Note: When soldering the battery holder be carful not to get solder outside of the pad or the board will short!
If you're having trouble keeping the board from moving when soldering you can use a piece of tape to hold the board down. Just be sure not to have the tape too close to where you are soldering your joint!
*Note: The battery holder and switch are made of metal so they get hot when soldering. Be careful touching them during and directly after soldering!
*I like to add a bit of extra solder so the clouds eyes look nice and smooth.
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Step 2: Solder the LEDs
I find it helpful to solder the 2 outer LEDs first and the middle on last. I usually use a spool of solder wick to support the other side of the board while soldering. (you can use anything that's a similar height to the board.)