T1W6: Wiring the Components

After the LED board is soldered and tested, the next step is to wire up the speakers and power jack and switch. The kit includes four sets of black and red wires with connectors on the end that plug into the Bluetooth music player board. The wires are longer than we need so we will cut and strip the wires and use the remaining pieces for hooking up the power to the LED board.

Here is a link to download the assembly instructions from the kit manufacturer. Here is a diagram of the wiring we need to do (our boards are not exactly like this one but similar enough):

Wiring the Speakers

Step 1: First Speaker

The wires that come with the connectors are longer than needed. For the first speaker wire, cut the wire about in half (save the cut wire for later!), and strip the insulation about 1/4" off the ends of the wires with the connector. Bend the stripped end of the wires into a U and hook the wires onto the hole in the speaker terminals. Note that the red wire should go on the "+" terminal and the black wire on the "-" terminal - the + and - are embossed into the white insulator but can be hard to see. Arrange the wires so they are exiting towards the back of the speaker (use the third hand tool if needed) and solder the wires to the terminals.

Step 2: Second Speaker

The second speaker is wired like the first, but the wire needs to be a little bit longer. Cut about 1.5" of wire off the end and save that piece also. Strip the wires 1/4" and solder to the second speaker, red wire to + terminal and black wire to - terminal.

Wiring the Power

We will now wire up the power jack and switch to to LED and music player boards.

Step 3: Wiring the LED Board

Using one of the power cables with the white connector on the end, insert one end of the wires into the + and - holes of the LED board power jack - marked "J1" with a rectangle on the lower right of the board. Put the red wire into the bottom "+" hole, and the black wire into the top "-" hole, and solder them. The other end of the wires will go to the power jack and switch, in parallel with the power connector for the music board. We will not actually use the white connector, so it should be cut off about 1" from the end, and then the cut ends of the wires should be stripped.

Step 4: Prepare the panel

The power jack and switch have to be attached to the panel that makes the back of the case before they are wired. Find the case panel with the round and rectangular holes, and carefully remove the thin plastic sheet from both sides of the panel. Try scratching at a corner of the panel to pull up a small amount of the plastic, then carefully peel it off.

Step 5: Mount the Parts

Arrange the panel as shown in the picture, with the round hold on the right towards the top of the panel. Find the round power jack and the large hexagonal nut that goes with it. Put the jack through the round hole in the panel and attach the nut on the back - finger tight only for now. Orient the jack so the terminals are as shown before tightening the nut.

Find the rocker power switch and carefully press it into the rectangular hole in the panel, with the leads on the right side as shown in the picture. Gently press the switch into the hole until the plastic tabs on the sides snap into place - be careful not to crack the plastic panel as you are pushing the switch in! The best way to do it without cracking is to hold the panel near the short sides of the rectangular hole rather than at the edges - too much flex and the panel will crack. Ask for help if you have any doubts - we are running out of extra panels.

Step 6: Wire The Switch

Using a short piece of wire cut from the second speaker wire, strip the insulation from the ends of the wire about 1/4". This can be harder with a short piece of wire, so you may have to use the needle-nose pliers to hold the wire when you strip it. Then attach the wire between the inner switch terminal and the bottom power jack terminal, and solder it.

Step 7: Power Wires

We will attach both the power connector for the music board and the power wires for the LED board in parallel to the switch and jack. Using the last power connector, strip a little more insulation of the ends (1/4" total) and twist the stripped ends of the connector wire together with the stripped ends of the LED board power wire - red to red and black to black. Insert the red twisted wires into the middle terminal of the power switch and solder them. Finally, insert the black twisted wires into the top terminal of the power jack and solder. The twisting is optional, if you have problems you can also just try to insert the two same color wires individually into the holes on the terminals, bending the wire into a U when you are done to hold it in place.