Angry Storm Cloud Guide

Overview

This little cloud may look mean, but we promise it’s fun and easy to solder up!

This is a super fun and simple storm cloud blinky board. It has 3 self-flashing LEDs that act as the clouds lightning bolts! It also has an on/off switch and includes a CR2032 battery. Robyn made this board for people to have a fun, easy project to learn how to solder. This is her second design and thought going with an angry storm cloud would be a fun opposite of the original Happy Rain Cloud. For more fun kits in our Solder Weather Series we have The Chilly Snow Cloud, Radiant Rainbow, and Sunny Surprise.

This board was made using black substrate and clear soldermask which shows off the copper beautifully, check out the back!

For more fun, you can order 2 and follow our instructions on Hackaday on how to make them into a pair of flashy earrings!

First run of PCBs fabricated by OSHPark, second run fabricated by PCBWay.

Solder the Switch

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.


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 switch is made of metal so it gets hot when soldering. Be careful touching it during and directly after soldering!

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)


The long and short is referring to the lengths of the LED legs. The long leg should go through the hole labeled long and the short leg through the hole labeled short.

Solder 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: The battery holder is made of metal so it gets hot when soldering. Be careful touching it during and directly after soldering!


*I like to add a bit of extra solder so the clouds eyes look nice and smooth.

Insert Battery and Turn On!

The switch is marked with ON and OFF.

Match the + side of the battery to the + side of the battery holder.

Place Magnet or Adhesive Pin (optional)

The magnets are very strong, use caution when handling. Place magnet on the battery holder, this will only work if the battery is installed. You can then attach it to any magnetic surface like your fridge.


If you'd like to wear your badge, you can use the ahdesive back pin provided in your kit. Remove the strip covering the adhesive and firmly press to the battery holder. You can then pin the badge to your shirt.

Elsewhere on the Web

Turn Your Blinky Boards into Earrings!

Downloads

How to download our BOM from GitHub:
1. Click the BOM button above
2. Right click over the raw data
3. Select save as and save the CSV file
Have any questions?  Contact us!