After soldering comes the moment of truth… The ultimate question is, of course: will it work?

Visual check

Perform a visual check before testing! Have all components been soldered? No loose pieces of metal or soldering wire on the board? No solder bridges connecting the legs of components? When in doubt, ask for help or a second opinion.

External DC power check

Connect a 7V – 12V power adapter to the DC connector of your Stickuino. Plug the power adapter into a wall outlet (fingers crossed!).

Does the red led light up steadily? Does the green led blink? Does the reset button work? Congratulations, your Stickuino is essentially working! If not, or if you observe anything unusual – such as components heating up or magic smoke being released – unplug your Stickuino immediately and ask for help!

Disconnect your Stickuino from the power adapter and unplug the power adapter from the wall outlet.

USB power check

Please note: do not connect your USB FTDI board to your computer yet! Connect the USB FTDI board to your Stickuino using the 6 pins header. Pay attention to the orientation (GND to GND). Re-test your Stickuino using an USB adapter, not your computer! Re-check whether the red led lights up continuously, the green led blinks and the reset button works. If so, the power supply through the USB port works as well. So far, so good!

Once again, feel free to ask for help if you’ve got any questions or doubts.

Moving on

Now that your Stickuino seems to be working, it’s time to install the Arduino IDE and have your Stickuino communicate with your computer. If you didn’t do so yet, you may clean your Stickuino now (ask for help), or leave it as is.