How to Solder the OSEPP LED Hourglass

The OSEPP LED Hourglass is a fantastic soldering practice kit for new solderers or for electrical engineers who want to fine-tune their soldering skills.

The soldering project kit comes with everything you need to create the flashing LED Hourglass (minus the batteries), including step-by-step instructions. Here, we walk through each step and provide images and tips along the way. 

Soldering Equipment:

• 75 Watt Soldering Station
• Simple Circuit Board Clamp Holder
• LED Lamp

Step 1: Prepare the work area

We used a 75W soldering station and third hand tool (a clamp PCB holder) to complete this project. We also set up a fume extractor to ensure all hazardous fumes were removed.

Step 2: Inventory all the parts that come with the kit.

Always review your components before soldering, especially any components that look similar to each other but are different, such as resistors and capacitors. Double-check resistance and other values using a component tester or multimeter, if possible. 

Step 3: LED placement (x42)

The kit comes with extra LEDs in case of defects or misplacement. When placing components with longer leads, it is helpful to bend the lead to hold the component in place while soldering.

The ‘longer’ lead from the LED is positive (+).

Step 4: Finish soldering each row before moving on

Use a diagonal clipper to cut off the leads once soldering has been completed.

Step 5: Place and solder all the resistors

Step 6: Place and solder IC into place.

• Match the ‘notch’ on the IC to the notch on the silkscreen image.

Finally: Solder the rest of the components

Now enjoy the fruit of your hard work!