Housing Assembly
This section explains the step-by-step process to assemble the Tech-Box.io Laser Stem Matrix
Table of Contents - Laser Stem Matrix Instruction Guide
Housing Assembly
With all of the electrical connections complete, it is time to assemble the housing (Part A) of the Laser Stem Matrix. Each piece of the housing (Part A) is labeled in the image below as Parts A-1 through A-11 and Part B.
- (Part A-1) Housing Bottom
- (Part A-2) Housing Left Side with Push-Button Cutout
- (Part A-3) Housing Right Side
- (Part A-4) Housing Rear Side
- (Part A-5) Housing Front Side
- (Part A-6) Bottom Alignment Shelf
- (Part A-7) Middle Alignment Shelf
- (Part A-8) Upper Alignment Shelf
- (Part A-9) x2 - Wide LED Matrix Support Brackets
- (Part A-10) Narrow LED Matrix Support Bracket
- (Part A-11) x4 - Alignment Shelf Tower Supports
- (Part B) x64 - Clear LED Stems
Follow the steps below to complete the assembly and start using your new Tech-Box.io Laser Stem Matrix. Be cautious to not knock any of the wires or components on the breadboard loose during the assembly process, or your kit may not work correctly! (Note: Some housing pieces have tabs that are inserted into slots and snap into place to hold the housing together; When disassembling these pieces, the tabs must be pinched -- like removing a belt buckle -- to be removed from the slots they were inserted in. If they are not compressed before removal, the tabs may become damaged):
- Unplug the Mini USB Cable (Part G) from your PC if it is connected, but leave the Mini USB Cable (Part G) connected to the Nano Board (Part C). While assembling the housing, the Laser Stem Matrix needs to be disconnected from power.
- Locate the left side of the housing (Part A-2) and connect it to the bottom of the housing (Part A-1) as shown in the image below. Ensure that the Push Button (Part F) wires are positioned above the Mini USB cable (Part G) that is already inserted into the Nano Board (Part C), as highlighted by the arrow below. (Note: The left piece of the housing will not latch into place yet, be cautious to not let it slide out of the slot)
- Locate the rear of the housing (Part A-4) with the TechBox logo and cable cutout. Then place the Mini USB cable (Part G) into the cutout on the rear of the housing (Part A-4), as highlighted by the blue arrow in the image below. Then, latch the rear of the Laser Stem Matrix (Part A-4) onto the left side (Part A-2) and bottom of the housing (Part A-1), making sure that the latches of the left side (Part A-2) snap into place, as highlighted by the white arrows in the image below. (Note: The push button wiring passes above the Mini USB cable)
- Locate the right side of the housing (Part A-3), and latch it onto the rear of the housing (Part A-4) while rotated slightly away from the bottom piece of the housing (Part A-1), making sure the latches snap into place, as highlighted by the blue arrows below. Then, rotate the right side of the housing (Part A-3) toward the bottom of the housing (Part A-1), allowing the tab on the bottom piece to slide into the slot as highlighted by the white arrow in the image below.
- Rotate the Laser Stem Matrix housing (Part A) onto its rear side (Part A-3). Then install the front of the housing (Part A-5), making sure that it latches into both the left (Part A-2) and right (Part A-3) sides of the housing, as well as the tab of the bottom of the housing (Part A-1), as highlighted by the arrows in the image below.
- Rotate the Laser Stem Matrix housing (Part A) onto its bottom side (Part A-1) and locate the two Wide LED Matrix Support Brackets (Parts A-9). Then, slide the two wide support brackets (Parts A-9) into the slots on the left (Part A-2) and right (Part A-3) sides of the housing, as shown by the white arrows in the image below. (Note: The wires attached to the LED Matrix (Part D) must be routed to the rear side of the housing (Part A-4), as highlighted by the blue arrow in the image below. This will allow the LED Matrix to fit securely in its correct place. Also, ensure that the wires attached to the Momentary Push Button (Part F) are routed below the wide support brackets (Parts A-9) as well.)
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Ensure that the LED Matrix (Part D) and the Breadboard Wires (Part I) connected to it are routed to the left rear corner of the housing, as highlighted by the blue arrow below. Locate the Narrow LED Matrix Support Bracket (Part A-10) and slide it into the slots on the front (Part A-5) and rear (Part A-4) of the housing, as highlighted by the white arrows in the image below.
- Place the LED Matrix (Part D) onto the Wide and Narrow Support Brackets (Parts A-9 and A-10) as shown in the image below. Be sure to route the Breadboard Wires (Part I) of the LED Matrix (Part D) over the slot in the narrow support bracket (Part A-10), as highlighted by the arrow in the inset image, to allow the LED Matrix (Part D) to be seated correctly.
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Temporarily connect the USB cable (Part G) to your computer's USB port to supply the Laser Stem Matrix with power. The LED Matrix (Part D) should illuminate after no more than 10 seconds if all components are still in-place and have not been pinched or fallen out during the housing assembly. If the LED Matrix (Part D) illuminates, proceed with the remainder of this step, below. Otherwise, you will need to inspect the wiring and correct any displaced components prior to proceeding.
Install the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6) over the LED Matrix (Part D), as shown in the image below. (Note: The Bottom Alignment Shelf (Part A-6) has the largest corner slots of any of the 3 alignment shelves (Parts A-6, A-7, A-8). If it is unclear which alignment shelf to use, compare the corner slot sizes to tell them apart)
- Locate the four tower shelf supports (Part A-11) and insert them into the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6), as shown in the image below, with the colored side of the tower shelf support (Part A-11) faced toward the exterior of the housing. The tower shelf supports (Part A-11) must be pressed into the slots of the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6) until the latching mechanism snaps into place to keep the shelf supports from slipping out of the slots. To remove the tower shelf supports (Part A-11) from the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6), you will need to pinch the slotted ends together to release the latch.
- Continue to push the tower support shelves (Part A-11) into the slots on the bottom of the housing (Part A-1) to latch them into place, as highlighted by the arrow on the inset image below (Note: The inset image displays the view from the bottom of the housing (Part A-1), which the tower shelf supports (Part A-11) must be latched into). Once latched into place, the tower support shelves (Part A-11) lock the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6) into place and stabilize the LED Matrix (Part D).
To remove the tower shelf supports (Part A-11) from the bottom of the housing (Part A-1), you will need to pinch the slotted ends together to release the latching mechanism. Then repeat the same process to remove them from the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6).
- The Laser Stem Matrix housing (Part A) should now appear similar to the image below. The tower shelf supports (Part A-11) should be completely inserted through the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6) and latched into the bottom of the housing (Part A-1). It is now ready for the middle and upper alignment shelves (Parts A-7 and A-8) to be installed!
- Slide the middle alignment shelf (Part A-7) over the 4 tower supports (Part A-11), as shown in the image below. The middle alignment shelf (Part A-7) has larger slots than the upper alignment shelf (Part A-8) which allows it to slide over the tower supports (Part A-11) and rest on their middle tier. However, it has smaller slots than the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6), preventing it from falling all the way to the bottom of the tower shelf supports (Part A-11).
- Place the upper alignment shelf (Part A-8) over the 4 tower supports (Part A-11), as shown in the image below. The upper alignment shelf (Part A-8) has smaller cutouts than the bottom (Part A-6) or middle (Part A-7) alignment shelves, allowing it to rest at the top tier of the tower supports (Part A-11).
- Finally, insert the 64 clear acrylic LED stems (Part B) through the upper (Part A-8) and middle (Part A-7) alignment shelves and into the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6), as shown in the image below. One stem (Part B) should be inserted into each slot on the grid, and slide fully into the grid of the bottom alignment shelf (Part A-6) for stability.
- Connect the Mini USB Cable (Part G) to the provided US Wall Plug (Part H) if it was selected at the time of purchase, as shown in the image below, or you can connect it to another USB port on any device and your Laser Stem Matrix is ready for use! (Note: If the acrylic LED Stems (Part B) do not illuminate evenly after being connected to power, check the alignment of the LED Matrix (Part D) to ensure it is aligned with the acrylic LED Stems (Part B). If they are aligned and the LED Stems (Part B) still do not illuminate, you will need to check the wiring of your kit, as something may have came loose during the housing assembly).
Congratulations, your assembly is complete! You can now connect your Tech-Box.io Laser Stem Matrix to power and test it out. You can change modes by pressing and holding the Push Button (Part F).
If you want to learn the programming process, continue to the next section by clicking the link below. (Note: This DIY kit comes pre-programmed, so the programming section of this guide can be skipped. However, if you wish to complete the programming section and to learn the programming process, you must open the link to this instruction guide on your Windows or MacOS computer to download the required files and programming tool. To do this, go to https://tech-box.io/LSM on your computer's internet browser and select Section 3 - Programming!)
