Tools needed: small Philips screwdriver, soldering iron, solder, wire stripper/cutter, plastic glue, liquid tape or silicon.
Soldering everything together first seems to work best.
- Solder the 3 wires to the sensor (Red=Vcc(left), Yellow(Green or Blue)=i/o(middle), Black=GND (right). Wires should be on the circuitry side of the sensor. The side with the white circle is the top side that senses the mouse.
- Solder the 2.2 KΩ resistor to the left pin (1- base) on the transistor (TIP120) then a 2-inch piece of wire to the other side of the resistor (makes it easier to assemble). Then solder this wire to input 4 on the controller.
- Cut the servo wires off about half the length. Solder the brown wire (GND) to the middle pin ( 2-collector) of the transistor and a 2-inch wire and the black wire from the sensor to the right pin ( 3- emitter). Solder the end of the 2-inch wire to the GND of the controller.
- Solder the red wire (Vcc) of the sensor to input 5 on the controller.
- Solder the i/o wire of the sensor to input 2 on the controller.
- Solder the orange wire of the servo to input 3 on the controller.
- Twist the red wire from the servo with the red wire from the battery holder and solder them to the Vin (raw) input on the controller.
- Solder the black wire of the battery holder to the GND input on the controller. Trim excess wire from the board and inspect the solder joints. Verify no errant wire strands are touching adjacent wires. That is all the soldering required. I use some liquid electrical tape to put on the exposed solder points on the transistor to prevent inadvertent shorting.
- Connect the servo motor to the servo motor mount and screw down with the 2 longer screws. Then slide the servo mount into the holder on the base of the main body of the trap.
- Align the flap with the main body and push the wire rod through the holes to connect the flap to the main body and create the hinge point.
- Put the sensor into the rectangle on the end of the flap of the trap and glue the corners on the bottom side of the flap. Do not get anything on the top which could mess with the sensor. After it has dried, push the wires into the wire holders on the flap and put a small touch of glue to hold them in.
- The top and bottom of the sensor can be covered with silicon or Liquid Electrical Tape to water proof it if water will be used in the bucket to dispatch your catch.
- Take the small white plastic servo shaft bracket and push it into the cam (fits very tight). Trim off the end that overhangs the cam. (Some kits this step is completed )
- Put the batteries in and test that it functions. After the servo stops in the flap up position, remove 1 battery. Push the servo cam onto the shaft of the servo with the upper lip just at the top of the flap lifter(dog) on the flap then screw the small screw into the shaft of the servo motor. The servo mount can be slightly adjusted back or forward to level the flap with the main body in the up position. Note there are a few different versions of the cam. They all work perfectly so if yours doesn’t look the same, don’t be alarmed.
- Mount the battery holder to the main body. The side with the wires has one of the 4 holes without any metal inserts. This hole fits onto the holder in the middle of the main body. The other side of the battery holder has two plain holes that fit into the notches on the side wall of the main body. Be careful pushing it together, the plastic will break if too much pressure is exerted.
- The 6 male pins on the end of the controller fit into the 6 holes on the side of the main body opposite the battery holder.
- Wire tie the wires to the tie holder just behind the servo holder. Put the battery back in and catch a bucket full of mice!!! Installing batteries incorrectly could result in damage to the circuitry. The flat bottom of each battery (-) goes to the spring side of each battery slot.
Note: It is highly recommended to cover the sensor circuitry with liquid tape or silicon and the top side of the sensor to prevent corrosion from water, rodent pee or humidity. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at: buhlermousetrap@gmail.com