* the PCB design for etched board is no longer provided because of the higher complexity. Please use a PCB fabrication service or use the older Afterburner design (see above).
* Upload the afterburner.ino sketch to your Arduino UNO. Use Arduino IDE to upload the sketch, both IDE version 1.8.X and 2.X should work.
* Build the Afterburner hardware. Buy the PCB from the an online PCB production service (use provided gerber archive in 'gerbers' directory). Then solder the components on the PCB - check the schematic.pdf and BOM.txt for parts list.
* **Calibration step 1)** Turn the small potentiometer (R9) on the Afterburner to the middle position. This pot acts as compensation resistor for the digital pot.
* **Calibration step 2)** Set the programming voltage (VPP) to 16.5V: Check the programming voltage (VPP) without the GAL chip being inserted / connected to Afterburner. Test the voltage on MT3608 module VOUT- and VOUT+ pins while running the following command:
While the command is running turn the pot on the MT3608 module (not the Afterburner's pot) counter clockwise (5 to 20 full turns). The VPP voltage should be displayed on the console, but for the very first setup use a multimeter to verify the VPP voltage as well.
Re-run the command (if needed) to give you more time to set the 16.5V VPP.
* **Calibration step 3)** This step scans the available voltages and records the pot taps. Run the following command:
You will see several messages on the console. Check the one with '*Index for VPP 900 is'. This is the lowest supported VPP of 9V and the index should ideally be between 30 and 70, but if it a bit less or a bit higher (let's say from 20 to 90) the calibration should still be valid.
If you see a significantly different index value (lower or higher) move the Afterburner's compensation pot (R9) either a bit lower or higher (depending on the VPP 900 index value) and go back to Calibration step 2). Repeat the Calibration steps 2) and 3) until you find the good value on VPP 900 index. If everything goes OK the last VPP index (VPP 1650) should be 255. If it is not exactly 255, but at least above 250 then it is fine.
* **Calibration step 4)** Measure the actual VPP to verify the value read by Arduino is correct. Run the following command while measuring the VPP on your multimeter:
Afterburner will set the VPP to several values (5V, 9V, 12V, 14V, 16V) and print the voltage readings as read by Arduinos's ADC. These values should match with readings from your multimeter (except for the 5V which is OK if it is a value from 4.2V - 5.0 V). Important are the values of the higher voltages. If they are off by more than +/-0.05V then you can set the calibration offset by running Calibration step 3) with an extra parameter '-co X':
Where X is a number from -32 (representing -0.32V offset) to value 32 (representing +0.32V offset). If your multimeter reads 12.1V and the reading on the text console shows 12.00V you need to set positive offset of +0.1V ('-co 10'). If your multimeter reads 11.85V and the reading on the text console shows 12.05V you need to set negative offset of -0.2V ('-co -20'). After setting the calibration offset, the readings on your multimeter should ideally read the same values as the text on the console (+/- 0.05V). The calibration is then done. If (when specifying negative offset value) the calibration fails, turn the MT3608 Pot about 10-15 degrees counter-clockwise (to rise the VPP a tiny bit) and re-do the Calibration step 3.
* Note that if you use your calibrated Afterburner board with a different Arduino (made by a different company or slightly different design), you may need to re-do the calibration.
- PC code reads and parses .jed files, then uploads the data to Arduino via serial port. By default /dev/ttyUSB0 is used, but that can be changed to any other serial port device by passing the following option to afterburner:
sketch by a trivial text based protocol to run certain commands (like erase, read, write, upload data etc.). If you are curious, you can also connect directly to Arduino UNO via serial terminal and issue some basic commands manually.
The new design no longer has an etched PCB design available. The most convenient way to get the PCB is to order it online on jlcpcb.com, pcbway.com, allpcb.com or other online services. Use the zip archive stored in the gerbers directory and upload it to the manufacturer's site of your choice.
* check which type of components you have, you can mix and match SMT and through hole components as most of the footprints are doubled to accommodate different parts.
* **Important:** C5, C6 and C7 are VPP decoupling capacitors and must be rated to **at least 25V!** You can use 50V rated caps, but do not use 16V or lower ratings.
* **Important** after you solder the wire measure the resistance between the wire's connection on Afterburner PCB and ground (use TP GND hole) - see red dots
on the picture beelow. It must be around 12.5 kilo Ohm. If it is very low value then you made a short while soldering the wire. Fix/remove the short
or else the MT3608 will be damaged when it is turned on on.
* The incompatible MT3608 'clone' causes calibration issue and basically breaks the variable voltage functionality. This can be fixed by replacing the 2k2 resistor located on the module by a 15k resistor.
* Bellow is the image of the old (compatible without a mod) and new (require the resistor mod) MT3608 modules. If you happen to have the incompatible module here are the steps to replace the resistor:
- heat up a soldering iron to ~350 deg C and put a medium sized solder blob on its tip
- touch the tip of the iron in the middle of the resistor for a second
- gently press on the resistor and slide it off the PCB.
- the resistor footprint allows to solder new SMT or through hole resistor
* double check the solder joints on the PCB, ensure they are soldered. Especially SMT soldering when done manually can accidentally miss some of the pads.
* ensure the VPP is set correctly on the MT3608 module. Ensure you've gone through all the calibration steps (commands: 's' then 'b' and 'm') and calibration is correct. See the Setup section.
* you can either desolder the module by using soldering wick (to remove all solder on the connection pins on the MT3608 module). Then use a low temperature melting solder (like Quick Chip or similar) on the connection joints to loosen up the module. Clean the residues of the low melting solder with soldering wick. Then solder the POT wire and solder the chip back on the PCB. The drawback of this method is that if you use excessive heat during desoldering you can damage the MT3608 module (I've done that). If the module is damaged, it will produce a magic smoke next time the board is turned on. If that happens, desolder the module, use a new module (don't forget to solder the POT wire) and solder it on the board.
* Another option is to connect the POT wire directly to the MT3608 IC's Feedback (FB) pin 3. This is quite delicate as the IC pins are quite small. Before connecting the power, **ensure the pin 2 and pin 3 are not bridged!**
