FLD + RLD Complete (Whew!)

I've spent the last 3 weeks running all over town looking for the right parts for the Front Logic Displays and Rear Logic Display. Last week, the last part finally arrived from China, so it was time to get busy on what is arguably the most complicated and time consuming part of an R2 build.

I didn't take any pix as I went along, only because Teeces' tutorial is simply excellent. No sense in repeating something that's already perfect.

An area of concern is the LEDControl Library for the Arduino. This is actually quite simple, and all you need to do is read the Arduino tutorial on unzipping the LEDControl Library, dropping it into the Arduino folder, then closing and restarting the Arduino. All your stuff will be there, and then you can just copy Teeces' sketches in and upload to your device. Trial and error. 

Some of the problems I had:
1. The Maxim7219 chips I ordered were not reliable. Thankfully, I greedily ordered double the amount I would need. I had to keep swapping out chips to get each board to properly light up. Very frustrating, and I never solved it until the very last, last, last step.
2. The flanges on the LEDs need to be cut on the RLD in order to fit properly. Nailclippers are perfect for the trimming.

Some tips:
1. I didn't bother soldering the trimmed LEDs on the FLDs. Just not really necessary.
2. I installed, trimmed, and soldered one row at a time on the RLD. I placed the bezel over it each time I went to solder, and then removed it to get the next row on. This worked really well, and if I had thought of it, I would have done this same technique on the FLDs.

Overall: Budget at least 2 days to do this. It is frustrating, and tedious. But, I think it's worth it because now I know how to solder, program an Arduino, and I've drastically increased my alcohol tolerance.