How to Improve The U5 Protection of the NLBA1 Hardware

Published On: January 11, 2025

Please DO NOT open the device while it is under WARRANTY, the warranty will be voided!

I. IMPROVE U5 PROTECTION BY ADDING 2 RESISTORS FOR CLOCK AND DATA PINS

Starting with the Hardware version 2.11 the resistors are available on the NLBA1 device by default!

1. Check if the device already has R36 and R37 resistors located on the back of the PCB near the connector. You do not need to follow this tutorial if these resistors are present. You will need two 100-Ohm SMD resistors to complete this task.

2. Locate the U5 chip (MSP430G2553). The resistors should be placed in series on pins 22 and 23 with the U5, on U5 side.

 

 

3. Carefully scrape the PCB surface to expose the electrical route. Then, solder the 100-Ohm resistors in place.

 

 

 

II. IMPROVE U5 PROTECTION BY ADDING 2 RESISTORS FOR UART PINS (RXD AND TXD)

Starting with the Hardware version 2.02 the resistors are available on the NLBA1 device by default!

1. Check if your device already has the R34 and R35 resistors (located near U1). If it does, you don’t need to follow this tutorial. To complete this task, you will need two 4.7 kOhms SMD resistors

 

 

2. Find the third and the fourth pin of the U5.

 

 

3. Find the route for the third and fourth pins of the microcontroller and scrape off the surface until you find the electrical route.

 

4. Carefully scrape the surface of the PCB to expose the electrical routes. Refer to the image below for guidance. Then solder the 4.7K resistors to complete the job.

 

 

Congratulations! Your device is now upgraded to its maximum hardware potential!

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