DC-DC Convertor

Maxim 761 / van Erkel / Leffler Voltage Convertor The xCam2 transmitter runs off of 12 volts. x10 supplies a battery holder with a built in dc-dc converter that jumps the voltage of 4 AA batteries to 12 volts. However, reliable sources tell me that the x10 converter is not very robust so I decided to build the Peter van Erkel/Brooks Leffler 4.8 volts DC to 12 volts DC converter that uses the Maxim 761chip. Building the converter was easy because Brooks has done all of the leg work, and he even supplies a great drawing to work from on his website. I hope the following photos will help others who plan to build this device.
	This is the way the Radio Shack 276-170 experimenters circuit board comes. There's enough board there to build 4 of these converters unless you screw the first cut up like I did, then there's only enough to make 2. This photo shows the copper clad side up.
	These are the components I received from Digikey.com. I placed the order on Monday morning and the parts arrived on Friday. The photo also shows the non clad side of the circuit board.
	The packing slip from Digikey shows the relative cost of each component. Do note that I ordered enough parts to make two of the converters. It does not include the shipping cost which was reasonable. Don't forgot to add in the shipping and handling charge when you order stuff over the internet. You might think you're getting a good price until you see how much it'll cost to ship and "handle".
	I've outlined in pencil where I want to cut. Notice that I've already cut some of the circuit board off. This is where I erred. I did not take into account the "missing" holes that aren't punched into the board. There must be a reason for this. If you use the same circuit board material that I did you'll find out what I'm talking about. I varied from Brooks' drawing in that I've added 2 rows of holes in length to each end.
	Here is the cut out piece showing the copper clad side. Notice the 4 holes that I've drilled on both ends of the board. These will be used later to hold down the 2 wire leads with plastic wire ties.
	Soldering the components to the board is straight forward. I knew the Tantalum capacitors would be a challenge because they need to have wire leads attached to them. The technique I used was to cut the excess wire leads off of the Schottky Barrier Rectifier diode and bend them into a staple shape. This "staple" fits the capacitor snugly and extends through the holes in the board.
	After the staple is soldered to the capacitor on both sides and to the board the excess can be clipped leaving 2 short leads.
	The small spring clamp is the secret to the success of this technique.
	All of the major players have taken their positions.
	The back side of the board is a little on the sloppy side but I don't think there are any cold joints.
	I decided to install the inductor coil in "dead bug" fashion to save space.
	Here is the almost complete board next to Mr. Leffler's drawing.
	A Futaba J connector is on the input side. A right angle 3.5mm power plug is on the output side. Wire ties secure the leads to the board.
	An underside shot of the board with the leads attached. All that is left to do is cover the board with a piece of heat shrink tubing.