Intermediate

Assembling Picade Max

Learn how to assemble and set up Picade Max!

27 November 2024 · Tutorial · about 30 minutes · part 3 of 4

Time to add some smarts! For this step you'll need:

  • Panel K
  • The bag containing the display driver boards and associated cables.
  • Picade Max USB Controller board
  • Qw/ST cable
  • Picade Max USB Audio board
  • 9 pin JST-PH cable
  • A bundle of cable ties
  • Display driver cover
  • 2x M2.5 22mm screws (longest)
  • 9x M2.5 14mm screws (flat headed)
  • 4x M2.5 6mm screws (shortest)
  • 7x M2.5 nuts
  • 9x M2.5 4mm standoffs (shortest)
  • 6x M2.5 10mm standoffs (medium)
  • 2x M3 12mm screws (shortest)
  • 2x M3 nuts

Panel K, display driver boards, controller board, audio board, and fixings

Prepping panel K

Panel K is the one that we're going to attach all the driver boards so first we'll need to install a bunch of bolts and standoffs to use as mounting points. Position the panel with the cable cutouts at the top edge and the big K facing you.

Thread the 9 flat headed M2.5 14mm screws through panel K, so the threads are pointing out of the side of the panel with the labels on. Then screw the 9 M2.5 4mm short standoffs onto the screw threads.

Panel K with flat-headed M2.5 screws fitted through the mounting holes

Short M2.5 standoffs fitted to the screws on panel K

Flip the panel over, and poke the two long M2.5 22mm screws through the remaining two holes, so that the screw threads are pointing out of the non-label side. Add two M.2.5 10mm medium standoffs to secure them in place.

Long M2.5 screws fitted through the reverse side of panel K

Medium M2.5 standoffs securing the long screws to panel K

Mounting the smaller display driver board

Open the 'Display Driver board' bag and locate the smaller display driver board - this one provides the screen backlight. Attach the white cable and the red and black cable to the appropriate connectors as shown.

Cables connected to the smaller display driver board

Smaller display driver board with its white and red-and-black cables connected

Mount the board onto the two screws on the non label side of panel K. The components on this board should be on the underside.

Smaller display driver board mounted on the reverse of panel K

Then add two M2.5 nuts to secure it in place.

Nuts securing the smaller display driver board to panel K

The white cable should thread through the slot in the panel. We added a cable tie to keep it in place.

White display cable routed through the slot in panel K

Mounting the USB Controller board

Flip panel K over again. We're mounting the Picade Max USB Controller board next, there are some markings on the panel to show you where it should go. Secure with three M2.5 nuts.

Picade Max USB Controller board positioned on panel K

Mounting the USB Audio board

Next we're mounting the Picade Max USB Audio board (the speaker connectors should be on the top side, and the text should go the same way up as the text on the controller board).

Picade Max USB Audio board positioned beside the controller board

Fix it in place with two M2.5 nuts.

You can also plug in the 4 pin Qw/ST cable now - this will eventually connect the USB Audio board to the Encoder volume control. Make sure you use the connector marked 'Encoder' on the USB Audio board. Once it's plugged in, you can thread the cable through the cutout in panel K to keep everything tidy.

Qw/ST cable connected to the Encoder socket on the USB Audio board

Mounting the larger display driver board

Locate the other, larger display driver board. It plugs into the other end of the white cable.

Larger display driver board and its white display cable

Place the display driver board over the remaining four screws. Then secure it in place with four M2.5 10mm medium standoffs.

Larger display driver board mounted on panel K with standoffs

Plug one end of the 9 pin JST-PH cable into the connector into the 9 pin connector on the display driver board.

Nine-pin JST-PH cable connected to the larger display driver board

Next we're plugging in the cable with the red, black and blue wires - this is the cable which will eventually connect to the display panel. The 2x15 connector is not keyed, so make sure to double check that it is plugged into the driver board the correct way around. The end of the connector with the red power lines should be at the end of the board with the 9 pin JST-PH connector. There should also be a dot on the connector at the end of the cable that should be at the same end as the white dot on the board.

Red, black, and blue display cable connected to the larger driver board

Use the 4 M2.5 6mm short screws to attach the display board cover - this protects the display driver board and keeps everything nice and neat.

Display driver cover secured over the larger driver board

Once you've attached everything to it, your panel K should look something like this:

Panel K with the display driver, controller, and audio boards installed

Attaching the speakers to the USB Audio board

Now is a good time to attach the speaker wires to the Picade Max Audio board. One by one, loosen the screw terminals and slot in the wires, matching red to + and black to -. Then tighten up the screws and give the wires a little tug to make sure they're securely anchored in the terminals.

Speaker wires positioned at the screw terminals on the USB Audio board

Red and black speaker wires connected to the USB Audio board

It's easier to tidy up the speaker wires now, before you attach this panel to the cabinet. Tuck the cables through the cutouts in panel K above the Audio board.

Speaker wires routed through the cutouts above the Audio board

Flip the panel over and cable tie the wires to the rear of the panel.

Speaker wires secured to the rear of panel K with cable ties

Turn panel K the right way up again and attach it to the brackets on the cabinet using 2 M3 12mm short screws and nuts.

Panel K positioned against the cabinet brackets

M3 screws and nuts securing panel K to the cabinet

Panel K and its electronics attached inside the Picade Max cabinet

Plug the red and black wire from the smaller display driver board into the connector at the bottom left corner of the display panel.

Red and black cable connected to the lower display panel connector

Then plug the red, black and blue cable from the larger display driver board into the connector at the top of the display panel. This connector will only go in one way round, with the red wires on the right hand side of the connector.

Red, black, and blue cable connected to the upper display panel connector

Adding the display controls, volume knob and power button

For this section you'll need:

  • Volume knob
  • Picade Max Encoder board
  • Picade Max LCD Keypad board
  • Picade Max Keypad Legend
  • Square black keycaps for LCD Keypad
  • 4x M2.5 14mm screws (flat headed)
  • 4x M2.5 nuts
  • 4x M2.5 4mm standoffs (short)
  • 2x M3 x 18mm screws (long, find them in bag 2)
  • 2x M3 nuts
  • The illuminated power button
  • 4x power button cables (from the wiring loom)

Volume knob, Encoder board, LCD Keypad, power button, and wiring

Fitting the volume dial

Attach the dial to the encoder board (it just pushes onto the shaft of the encoder).

Volume knob fitted to the shaft of the Encoder board

Plug the end of the 4 pin Qw/ST cable (from the USB Audio board) into the encoder board.

Qw/ST cable connected to the Picade Max Encoder board

Poke the 4 M2.5 14mm flat headed screws through the holes surrounding the larger hole in panel E, from the outside of the cabinet.

Flat-headed M2.5 screws inserted around the volume control opening

Screw on the M2.5 4mm short standoffs (inside the cabinet).

Short M2.5 standoffs fitted inside panel E

Then slot the encoder assembly through the hole from the inside of the cabinet, so that the screw threads pass through the four mounting holes in the board and the dial goes through the big hole in the middle. We'd suggest positioning the cable so it points upwards out of the top edge of the encoder board. Fasten everything in place with four M2.5 nuts.

Encoder board positioned behind the volume control opening

Encoder board secured inside panel E with M2.5 nuts

Fitting the power button

Unscrew the metal hex ring from the power button if you haven't already, and take a look at the contacts on the underside of the button. There are five contacts, but we'll only be connecting wires to four of them.

Underside of the illuminated power button showing its five contacts

First we'll connect up the LED part of the button. Push the spade connectors on the red and grey wires onto contacts 1 and 2 (the ones sticking out of the blue bit), either way round.

Then we'll connect up the switch part. Push the spade connectors on the two black wires onto the contacts labelled C and NO (they're the two contacts between the wires that you just plugged in).

Check that none of the metal connectors plugged into the back of the button are touching each other, you can gently bend the contacts slightly to separate them if they are.

Red, grey, and black wires connected to the power button contacts

Thread all the wires and the button through the smaller hole in panel E, from the outside.

Illuminated power button and wires inserted through panel E

Then attach the metal hex ring to the inside of your Picade to hold the button in place.

Metal hex ring securing the power button inside panel E

Now you can plug the other ends of the wires into the Picade Max Power HAT. The DuPont connectors on the black wires should slot onto the SW (switch) pins on the HAT (polarity doesn't matter). The connectors on the red and grey wires should go to LED (polarity also doesn't matter here, assuming you're using our button).

Power button wires connected to the Picade Max Power HAT

Ta da! The volume dial and power button should both now be safely plumbed in.

Picade Max volume dial and illuminated power button connected

Fitting the LCD controls and legend

Add the square black keycaps to the Picade Max LCD Keypad board (they should just push on to the switches, but they do require quite a bit of pressure).

Black keycaps fitted to the Picade Max LCD Keypad board

Plug the end of the 9 pin cable (from the display driver board) into the connector on the LCD Keypad board (it will only go in one way).

Nine-pin cable connected between the display driver and LCD Keypad boards

Slot the buttons on the keypad through the holes in the side of the cabinet.

LCD Keypad buttons inserted through the cabinet side panel LCD Keypad board positioned behind the cabinet side panel

Place the keypad legend over the top of the buttons.

Keypad legend positioned over the LCD Keypad buttons

Then fasten the keypad and legend to the cabinet with the M3 18mm screws and nuts.

LCD Keypad and legend secured to the cabinet with M3 screws

Part 3 is complete! Here's what things should look like:

Picade Max cabinet with the electronics, volume dial, power button, and LCD controls installed

Give yourself a pat on the back, stretch and hydrate and when you're ready, progress to part 4.