How to fit your M/S card into the Altoids can
notes from Lee Hart about assembly
May 13 2016, edited by Herb Johnson

The RAM and ROM

I supply a 28-pin very-low-height IC machine-pin socket with the kits, that cost
a few dollars each. I also pre-trim 
the sides and remove the end bar to make room for R7 and C6, so the 
customer doesn't have to do it.

This socket, with the 0.3" wide skinny RAM soldered directly to the 
board, lays the two chips tight against the PC board, and tight against 
each other, for the lowest possible height. (Though, there are 
variations in IC pin length and IC package thickness that may add height).

Only the 0.3" skinny RAM underneath it gets soldered in. Even there, you 
can use socket pins if you don't mind the extra height.The socket pins
add about  0.030" to the height. You'd socket that RAM, if 
you're testing RAMs with the board.

Incidently the holes in the CPU board are  0.040" in diameter,  
Standard practice is 0.032" to 0.036", to 
save solder and make them solder easier. But then some brands of sockets 
won't fit, and it's harder to unsolder an IC if that becomes necessary.

Assembly details

CPU card
- leads on back of board very short (nothing higher than the bottom
     of the socket's pins)
- no solder blobs on top of board for 30-pin header
- pins of memory option jumpers no more than 0.25" high
- adjustment screw on trimpot R1 fits in hole on Front Panel card

Front Panel card
- leads on back of board very short (none touch anything on CPU board)
- switches tight to board
- DB25 connector spaced with plastic spacer supplied

Cover Card
- shoulders on switch bushings fit into countersunk holes on Cover Card

An example

A customer sent me their M/S card to repair. Here's things I did to repair the card
and to make it fit the Altoids can.

 I fixed lots of poor solder joints; and replaced the melted  30-pin sockets
 between the boards which were intermittant. Then I corrected the serial 
interface's normal/inverted configuration to work with his ROM program 

Then to get it in the Altoids case, I had to 1) resolder the switches to 
push them closer to the board, 2) replace the 0.6" wide socket for U2, 
which wasn't tight to the board, 3) remove the solder globs he had on 
the 30-pin header so it didn't elevate the Front Panel board, 4) trim 
many leads shorter on the back of the boards (I do this with a belt 
sander :-)

It worked, it fit, and he was delighted. ;)

- Lee Hart