Installation Procedure for Drop-In Circulators/Isolators

1.0 SCOPE
The scope of this document is to provide general guidelines for the installation of Nova Microwave Drop-in Isolators and Circulators.
2.0 Preperation to Installation- All isolator and/or circulator tabs shall be correctly positioned and free of debris and/or contaminants, which could inhibit the solderability to the user trace pad. Circuit tabs should be gently bent to align with the user’s trace pad prior to soldering.
2.1 Cleaning: Tabs can be cleaned using a cotton swab, pipe cleaner or non-abrasive absorbent cloth or pad and an appropriate cleaning solution/solvent. DO NOT submerse or spray the device with any cleaning solution or solvent. DO NOT use an ULTRA-SONIC device for cleaning. Remove any extraneous fibers prior to soldering.
2.2 Mounting Surface: The mounting surface is generally the bottom of the device. It should be free of any contaminants. DO NOT submerse or spray the device with any cleaning solution or solvent. DO NOT use an ULTRA-SONIC device for cleaning. Apply the cleaning solution/solvent to the absorbent material being used then wipe the mounting surface.
2.3 Mounting Area: The mounting area should be designed so that when the unit is mounted, the bottom of the tab leads contact the top of the user traces. Also, the bottom of the unit must make proper ground to mounting surface. Tapped holes in the mounting area are necessary for installing devices with mounting clearance holes. Use appropriate fasteners when installing the device.
2.4 The mounting area cut-out should be kept minimal and the user trace as close as possible to the side walls of the device, without the risk of short-circuting the device. The mounting area should be designed so that no other part of the user’s application will interefere with or block the installation of the device. The gap between the device’s body and user’s trace should not exceed 0.005″.
2.5 User Trace: The user trace should be tinned in close proximity to where the device tab will be located. A small amount of liquid flux should then be applied to the user trace, prior to installation of the device.
3.0 Installation:Position the unit symmetrically in the base and align the input/output tabs over the soldering traces.
3.1 Install appropriate fasteners when mounting the device to the user base. See Figure 1.
3.2 Ensure that the circuit tabs make contact with the user traces.
3.3 Apply a thin, even coating of liquid flux to the area of the user trace where the circuit tab makes contact. Methodology of flux application is discretionary. However, any flux, which may backflow into the device, can impair the electrical performance. Proper caution should be exercised when using any liquid flux.
3.4 Heat the device tab lead in close proximity to the user trace using a soldering iron. Apply a small amount of cored solder, evenly, where the soldering iron contacts the circuit tab lead. Allow for sufficient wetting to occur and proper solder flow prior to removing the soldering iron. The process should not exceed 5-10 seconds due to potential damage to the magnets. Excessive heat can demagnetize the magnets causing degradation to the electrical performance. Do not allow flux or solder to splatter where internal parts of the isolator/circulator are exposed.
3.5 Allow solder to cool. Clean solder joint with approved cleaning solvents.
3.6 Installation is complete.