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Do I need to solder anything on Butter Bot?

Three of the six modules need soldering — which ones, and what you'll need.

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Written by Karla Trstenjak

Which modules need soldering

Three of Butter Bot's six modules need a bit of soldering before they'll work.

These three need soldering:

  • Air Quality (Gas)

  • Motion Sensor (PIR)

  • Perf Board

What you'll need

To solder the components onto the board, you'll need a soldering iron and some solder wire, safety glasses and cutter pliers.

If your kit came with the Toolspack, you already have both.


You'll also need a bit of patience and a steady hand — this isn't a race.

⚠️ Before you start

A soldering iron gets seriously hot, so a few ground rules:

Put on safety glasses before you plug the soldering iron in.

If you're new to soldering — or under 18 — do this with an experienced adult beside you.

Work on a clear, heat-proof surface, and park the soldering iron in its stand whenever it's not in your hand.

How it works

Air Quality (Gas) module

  1. Place the sensor on the top side of the board — the same side the other components are on. Match the picture exactly.

  2. Solder it in place.

  3. Trim the excess pins on the back with flush cutters. Hold the pins as you cut, so the offcut doesn't fly off — this is where those safety glasses earn their keep.

Motion Sensor (PIR) module

Same idea, with one extra thing to watch: here both the sensor's orientation and the board's orientation matter.

  1. Place the sensor on the top side of the board, exactly as shown in the picture.

  2. Check the orientation against the picture once more before you solder — it's much easier to get right now than to undo later.

  3. Solder it in place, then trim any excess on the back.

Perf Board

Nothing to solder until you decide what goes on it — this one's a blank board for your own components and your own code.

Once you're done

That's a handful of solder joints, and honestly the best part of the build — it's the moment a pile of components turns into something that works. If it's your first time, take it slow. Nobody's timing you.

Let the board cool for a minute, then snap the module onto Butter Bot like any other. There's just one thing worth knowing before you do: Do I need to be careful when swapping the modules?

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