# Print, assembly and qualification

## Print handoff

Print only the21 individual files in STL, one of each identity; the full reference STEP contains electronics, cables, hardware and clearance volumes and must never be sent to a slicer as one print. Units are millimetres. Files retain assembly coordinates: position/orient each part on the bed without scaling. Preserve the78x150x24mm bare case and all external profiles. Process compensation must target the nominal CAD dimensions.

F01/F02 require flexible material. L01/L02 need suitable clear optical material/finishing to function; opaque copies are fit gauges. The other17 identities are rigid parts. Select a tough process/material suitable for repeated screw service and slender guides. A visually smooth brittle print is not a durability result. Layer direction, cure, shrinkage and support damage remain process-specific; the geometry cannot qualify every printing process by itself.

Print the two supplied process coupons alongside the single full run. QP01 screens the joint/pilot and clearance choices; QP02 screens the maximum-pouch lateral fit. They do not replace control actuation or full-depth/wire testing. The retained PTT receiver coupon and M2/M2.5 joint coupon are also supplied, plus an inert maximum battery gauge.

Remove only temporary slicer supports. The delivered STEP/native parts contain the permanent features; compare the open-shell views before snipping anything. Preserve screw bosses, battery plinths, switch seats, PCB supports and guide beds. Support small bezels and keepers on a flat tray during cleanup. Deburr internal bearing edges and holes without altering the exterior or hand-grinding away a functional support.

## Assembly order

1. Inspect all printed parts and coupons. Verify bare shell dimensions, clear apertures, flat hard seats and sound roots. Qualify the screw thread-forming/tapping method with the exact screws. Use hand tools; no tightening to pull parts through an interference.
2. Build and continuity-check the non-battery harnesses. Confirm the specified microphone cable, switch contact pairs, LED mapping and actual insulation envelopes before installing anything. Leave destination wire ends untrimmed until bench dressing fits.
3. Assemble the front with the main PCB and rear half separate: grille/acoustic stock, lens and clear guide, play cap/clamp, prewired switches, PTT guides, microphone/keeper, speaker/two keepers and LED/keeper. Fit retained contact and rear keeper pads to their named surfaces; omit the three obsolete cassette backing films. Tighten retainers on hard stops; do not load a board, diaphragm, LED lead or wire with a screw.
4. Confirm independent centre/edge operation with the front open. Selected model strokes are0.50mm play and0.45mm PTT/volume. These are prototype stop choices; verify reliable electrical actuation before the stop and complete release at rest with the actual switches. Reject preload or binding.
5. Prepare the rear: insulating antenna carrier and factory adhesive mounting, combined volume rail, four PCB pads, battery pads/liners and keepers. Route the150mm coax without stretching or kinking. Fasten battery keepers before final dressing of the intact factory leads. Place excess leads in the centre bay, never under a battery support pad.
6. With power disconnected, connect mic, speaker, buttons, LED and RF to the supported board. Lower the PCB onto all four front contacts and edge stops in its saved CAD orientation. Plugs, joints and relaxed wires must occupy their named open spaces. The source PCB is tilted7.4deg aboutX and-7.5deg aboutZ plus translation; use its positive seats, not hand-measured angles.
7. Dress and restrain wires on stationary lands, keeping all control channels, screw tips and the seam clear. Do not tape onto moving sliders or solder joints. Keep the battery’s factory protected exit intact. Connect its plug last after verifying polarity. Keep the halves supported during this step.
8. Seat both case halves fully by hand with every connection installed. Do not use the four closure screws to draw a gap closed. If the case does not sit naturally, open it and identify the named interference. Leave the bumper off, tighten the closure screws gradually, then test USB insertion/removal and all four controls at the centre and edges, including both PTT ends and simultaneous presses.
9. Fit the bumper after closure and repeat control release/USB checks. Inspect the pouch and wiring for pressure marks or pinching. Check speaker, blue microphone, RGB indicator, antenna/radio and power functions.
10. For service: remove bumper, support the halves, disconnect battery, release only the local removable cable restraints, unplug harnesses before lifting the PCB, and remove internal keepers with the opposite assembly clear. Never pull a harness by its wires or lever a PCB against a printed post.

## First article gates; Golden remains unchanged

- Case seats by hand with all seven interfaces present; no wire, component or pad is compressed to force closure.
- Actual received battery/lead exit fits the maximum envelope and open slack bay; no pouch pressure, trapped lead or screw proximity.
- Actual USB cable fully seats through the unchanged opening. PCB support does not rock, bow or shift during insertion/removal.
- Each control actuates and releases at its centre and edges with the case tightened. Stop engagement protects the switch; no unintended activation.
- Ten complete assembly/service cycles: inspect roots, pilots, supports, keepers, films, harnesses and cable restraints after each cycle. Reject cracking, permanent deformation, stripped joints or loosening.
-1,000 actuations of each control, distributed over centre/edges and PTT ends, followed by electrical functional tests. Record specimen/process/material/orientation and every fault.
- Verify microphone acoustics, speaker clearance, LED brightness through the new guide, RF operation and antenna adhesion. Taoglas’s recommended metal spacing is not achieved in this compact package; mechanical clearance does not certify radio performance.

Use the supplied qualification log. There is no claim that these physical checks have passed. Keep this revision in Future Explorations until the actual assembled hardware passes; do not promote it to Golden from the CAD results alone.