[Elecraft] XV-50 building experience - a confession

[k6iii@juno.com]

OK, its confession time......
I screwed up during the XV-50 assembly. When I started Part-3 (install
the bottom cover to the RF Board), I became suspicious when I found even
more parts not yet installed and no way to access the bottom side of the
board. So I turned off the soldering iron and backed away for a rest and
review. I found that I had actually skipped a whole page in the
instructions! Yep, I found where the extra IC went on the board. But I
still have these two left over caps and all are accounted for on the
boards. I still think they are 'Extras'.

Oh well, this malady comes to all of us who survive to be OTs. I must be
having a particularly 'Bad Hair Day'. "Haste makes waste", etc.

I sure like Dan's (WG4S) idea about scanning the PDF file when searching
for parts placement (see his earlier posting, today).

73 all de Jerry/k6iii
San Jose, CA

==============================================
My earlier posting....
Well, here I am assembling the XV-50 (50mhz transverter for use with the
K2) and have found a few EXTRA components after completing parts 1 & 2 ! 
Looking ahead in the manual, I didn't see these parts being used.  This
caused me a bit of concern and sent me off on a review of the parts list
trying to figure out what I had overlooked - I am working from the Rev-A
(4 Oct 2003) version of the manual with the Rev A-3 Errata sheet
completed.  Left over are 2 caps (103), 1 IC (78L09) and 1 resister
(100k).  

I reviewed the parts list and inventory I had made before starting the
assembly process and noted that I had found 2 extra 103-caps in the bag
of parts.  I had also noted that I had found and extra 100k-resistor. 
But I did not note that there was an extra 78L09 IC.  So I carefully made
up a list with the possible location of each of these extra parts and
scanned the PC boards. This is not a easy as one would hope... the parts
do not appear to be numbered in any identifiable logical order. So it
takes a lot of time with magnifier and bright light, etc. for these old
eyes. Well, I am pretty well satisfied that everything is in its place
and I just have a few extra parts.

As a final step, I remember that Elecraft posts their manuals on their
web site. So went there and what did I find?... Yep, there is a further
XV-50 Errata  (rev 5-A, 3 Nov 2003). I printed it out and compared it
with the previous version and found quite a few corrections and
additions; one of which was a correction to the number of 100k Resistors
in the parts list. That was encouraging. But still, I have these extra 2
caps and the extra IC. The only thing I can figure is that they are just
that... 'extra'. But, nonetheless, a bit of apprehension remains.

So what's the point of all this?  Its just to remind everyone to look on
the Elecraft web site for the latest version of the manuals and errata
sheets.

Kindest regards,
Jerry/k6iii
San Jose, CA

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