[Elecraft] Front Panel Board (SSB Modif.) Clarification

[Don Wilhelm]

Dennie,

I just checked the KSB2 manual, and all the capacitors that go on the Front
Panel Board are 0.01 uF - these will likely be marked '103' following one of
the normal capacitor value designations - the first 2 digits are the
significant digits and the third one is the multiplier (the markings are in
picofarads [pF] - divide by 1,000,000 to get microfarads [uF]).

Whether they are brown, black, blue or red, or whichever color is of no real
importance, and actually will depend on the color the manufacturer chooses
to use (what is the least expensive dye this month <G>).  Elecraft has
little control over this fact and if a particular color is specified in
their manuals, those manuals would have to be re-written when/if the
capacitor vendor is changed or the current vendor changes his production
color - so identifing capacitors by their color is risky at best.

What is important is that the capacitors have the correct value and the
correct lead spacing.  If you look in the KSB2 parts, you will see several
capacitors that have narrow spacing between the leads - these are 0.1 inch
spacing, and will not be used on the front panel board.  The wider spacing
is 0.2 inches between the leads (you can verify by measuring if you choose),
and you should find 5 of them marked as '103' - these will be used on the
Front Panel Board.  There are also 5 - 0.1uF (104) 0.2 inch lead spacing
capacitors that are used on the SSB board, but most of the SSB board
capacitors have the small 0.1 inch lead spacing.

Unfortunately, there are several ways that manufacturers mark their
components, and I do know it can be confusing.  Perhaps everone should
review a guide to capacitor identification - there is a good one in the ARRL
Handbook in the Component Data section - just to validate that this can be
confusing, there are 9 different marking 'standards' for capacitors depicted
in my 2001 ARRL Handbook.  The only cure I know for this is to study the
various conventions and be aware of which is correct looking at a capacitor.
If there is a whole string of numbers and letters, it is nice to know which
numbers denote the value.

73,
Don W3FPR

----- Original Message -----

On the final steps of the front panel assemby, it states that if you have
the SSB Adaptor, that you should install the components at this time. I do
have the SSB adaptor and am trying to figure this out:
1. In the K2 manual, it says that C4-C8 are all .01 (103) capacitors. But in
the SSB adaptor manual, it says on page 2 that C4 is a 104 and the C5-C8 are
103 capacitors. But on the next page (page 3), it does not give a reading
(other than .01 uF, 0.2".).
I am VERY VERY confused.

2. Probably the most stupid question....are these the Brown Caps. or the
small Blue ones in the SSB kit. I ASSUME (and you know the danger of that),
is that they are the BROWN ones.

I am sorry for asking but I have been trying to figure it out all other ways
and I really want go get it right the very first time. I know from past
experience that soldering is MUCH easier than DEsoldering.