[Elecraft] Tips on safely Soldering X7 - X11 Grounding wires on K2 RF Board

[David A. Belsley]

Michael's description of his work is fine.  Something you might want to 
consider, however, is to pre-tin the spots on the side where you are going 
to attach the ground wires before you install the xtals.  Some of the spots 
are difficult to access once the xtal is installed.

Tining the xtals is easily done: using your iron (700F is plenty adequate), 
heat the spot by rubbing the iron back and forth a few times a short 
distance (maybe 1/4" at most).  Then bring the solder to the point of 
contact between the iron and the xtal case.  Once it starts to melt, 
continue dragging the solder blob back and forth, scraping it into the 
case.  You will shortly see it start to stick to and tin the case.  Stop.

best wishes,

dave belsley, w1euy

--On Monday, January 13, 2003 1:46 PM -0800 Martin AC6RM 
<elecraft@ac6rm.net> wrote:

> Mike;
>
> Here's what I did to ground these.  Construct a picture in your mind of
> how this is going to go before you actually do it:
>
> 1.  Install the crystals as instructed in the manual;
>
> 2.  Select ten of your best excess snipped-off component leads.  You need
> them to be at least a little longer than the crystals are tall.
> Straighten them out so there are no kinks and no excess solder blobs on
> them, etc.
>
> 3.  Turn the RF board upside down and rest it on a non-flammable table or
> bench top.  If you are using a vise to hold the board during this
> kit-building process, you'll need to remove the RF board from the vise and
> get it flat on to the non-flammable surface (such as glass, or a flat
> baking tin, etc.).
>
> 4.  Drop the snip-offs into the ground holes next to the crystals.  Get
> them as verticle as possible, and then solder them in to place.  The
> non-flammable surface is needed because the hot wires will mark up your
> mother's oak dining room table, or melt through your anti-static mat
> (this, from experience).
>
> 4.  Turn the board back over.
>
> 5.  Clip off these new ground wires about half-way up the crystal cans.
> Use a pair of small needle-nose pliers to bend each wire such that it
> makes contact with the crystal about a quarter of an inch up the crystal
> can.  (I sorta "dog-legged" the bends so that about 1/8th of an inch of
> the ground wire layed flat against the side of the crystal can).
>
> 6.  Using your vise, or some other mechanical means, rest and secure the
> RF board on its left edge, such that -- now, as you look DOWN at the
> crystals and the outside five new ground wires, the wires are oriented
> ABOVE the crystal can.
>
> 7.  Following earlier precautions regarding overheating the cans, solder
> the wires to the cans.
>
> 8.  Flip the board on to its other edge and then solder the other five.
>
>    I am sure there are other creative ways to accomplish this task.  This
> worked for me.
>
>    73 ES GL,
>    Martin AC6RM  K2 #3021
>    ("It's Shake'n'Bake and Ahh Healped!")
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I am a first time K2 builer, and just joined the list. I am greatly
>> enjoying my kitbuilding experience so far, but I have a little
>> trepidation in performing the crystal grounding steps for the 5 crystals
> <...snip...>
>> So I was wondering at what techniques people had found for this that had
>>  produced good results.
> <...snip...>
>> Tnx es 73 de KE0MF
>> Mike
>>
>
>
>
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----------------------------------
David A. Belsley
Professor of Economics