[Elecraft] Random K2 building hints for those starting out

[rick jones]

Hi,

My K2 is in the RF board part 2 stage and I would like
to give my 2 cents worth of suggestions to help the
beginning builder.

1.) Muffin Tins make great parts holders.  I raided
the kitchen late one night and ran off with some
regular and mini-muffin tins.  The mini tins are
especially useful for pre sorting the caps and
hardware. They are metal so static charge is not an
issue either.

2.) I use electrical tape to hold components to the
board before soldering.  I can hold down many
resistors, caps or sockets at once and not have to
worry about them lifting when I flip the board to
solder. I don't like bending the leads out, I find it
unreliable.

3.) The circuit boards are hard to place in a
Pana-vise board holder due to components being too
close to the edge. It can be done on the control and
front boards with care.  I can clamp the rf board in
the holder by running a longish screw into the four
metal blocks at the edges of the board.  I let them
stick out a bit so they fit into the notches in the
holder.

4.) At 40 my magnifying visor is not a luxury, it's a
necessity! I have one with several magnifications
available by flipping the lens into place.  I use it
continuously to inspect part numbers and solder
joints. My visor has moved into the essential
equipment category!

5.) I would install the ssb option components to the
front board earlier in the process than the manual
suggests. I would do it before the pots are installed.
 These are tightly spaced components and it would make
life alot easier to solder these components before the
pots are installed. IMHO

6.) I went to Home Depot and got a 4 foot shop light. 
I hung it about three feet over the bench and it is a
great, shadowless source of light.

7.) This one is really basic but it may help somebody.
 Put your finger over each lead before you clip it
off.  A clipped lead will fly a great distance. They
can get into your eye and/or get impossibly embedded
into carpet. There are hundreds of them too! With
minimal practice it can be a one handed operation if
you have spring loaded cutters.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope this
helps someone. Have fun building the kit.  I never
cease to be amazed at the brilliant design and
forethought that went into the kit.  

Rick N3IKQ K2#3465

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