[Elecraft] Another UK K2 - 3314

[Baker]

On Mon, 06 Oct 2003 11:55:03 +0100, Robert Cochrane wrote:
>Guys
>
>K2 3314 is now finished in its basic form after six months,=
 with
>about
>another six months to go before the accessory boards are all
>complete.
>
>Many thanks to you all at Elecraft for your support=
 (particularly
>Gary) and
>to Don Brown for his help with T5.
>
>There are probably a hundred or so K2s now completed in the UK. =
 So
>nothing
>in this message is really new, but I hope that coming from the=
 UK it
>will
>encourage more Gs and Ms to get out their soldering irons and=
 feel
>the same
>sense of achievement at each stage of completion.
>
>A good and accessible overall review of the K2 by a UK builder=
 is
>that by
>Neill Taylor G4HLX, Practical Wireless Dec 2002 and on the=
 Elecraft
>web site.
>
>A recurring question is what construction ability, and what=
 tools,
>are needed?
>
>It is over forty years since I built my Heathkit all valve hi-fi=
 and
>over
>ten years since I built my last complex kit (a marvellous Hart
>Lindsley-Hood hi-fi amplifier, now manufactured by=
 Williams-Hart).
>So I
>warmed up by building some tools first - in particular an OHR=
 watt
>meter
>and dummy antenna (www.OHR.com).
>
>By the time the K2 arrived, my basic soldering skills had=
 returned,
>but I
>was still overawed by the number of tiny components and the
>complexity of
>the RF board.
>
>The next step was to buy a temperature controlled iron (an=
 SL-30
>with
>digital readout from Van Draper with a set of different sized=
 tips,
>which
>has proved very reliable), a binocular headband mounted=
 magnifying
>visor
>and an adjustable lamp with a circular florescent tube.
>
>In addition I bought a Vermason anti static kit from Farnell=
 (good
>value
>for a big mat and wrist set, but a larger mat than I really need=
 -
>other
>firms such as Maplin have smaller, cheaper sets now and the=
 portable
>computer technician sets are big enough for a K2 workbench) and=
 a
>new set
>of needle pliers, flush side cutters and locking tweezers.  Did=
 not
>use a
>panavise for the boards, but my Dremel portable D-vise (with=
 soft
>and hard
>jaws) was very helpful, particularly for soldering leads to=
 socket
>pins etc.
>
>The visor was essential for close vision and provided full eye
>protection
>as well.  Mine came from Kanga UK which is regrettably closed=
 at
>present.  Horizon Magnifiers advertise the OptiVisor in the UK,=
 but
>I have
>no experience of it.  A simple watchmaker's eyeglass also helps=
 with
>checking for poor joints and bridges, particularly if like me=
 you
>have long
>sight and are the senior side of fifty.
>
>The shadowless lamp was also a great help.  I actually bought=
 one
>with a
>magnifier in its centre, but I don't use it, preferring the
>binocular
>visor.  Highly recommend you try out the various options if you=
 can
>to
>check what works for you, particularly if you already wear=
 glasses.
>
>Once I had the right tools, construction was much easier.  It is=
 a
>big
>project, but is definitely within the ability of anyone who has
>practiced
>soldering (see the excellent notes on the Elecraft site) and
>completed a
>couple of simpler projects.  However (as everyone has said)=
 removing
>components from the beautiful boards with their through plated=
 holes
>is not
>straightforward and it is vital to check and double check=
 components
>before
>soldering the second pin, particularly ICs and tall multi-pin
>connectors.
>
>Made two mistakes - bent an IC pin under and did not notice=
 until I
>had a
>several pins soldered, and damaged a capacitor changing the=
 lead
>pitch from
>2mm to 4mm as needed by the board spacing.  And had another=
 slightly
>tricky
>component removal task when I added the thermistor frequency
>stabilising
>board, which replaced a multi-pin resistor network.
>
>If you have to remove an IC with more than one soldered pin, it=
 is
>essential that you sacrifice the chip, get another one from RS=
 or
>Maplin
>(or Viewcom Electronics in Plaistow, who sell the rarer ICs such=
 as
>the
>SA602AN individually at very reasonable prices) or ask Gary to=
 send
>one,
>carefully extract the pins and carefully clean out the holes and=
 the
>board
>with de-soldering copper braid.  I had no success with a sucker=
 and
>cannot
>justify the best solution, a de-soldering iron such as the=
 Hakko.
>
>The only problems which were beyond my control were the fit of=
 the
>front
>panel (corrected by trimming the connecting pins - watch out for=
 the
>occasional builder's alert) and the VCO calibration.  Don Brown
>reassured
>me that I was not alone on the latter and suggested that I=
 change
>the first
>winding of T5 to 17 turns, which did the trick.  (Perhaps there=
 is a
>note
>in the manual by now - the bold headline on page 52 of my manual=
 put
>me off
>experimenting...)
>
>The real message is to take your time.  The K2 plus accessories
>really does
>take those of us with multiple lives a winter to complete -=
 allowing
>for
>the usual business and domestic interruptions.  Treat it as a=
 medium
>term
>project, taking six months to a year.
>
>Do the parts check and sort out all the components into little=
 (non-
>static)
>bags with labels on them.  That way, if you travel on business=
 and
>for
>pleasure as I do, you can pack up and start again quickly.
>
>Read the manual carefully and follow it step by step.  If you=
 are
>returning
>to the hobby, remember that after a hard day in the office, old=
 eyes
>cannot
>concentrate for more than about 40 minutes at a time and three
>sessions in
>an evening will be enough.  Set the chair slightly on the low=
 side
>to ease
>your neck and save that well earned beer until afterwards...
>
>And wearing an apron with loops sewn on the bottom hooked onto=
 the
>underside of the bench (as my SMD microwave friends do) may=
 sound a
>bit far
>fetched, but it is a lot easier than vacuuming underneath=
 amongst
>the dusty
>power supplies and the roll of RG58 with a cloth over the pipe=
 end
>to find
>the miniature capacitors after you drop them as I did.
>
>Finally, don't feel embarrassed about asking for help.  The=
 Elecraft
>guys
>at the works and on the reflector are a real community.
>
>And now on to the accessory boards and another twenty toroids!
>
>Wayne and Eric - thank you.
>
>Rob
>M0RAC
>VR2ARC
>
>
>Robert A Cochrane
>7 Lawn Terrace
>Blackheath
>London SE3 9LJ   UK
>
>Tel (44) 020 8297 1978
>Mob (44) 07764 197 701
>
>
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Rob,

Well done, welcome on board.

The word is spreading in the UK, and home constructed  Elecraft 
transceivers are beginning to give the  manufacturers of inferior=
 and 
more expensive equipment something to think about. 

73

Stewart  G3RXQ

-- The Bakers' Home
-- baker@nildram.co.uk on 06/10/2003