[Elecraft] SMD-based kits

[Larry Phipps]

Don't knock tubes. My first kit was a Harmon Kardon stereo amplifier 
with lots of tubes and no PC baord. It was great fun. I also built 
Dynakits and Heathkits with tubes. There's nothing like the smell and 
glow of vacuum tubes to warm your heart.

Now I build lots of gear with SMD parts, and I can say that almost all 
the good chips are SMD now. Increasingly, staying with thru-hole parts 
not only costs more, it limits performance. I have no problem with SOIC 
parts, but the more popular SSOP and TSSOP parts are almost impossible 
to deal with unless you use some trick like a toaster oven to install 
the parts prior to other assembly.

I think Elecraft would do well to pre-install SMD parts whenever 
performance would be enhanced. I know it is an inventory problem in 
terms of having a bunch of pre-assembled partial boards sitting on the 
shelf, but it gives much more flexibility in terms of circuit design and 
performance, and probably doesn't cost any more when you take into 
account the cheaper SMD parts cost.

Larry N8LP



Don Brown wrote:

>Hi
>
>I remember a time when PC boards were just becoming popular and the cry was 
>"how are you going to work on that stuff" The same with first transistors, 
>and then IC's. As the technology changes the building and troubleshooting 
>techniques will follow. It may look difficult now because we are not as 
>familiar SMD parts as through hole. I really would not want to build 
>something like a hand wired chassis with 10 or 12 tubes and no PC boards 
>(although I have done it). Some day we all may look back at building a 
>through hole kit with all the lead bending, flush cutting and flipping the 
>board over to solder the part and wonder how we did it and say "I would not 
>want to do THAT any more."
>
>Don Brown
>KD5NDB
>
> 
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