[Elecraft] Re: K2/SSB Construction

[Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy]

Don and all,

Forgive me, I am guilty of thinking out aloud on the Reflector! My chokes
went in with care, and had snug windings. I did rewind one after visual
inspection and before installation, because I was a little suspicious of the
wire's enamel in one area and did not want to be faced with "the shorted
turn" problem should the enamel come adrift later on.

Adage - 'Give it your best and it will reward in kind'

73,
Geoff    GM4ESD

----- Original Message -----
From: "W3FPR - Don Wilhelm" <w3fpr at earthlink.net>
To: "Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy" <gmk at gm4esd.fsworld.co.uk>; "PA3GYU"
<pa3gyu at amsat.org>
Cc: "Elecraft Discussion List" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2005 1:12 PM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Re: K2/SSB Construction


> Geoff and all,
>
> The real problem is that the insulation on the wire can be scraped during
> the process of winding RFC1 and 2 (not during the process of mounting them
> between the smooth surface of the R-Pak and the crystal body) - so just
> being careful and re-wind if the wire is scraped is the better answer
IMHO.
> A bit of Teflon tape just dangled between the crystal can and the choke
may
> provide that bit of 'slipperyness' needed to insert the choke, but I would
> hesitate to rely on the thin Teflon tape for its insulation properties in
> this application.
>
> Reminds me of one of my favorite adages - 'If you don't do it right the
> first time, you get to do it over and over again until you get it right'!
> While that may be great fun for some activities, it gets old for most - so
> the best answer is to do the best one can to get it right the first time.
> With the K2, you are building a quality piece of gear - don't compromise
it
> by taking shortcuts.
>
> Actually, I have not found any case where the space is too tight - but I
may
> be winding the toroids a bit more snug than some - I just smooth the wire
> with my thumb on each turn and check to see if any turns have been crossed
> over another.  Both things are important in winding a choke that fits
> properly.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> >
> > In my humble opinion you are 100% correct. RFC1 and 2 are a very tight
fit
> > when all other components are mounted properly. I believe that
> > they used to
> > be on the bottom of the PCB, but were moved to the top for very good
> > reasons. I wonder whether some Plumbers' Teflon Tape (the thin
> > white stuff)
> > put around crystals X3 and X5 during installation would help
> > prevent shorts
> > between choke and crystal can.
> >
> > 73,
> > Geoff    GM4ESD
> >