[Elecraft] T1 internal to FT-817

[Tom Althoff]

Well...last night I finished installing the T1 internally to my FT-817 with 
help and suggestions from Nigel G8IFF and Wayne.

After seeign the guts of the radio I decided I was not courageous enough to 
try to open up the DIN of the FT-817 adaptor and solder the leads directly 
to the board.  I ended up cutting a corner out of the side of the plastic 
housing of the chassis DIN connector and also cut a notch into the outer 
layer of the DIN shell so that the cable would fit in the notch.  This 
allowed me to pass the control cable through the same opening that the DIN 
plugs into (see photo).  If I ever need to plug something else in there I 
still have the option of a Y-cable adaptor.

I covered the battery compartment with mylar adhesive tape and put a piece 
of clear plastic cut out from a 3 ring folder cover to insulate the T1's 
boards from the metal case of the Yaseu.

After drilling holes in the battery compartment cover using the original T1 
case as a template I peeled off the T1 label, cut the bottom inch off and 
used it to cover the "ANT" and "XCVR" portion of the label and then stuck it 
on the FT-817.

The LED's fit perfectly in the holes and keep the board from sliding around 
in the battery compartment and the cover presses firmly on the face of the 
T1 so it doesn't vibrate or wiggle in any way.

RG-174 was run between the T1's BNC's and the SO-239 of the FT-817.   I 
soldered directly to the PC as there was not enough room to use male BNC 
plugs to connect to the BNC sockets.

At some point I will open up the radio again and take some close-up pics. 
In the mean time here is a photo of the finished project.   You can see the 
DIN connector plugged in on the back of the radio but it is not apparant 
that the lead is going back into the same hole that the DIN is plugged into. 
http://www.k2ta.com/t1_internal1.jpg

I have the Palm legs and whenever I change bands the T1 enters the "green 
light blinking" mode that is visible as a green glow reflected under the 
radio.   If I hit a sting of dashes at that point I can force the T1 to 
retune.   If I wait for the green flashing LED to stop after a few seconds 
the T1 uses the last remembered settings.    If I ever need to read power 
and status etc I can always turn the radio on its side to press the buttons 
but in day-to-day operation the tuner is truely automatic and I never miss 
not "seeing" the LED's.

Thanks to Nigel for his example and also Wayne and Eric for designing the T1 
in such a way as to allow this type of installation to be feasible at all. 
The T1 is sooooo cool!

73 de Tom K2TA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Althoff" <althoff at verizon.net>
To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 11:43 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] T1 internal to FT-817


I see the FAQ for the T1 suggests that the T1 could be mounted in the FT-817 
battery compartment "With some effort".

I plan on doing this but would like to hear back from anyone who's "been 
there / done that" before I dive in.

Tom K2TA
Greenwood Lake, NY
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