[Elecraft] Front Panel Woes

[Stephanie Maks]

Hi Louis,

I can't offer advice with Problem 1 as I never used the green filter  
in my K2, but regarding Problem 2:

The front panel is aluminum, not steel, and yes, I'm pretty sure you  
cut the threads with the 2-56 screws.  It's a bit difficult to get  
them started, and - to me at least - a bit anxiety-inducing since you  
don't want to have the screwdriver slip and scratch the acrylic  
bezel.  I've found that using a screwdriver that fits the 2-56 screws  
exactly does help a great deal to control them.  But once you get  
them started, they do seem to go in the rest of the way all right.

73 de Stephanie
va3uxb
K2#5311 - K1#2132


On 14-Feb-2006, at 21.21.34, Louis C. LaCour, Jr. wrote:

> Hello all:
>
> I had just finished up all the components for the front panel  
> assembly, and
> was preparing for the "Front Panel Final Assembly."  After continued
> frustration, I decided this wasn't a good night to work on my K2.
>
> Problem 1:
>
> The double-backed tape for the green plastic bargraph filter is simply
> impossible to install.  When I opened the serial number envelope to  
> locate
> the bargraph filter and tape, I only saw one small, rectangular, brown
> "something" that I guessed was the tape.  I then realized it was  
> folded in
> two.  Simple enough, right?  I unfolded it and saw the two tape  
> strips.
> After some struggle, I managed to release one side of the brown  
> paper, and
> went to position it on the bargraph filter.  But then I noticed it  
> was not
> long enough; i.e., the manual illustration shows the tape going  
> parallel to
> the long side of the filter, edge to edge.  But it was too short to  
> reach
> from side to side.  OK, I thought, so what?  It doesn't take much  
> to hold
> this little piece of plastic in place.  So I mounted it on the  
> filter, and
> then mounted the other strip on the filter.  Now for the fun part.
>
> No matter how hard I tried, I could not remove the OTHER piece of  
> brown
> paper; i.e. the back side, to expose the other side of the adhesive  
> (that
> would attach to the inside of the panel).  Even using a powerful  
> magnifier
> and razor blade, it just couldn't be done.  Am I missing something  
> here?
> Sigh.  OK, I'll just skip to the clear plastic LCD bezel, and deal  
> with this
> later, I thought....
>
> Problem 2:
>
> The manual calls for the use of four 2-56 screws (stainless steel)  
> to mount
> the bezel.  No problem.  I located the screws, lined up the bezel,  
> got my
> tiny screwdriver, and proceeded.  But the screw wouldn't start in  
> the hole.
> "Could it not be threaded," I thought?!  Sure enough, none of the  
> four holes
> is threaded - am I to cut threads in a steel panel with these tiny
> screws??!!  I could try it, I suppose, but there's a very good chance
> they'll simply strip out the threads.
>
> Maybe the moon's in a bad phase; maybe there are astronomical forces
> conspiring against me, but for the first time in 29 pages of  
> instruction
> I've come across two steps that are seemingly impossible.  My  
> heretofore
> high confidence in Elecraft guidance is on the wane...
>
> So, what gives, guys?  Am I missing something obvious,or should I  
> just take
> the night off and pop open a cold one?
>
> 73,  Louis
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