[Elecraft] Things I would do differently when I next build a K2

[Bob 'bz' Zinn]

Have recently put together K2/100 #5884.

I hope this is not too presumptive of me, but I have a few suggestions. 
These are things I would do in the future, that I did NOT do this time:

1) I would buy at least 4 different colors of 'nail polish' to use in
color coding those little brown monolytic capacitors (and others) that 
'look alike'.
I would sort the 102, 103 and any other groups of capacitors that
'look alike', using a magnifying glass.  As I was separating them, I
would put a distinguishing dot of nail polish on top of the capacitor so
that I could tell, even after the capacitor is installed, even if the
sides can no longer be seen because of other parts being in the way, I
would KNOW which value was which.

2) I would buy colored pencils in the same colors and mark the colors on
the layout drawings in the manual! I would mark the inventory sections 
with the appropriate colors also.

3) I would place dots of colored nail polish, on the circuit board, in 
the appropriate places.

[Elecraft could make things easier for us by EITHER supplying the nail 
polish and pencils or having the colors printed on the board, in the 
manual, and putting the colors on the capacitors BEFORE they are mixed 
together as the kits are prepared for shipment. (hint to Elecraft, the 
colors on the caps would make quality control easier, thus save time, 
thus you would make back the money spent putting the colors on the caps).]

4) I would use a small piece of perf board and mount it in a handy vice.
and use it to 'guage' the lead length to 'pre cut' the leads on most 
parts 'to length'. I would also use it to make sure the leads were 
pre-formed to the proper width. (perhaps Elecraft could include a scrap 
of board with each kit that has all the normal hole spacings.)

4a) I would catch and collect each lead as cut, so that I would NOT have 
to crawl around later and dig them out of the carpet. Finding hundreds 
of small pieces of wire is very difficult. (Hint: stepping on a lead can 
lead to some very unpleasant moments). I am NOT sure I will EVER find 
them all!

5) I would place and solder one part at a time. The confusing of a
forest of leads can cause one to miss soldering some.

6) I would use a thick glove or a finger cot (available at an office 
supply store, used by those who turn a lot of pages) on one hand to 
allow me to use a finger to hold the part in place, while soldering, 
without burning my finger.

7) I would triple check to make sure everything was correct before
installing each part. It is MUCH easier to get it right-the first time-
than to find a mistake and correct it later.

8) I would take a 10 minute break after each 50 minutes of work and NOT 
work late into the night.

9) I would buy the Rework Eliminator and build the 'un-' boards FIRST. I 
would install them as I went along, rather than after everything was 
completed.

10) I would have the Radio Shack 'desoldering iron' with red rubber bulb 
handy and ready. I didn't buy one until after I had built my K2.

11) I would have PLENTY of light. An illuminated magnifier desk lamp 
would be a very good idea.

Finally, some things I DID do this time that I highly recommend:
a) I used 63/37 or another composition _eutectic_solder_.
It melts at a lower temperature and 'freezes' fast, without a 'plastic 
state'. This prevents 'cold' solder joints. Use a thin gage of solder.

b) I wind a coil of about 100 or 200 grams of solder (a nickel weighs 5 
grams, so half a roll or a roll of nickels in weight) around a Phillips 
screw driver shaft, rolling it neatly and carefully with many layers of 
solder.

I work this roll OFF the shaft and feed solder from the center. I put 
the roll in a dental floss container, or in the barrel of an old ball 
point pen (the fat, 4 color bic works nicely, remove the ink cartridges, 
of course).

I feed the solder out of the writing end of the pen. I can hold the pen 
in my mouth and guide the solder to the target while using my hands to 
hold the board, part and the soldering iron.

c) A couple of pairs of hemostats are, of course, necessary for putting 
tension on the leads of the toroids. With the handle of my diagonal 
cutters for a fulcrum, the weight of the hemostats is just about right 
for giving the needed tension.

I hope that at least one of these ideas helps someone.

73 de N5bz


-- 
-bz-    "it is a beautiful day to be alive, isn't it?" [every day]

N5BZ+ecr at chem.lsu.edu
http://chemistry.lsu.edu/bz
225-578-5381