[Elecraft] Kit or factory assembled K3?

[Edward R Cole]

Just to add to Ron's comment (and merely conjecture on my part):

I would guess the pc boards in the K3 kit are tested in a standard 
"jig" which connects the various boards and subassemblies so that it 
may be fully tested as it would be connected in a fully factory assembled unit.

I worked for an electronic manufacturer many years ago and that is 
how all the boards were tested in engineering.  In our case the test 
jig had little spring-loaded pointed contacts to the underside of the 
pcb to make contacts for testing.  A board was set in the jig and 
pressed down with a cam hinged mini arm, board run thru operational 
tests, then released.

I was an engineering technician so mainly aided in NAVY acceptance 
pre-testing plus doing testing of engineering prototypes.  We 
actually found all the 'bugs", made up fixes, and documented them to 
feedback to the design engineers who then incorporated these into a 
re-design.  A couple loops thru this process resulted in good 
operational designs.  It was an ideal job for a "ham" who is used to tinkering.

Later in one project, production required our "expertise in fixing" 
to debug production units.  Apparently, the engineers ignored some of 
our input (smile).  Since the production line was union labor I could 
not physically do anything to help their QA techs.  We could only 
stand beside them and talk them thru different procedures and 
fixes.  After awhile the QA tech picked our "tricks" well enough that 
my shift was very boring.

In today's electronic production lines auto-matic testing is very 
common.  The unit under test is installed and a computer controlled 
test station does all the tests producing a test report. Failed 
boards go back for either repair or the junk bin.

Now I have no ideas how the Elecraft production line actually works 
(that would be very interesting to hear about).

Regarding SMD construction, factory processes are very much superior 
to hand installation (and faster).  For the most part is does not 
make sense to make SMD board kits for assembly by hams.  The K3 "kit" 
is the practical way to go in today's electronic technology.  Much 
higher reliability results.  You will find the few outfits, that sell 
SMD kit boards, preassemble much of the more critical components 
leaving only basic chip resistors, caps, transformers and transistors 
to install.  I am one of the dying breed of SMD skilled repair 
techs.  Almost all new electronic repair is relegated to board 
exchange troubleshooting.  On my last job I was outsourced because 
there was little need of my expertise anymore.

73, Ed - KL7UW