[Elecraft] K-1 4-band Availability/Status?

[Don Wilhelm]

The part number for the bare KFL1-4 board is E100129 as listed in the 
KFL1-4 manual.

I do not know whether Elecraft has any boards in stock, but one could 
ask.  Good luck with your project(s).
You would also need the firmware E610010 as well as the other parts such 
as relays, connectors, crystals etc.  If you downloaded the KFL1-4 
manual before it was removed, you are 'in luck'.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 3/6/2015 10:03 PM, Dr. William J. Schmidt, II wrote:
> There is probably some middle ground here to satisfy most people in this
> situation.  It's completely understandable and correct that Elecraft would
> not want to spend the effort to re-engineer this board.  However some of us
> on channel don't see the task as rocket science and in most cases would be
> glad to provide that expertise as a side effort just to make that equipment
> useful.  If Elecraft had even something as simple as unpopulated boards to
> purchase for use as prototypes, it would make that task quite simple.
>
>
> Dr. William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ
>
> Owner - Operator
> Big Signal Ranch - K9ZC
> Staunton, Illinois
>
> Owner - Operator
> Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ
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>
> email:  bill at wjschmidt.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Don
> Wilhelm
> Sent: Friday, March 06, 2015 8:05 PM
> To: Ross Primrose; Phil Wheeler; elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K-1 4-band Availability/Status?
>
> Ross,
>
> That vital part is the availability of the 1 to 40pF trimmer capacitors
> - which also had a very tight temperature compensation characteristic.
> The KFL1-4 used 16 of them.
> Due to their wide capacity range, the same capacitors could be used in
> all 16 positions and provide successful tuning.
> Those capacitors have been discontinued by the manufacturer.
>
> The problem is that there are no substitutes that could be used for all
> 16 positions, and it would take a great deal of engineering effort to
> determine the suitable substitutes for each position on the 4 band
> board.  In other words, would a 3 to 15pf trimmer be suitable in the C1
> thru C4 locations and would a 12 to 30pF trimmer be suitable in the C5
> thru C8 locations and so forth.  Furthermore, if the 17 meter band were
> chosen instead of the 15 meter band, which low range trimmer capacitors
> would be used for each band.
> I am speaking of examples for the engineering effort that would be
> required to select the best capacitor for each position and each band
> choice.  It is not a trivial exercise.
>
> I certainly would not want to do experiments to select the appropriate
> replacement trimmers necessary to resurrect the 4 band board, and I am
> certain the engineering staff does not have the time to do that work.
> The documentation would get more complicated as well - for example,  "if
> you have chosen the 15 meter band, use the red trimmer capacitors at
> location Cx but if you have chosen 17 meters, use the yellow trimmers at
> those locations"
>
> Hopefully you get the point of the complexity created by those wide
> range trimmer being no longer available.  The values I have proposed
> above are only numbers off the top of my head for examples, they have no
> value in the real world.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
>
>
> On 3/6/2015 6:46 PM, Ross Primrose wrote:
>> Looking at the parts list, I can't imagine which part is no longer
>> available....
>>
>> 73, Ross N4RP
>>
>> On 3/6/2015 4:37 PM, Phil Wheeler wrote:
>>> Confirm. Something related to a vital part(s?) no longer being
>>> available.
>>>
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