[Elecraft] SB-244 Right to Repair Act

[Michael Carter]

I don't have a K4 nor am I likely to afford one any time soon.  I am curious to learn more of its internal hardware architecture, which I can infer from professional experience, but the many discussions on the K4 groups.io forum have made clear that the 'secret sauce' is largely in the software/firmware running on the machine.  The California legislation doesn't seem to address that aspect of 'right to repair,' i.e. it doesn't force a manufacturer to disclose their source code for a product built around an embedded computer.

As a practical matter for products designed and built by Elecraft, it has become evident that many ICs and some discrete devices used in their legacy products have become 'unobtainium' even to them. Does the California law force an electronics manufacturer to anticipate 'end of life' for component parts and acquire an inventory sufficient to last the requisite 7 years prescribed in the law?

Dave, G4AON raised the question of a service manual for the K4 and other Elecraft products.  I don't recall seeing service manuals for any Elecraft product, at least not in the form of the voluminous manuals that HP/Agilent/Keysight once produced.  The operational descriptions in the user's manuals have been more than adequate when combined with the published schematics. The greatest repair resource for Elecraft products, apart from the all-knowing, all-seeing Keith WE6R, are the contributors to the official and unofficial Elecraft forums.  I have learned a great deal about repairs to the K1, K2, K3 and K3s from the forum posts, which serve as the de facto 'service manuals' for those radios.

73,
Mike, K8CN