[OKDXA] Elecraft Repair
K2GKK D C_Mac_ Macdonald
k2gkk at hotmail.com
Sun Jan 30 08:35:10 EST 2022
A hearty AMEN, Nelson!
73 de Mac, K2GKK/5
Licensed 30 Nov 1953
Oklahoma City, OK
USAF (Retired) 61-81
FAA (Retired) 94-10
Cell 405-642-7337
________________________________
From: okdxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <okdxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on behalf of Nelson Derks <ac5up at windstream.net>
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2022 07:12
To: okdxa at mailman.qth.net <okdxa at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [OKDXA] Elecraft Repair
1) I used to be pretty handy with component level repair back in the
day of low density PC boards with discrete components. Approach it with
the right attitude and it can be fun, almost like a game of hide & seek.
2) I haven't made a component level repair in maybe 20 years. I spend
far more time playing with computers than radios and both now share the
same fabrication techniques.
3) Large Scale Integration boards are a marvel. Passive components so
small a resistor can bleed over at ~20 volts on a humid day. Which is
why you want to keep those boards clean. This also means de-soldering is
a trick often performed with a hot air blower. Very carefully. Because
a machine built the board and your hands are too large & shaky to do a
pinpoint repair. Likewise your chances of hitting one pin only with a
test probe are near zero.
4) Which is why it's often far more cost effective to troubleshoot down
to the board level and be done with it.
5) You won't need to hire Einstein's smarter brother, the one with
hands like a surgeon, nor will you need a workstation outfitted with the
latest in micro precision tooling. If you do, the tech and the bench
become a bottleneck in the work flow.
6) Do you think your local bank can afford to have an ATM go in the
shop for 90 days? Would Wally-World tolerate a check stand cash
register that needs an occasional 90 day break? ( Hint: HELL NO! )
7) Elecraft gets away with this because their customers let them.
8) I wouldn't recognize a K-3 RF board if one jumped into my lap, but I
wouldn't be surprised if the wholesale cost is well below $100... And
there's the rub: Elecraft chose a repair path that cost 90 days and
several hundred dollars more than a board swap with performance check.
9) Market share and perceived corporate ethics matter. Abusing
customers is not a key to success. The internet makes it too easy to
share a customer experience. Advertising can help make the first sale
but price, customer care and quality of the product determine if you get
a second chance. The cost of gaining a customer is far greater than
retaining one so run the numbers and value your clients appropriately.
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