[OKDXA] Elecraft Repair

[James Foster]

I have a loaded k3 which I have quit using because it will no longer connect to the computer.  If someone has a fix or needs boards contact me.’

Jim Foster  N1NU
jim.n1nu at gmail.com <mailto:jim.n1nu at gmail.com>




> On Jan 30, 2022, at 8:36 AM, Unosuave Hombre <unosuave at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Problem may be,  no spare boards.  I took a lightning strike. damaged main board on a K3. No spares available.  9 hrs later@ $100 per hour, main board fixed.  Repair is not as easy as it sounds  multi layer board, trouble shooting  with a microscope and very small parts, been there, done  that and bought the t'shirt!
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
> 
> 
> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Nelson Derks <ac5up at windstream.net>
> Date: 1/30/22 7:12 AM (GMT-06:00)
> To: 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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