+++++++++++++++ See also Building Notes, Building Notes2, Building Notes3, Building Courses, etc +++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 20:40:04 -0700 From: Phil Wheeler Organization: Outstanding To: akern at haverford.edu Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Beginner's build question akern at haverford.edu wrote: >Hello all, > >I just ordered a K2 kit with KPA100, KAT100, DSP, the works. > Jumping in big time .. good deal. But do take your time (if you can have self control); spreadign it over time makes it more fun and instructive. >What items would you all wanted to have had, in retrospect, to aid in >building the K2? (I do not already have a workshop and am starting >almost from scratch.) For instance, what kinds of desoldering pumps, if >any, should I get? > Definitely good to have. I think the Hakko 808 (around $175) is the best. But a very recent msg said: >Well to get to my point. A few weeks ago I got some advice from fellow Elecrafters on the GC Solder Popper. I picked up one of these babies from Jameco (# 19254) for $26.95 US. I have nothing but rave reviews on this item. > and at that price, what's not to like? However, I have not tried that one. > Board holders? > I've never used a Panavise. I do have one of those Radio Shack things with two alligator clips which I use from time to time. >Magnifying loops? > I have a 2 inch hand magnifier I use most. A bit of nostalgia there: I'm 66 and it belonged to my father (very nicely made). I do have a tri-lens pocket loupe which I use rarely (and mainly when I'm not in the shack and not for ham radio) > Grounding wrist >straps? > Absolutely! I use one I bought from WASCO, but I'm sure you can find them many places. Definitely worth having. >I saw recommendations for soldering irons and solder on the >website, but I'm lost on the rest of this stuff. > I've built all the current Elecraft kits (K2 #380 and K1 #18) and all the options. And, except for the Hakko 808 (perhaps a luxury) and my Weller WPCPT iron (700 deg temp control tips), no special equipment. I did use a high wattage Weller gun to solder the fins on the KPA100 PA transistors. I would add that good quality, small, spring-loaded needle nose pliers and side cutters are good to have .. and a hemostat is sometimes a useful thing. Finally, patience, inspection of all solder joints (main use of the maginfier), good light, and careful reading of the instructions are most vital. 73, Phil ++++++++++++++ Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 21:05:28 -0700 To: akern at haverford.edu, elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Ted Buckley Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Beginner's build question At 11:11 PM 5/25/03 -0400, akern at haverford.edu wrote: >Hello all, > >I just ordered a K2 kit with KPA100, KAT100, DSP, the works. I've been >trying to follow the email reflector for a bit to keep track of what >other tools and items people have found helpful in building the K2, but I >haven't been able to keep up recently. > >What items would you all wanted to have had, in retrospect, to aid in >building the K2? (I do not already have a workshop and am starting >almost from scratch.) For instance, what kinds of desoldering pumps, if >any, should I get? Board holders? Magnifying loops? Grounding wrist >straps? I saw recommendations for soldering irons and solder on the >website, but I'm lost on the rest of this stuff. Manufacturer names and >model numbers of recommended items would be greatly appreciated!!! > >Thanks alot. I can't wait to start building! > >-Adam, N1KO Hi Adam, Here is my list. Soldering Station. . .went for the cheap one recommended on the Web page, Solomon SR-76. Buy an extra standard tip. 1# Spool of Kester 44 rosin core solder 63/37 .025 diameter core 66 (Mouser) 5' Spool of SODER-WICK #3 or similar Xcelite flush cutting diagonal cutters, MS54-3J (Mouser has these) The Radio Shack flush cutters cost a lot less and work fine as long as you don't overtax them. . .don't try to cut a paper clip with them though. . .that will destroy them. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Needle nose pliers, mine are Swanstrom S324. Smooth jaws are best for holding and bending component leads. Small is good. If you know someone at the hospital/doctors office, get a hemostat, very handy for holding small parts. I understand they throw these away after a single use these days. . I paid a King's ransom for mine in the "good old days". Flat Blade and Cross Point (Phillips) screwdrivers You'll wear out the Phillips assembling and dissembling the mechanical parts on the K2 before you are done. ;<) Reading Glasses w/2.75 or 3.0 rating. Whatever lets you see fine detail when inspecting the many solder joints you'll be making. I've acquired a device called OptiVisor, a headband mounted magnifier w/binocular capability. . works great. . wish I'd had it when I started the project. Young eyeballs may not need the help. A grounded panel of some kind on your work bench is advised. This can be a large sheet of aluminum, antistatic mat, ect. The ground connection should be made to earth ground via a 1 meg resistor. A wrist strap from Radio Shack is a good addition for handling the ICs and mosfets in the K2. I'm sure others will have some good advice on this topic. Anyway, have fun! Building a K2 and all the neat options is close to the most fun you can have with your clothes on! 73, Ted WA7DFD K2 3202 ++++++++++++ From: "Francis Belliveau" To: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Beginner's build question Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 08:25:04 -0400 Everybody is covering build tools but test tools should be on the list also. Absolute minimum set of tools for a K2 is: DMM, Temp controlled soldering iron, good diagonal cutters, wrist strap, magnification. Everything else mentioned is extra and does help. Remember that desoldering tools would not be needed during build if you were careful enough to not make a mistake in the first place. So you can postpone that expence until you are ready to start making modifications. The only caveat to that statement is that some options require the removal of a few components. However, they are not replaced so you could just cut them out and leave the holes plugged. Not really my recommendation but will be no problem. Now for some of the details you wanted. My equipment is too old for model numbers though. DMM -- any that is not auto-ranging should be fine. Auto-ranging does not work wellwith the resistance checks on completed circuits. This has been a source of worry amount many builders. Mine is a 20 year old Fluke model. Soldering Iron -- I have a Weller that determines temperature by tip. I have 600, 700 and 800 tips. Most PCB work is done at 600 degrees, I use 700 for a few beafy pads and working with high guage wires. 800 degrees is a large tip and great fo cleaning toroid leads. Most everybody is shy of this step but most have little trouble. Follow the pictures in the manual carefully. Magnification -- I had one of those that has a light around it mounted to the bench. I got mine from Staples some years back. I have since bought an Optivisor to help my aging eyes. Google will help you find a source of those. I bought mine on-line. For desoldering I use one of the spring activated pumps and of course diagonal cutters. Always destroy the component and then remove the remains. Only crystals and electrolitics must be removed without destruction due to the nature of construction and close mounting. Thats my opinions. Good Luck, I know you'll enjoy the experience. 73, Fran ++++++++++++++ From: "Bob - AG5Q" To: , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Beginner's build question Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 10:13:15 -0500 Hi Adam, Circuit Specialists is a good source for some basic tools. They have a special deal, if you order $50 worth of stuff you get a very nice DMM ($30 value) free! I got the the following items when I started on my K2: solder station SR-976 $39.00 solder wick 425 green $ 1.85 solder wick 426 blue $ 2.00 Cutters w/clip HT-110 $4.98 These cutters have a clip that grips the lead when you cut it so it doesn't fly across the room. Also got a few BNC connectors for making cables. The DMM and a set of small screwdrivers were included free. The solder popper has been highly recommended and the price looks attractive for casual users. The Circuit Specialists url is: http://web-tronics.com/ I also recommend a magnifying lamp that clamps on your bench (about $50 at an office supply store) or magnifying lenses with a head band (about $30-50 at a hobby/craft store). The solder popper from Jameco has been highly recommended and the price looks attractive for casual users. 73/ Bob -- AG5Q +++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 11:42:45 -0400 From: "Philip L. Carter" To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Another beginner question K2Z is a software program written by Tony Wells that reads all the data from the K2 and stores it in a file on your computer. It is still Beta, but works nicely. I'm sure that you will see some postings about it on here soon. Phil wd8qwr K2# 370 +++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 09:36:34 -0700 (PDT) From: rick jones To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Random K2 building hints for those starting out Hi, My K2 is in the RF board part 2 stage and I would like to give my 2 cents worth of suggestions to help the beginning builder. 1.) Muffin Tins make great parts holders. I raided the kitchen late one night and ran off with some regular and mini-muffin tins. The mini tins are especially useful for pre sorting the caps and hardware. They are metal so static charge is not an issue either. 2.) I use electrical tape to hold components to the board before soldering. I can hold down many resistors, caps or sockets at once and not have to worry about them lifting when I flip the board to solder. I don't like bending the leads out, I find it unreliable. 3.) The circuit boards are hard to place in a Pana-vise board holder due to components being too close to the edge. It can be done on the control and front boards with care. I can clamp the rf board in the holder by running a longish screw into the four metal blocks at the edges of the board. I let them stick out a bit so they fit into the notches in the holder. 4.) At 40 my magnifying visor is not a luxury, it's a necessity! I have one with several magnifications available by flipping the lens into place. I use it continuously to inspect part numbers and solder joints. My visor has moved into the essential equipment category! 5.) I would install the ssb option components to the front board earlier in the process than the manual suggests. I would do it before the pots are installed. These are tightly spaced components and it would make life alot easier to solder these components before the pots are installed. IMHO 6.) I went to Home Depot and got a 4 foot shop light. I hung it about three feet over the bench and it is a great, shadowless source of light. 7.) This one is really basic but it may help somebody. Put your finger over each lead before you clip it off. A clipped lead will fly a great distance. They can get into your eye and/or get impossibly embedded into carpet. There are hundreds of them too! With minimal practice it can be a one handed operation if you have spring loaded cutters. That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope this helps someone. Have fun building the kit. I never cease to be amazed at the brilliant design and forethought that went into the kit. Rick N3IKQ K2#3465 +++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 12:09:15 -0700 From: Phil Wheeler Organization: Outstanding To: rick jones Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Random K2 building hints for those starting out rick jones wrote: >Hi, > >My K2 is in the RF board part 2 stage and I would like >to give my 2 cents worth of suggestions to help the >beginning builder. > >1.) Muffin Tins make great parts holders. > That was an appoach I used until one day when disaster struck. I accidentally put pressure on the edge of the muffin tin and it became a parts catapult. Now I use individual small containers with no lip. Phil ++++++++++++++ Reply-To: "Dick Foster" From: "Dick Foster" To: Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Random K2 building hints for those starting out Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 22:32:46 -0500 Organization: W5TA Ah, nostalgia. The muffin tins were recommended by Heatkit and pictured in their assembly manuals many, many moons ago. I use divider boxes sold in the fishing department at Walmart. But, they should not be used for the ESD sensitive components which come inserted in the black foam. I just spent $45 bucks on the extra wide Panavice jaws to hold the RF board when I noticed the interference of the edge components with the board holder. The narrow span padded jaw Panavice set worked so well with the control and front panel board I thought it was worth the investment. Dick W5TA ++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 07:19:44 -0400 From: tjmc To: dfleming01 at comcast.net, Elecraft - reflector Subject: [Elecraft] finding parts on K2 > > >I am in the process of assembling the RF board for a K-2 serial number >> 3499 and cannot locate R65 (10 k. capacitor) > Dave ( and newer builders) It's been posted before but here we go agn.... If your looking for parts on the K2/k1/etc , just download the PDF doc for the schematic. You can use the FIND command and it will search the schematic for the part. It sure does save a lot of looking for this old eyes! all best Tom aa2vk +++++++++++++++++ To: akern at haverford.edu Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Beginner's build question From: Steve.Lawrence at ITWFEG.COM Date: Tue, 27 May 2003 23:13:42 -0400 Dear Adam, Some of our area Home Depot's sell a kit consisting of small needle-nose pliers and a matched pair of flush-cutting wire clippers. I've seen the kit on the shelf labeled with both the Cooper/Crescent and the Xcelite brands. Nice cushioned handles: aqua for Xcelite, orange for Cooper, otherwise the sets appear identical (I believe Cooper owns the Xcelite brand). Cost is about $10 for the set. Xcelite model is #170M (flush cutters) and #378M (pliers). Sure you can spend more, but these tools are B+ grade and work well. I've used my set on a K2, K1, and numerous other small electronic projects. While shopping for a temperature controlled soldering station, you'll find some where the temperature is fixed by the tip (change tips to change temperatures), and others where the temperature is set by a dial on the base. Obviously a dial temperature control is more convenient. The popular Weller WTCPT is a "change tips to change temperatures" model. I ended up with a Edsyn 951SX for the ease of dialing up a new temperature. Only one minor complaint about the Edsyn... the Weller is more widely distributed, hence parts, tips, etc. are more readily available. Have a good look at the Weller WES51. I'm frequently found drooling over the Techni-Tools catalog. Great full color photos. Good sales. Good service. Prices variable. http://www.techni-tool.com GL, Steve aa8af ++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 00:36:36 -0400 From: "Thomas M. Beaudry" Reply-To: k8la at arrl.net To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Beginner's build question > Circuit Specialists is a good source for some basic tools. They > have a special deal, if you order $50 worth of stuff you get a very > nice DMM ($30 value) free! > > I got the the following items when I started on my K2: > > solder station SR-976 $39.00 Thanks for the tip on the soldering station. I was looking for something decent that wouldn't put too bad of a dent in the wallet. I ordered the station and three diferent tips to hit the $50 level to get the free DMM. I needed that as well so it's a very good deal for me. -- Thomas M. Beaudry k8la / ys1ztm k8la at arrl dot net K2 # 3422 +++++++++++++++