++++++++++++++++++ To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 08:58:42 -0800 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] discussing dislikes and likes From: k6se at juno.com I agree with David, KG4LSK's assessment that identifying the tiny capacitors in his K2 kit can be very trying. What helped me over the "inventory" phase was my L/C Meter IIB, an inductance/capacitance meter produced by a company named "Almost All Digital Electronics". It accurately measures small values of capacitance that my DMM can't. For you avid kit builders, this highly useful meter comes in kit form. Of course, a hand-held magnifier is essential for us old farts with weak eyes, too. 73, de Earl, K6SE +++++++++++++++++++ To: , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] discussing dislikes and likes Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 11:46:03 -0600 Hi I totally agree with Earl on this one. I find the little L/C meter to be indispensable in my lab. It is a great little warm up kit if you want to build a little confidence in your skills before jumping into the K2. Two other kits I use all the time and are good starters are the OHR WM-2 watt meter and the OHR 100 watt dummy load modified to act as a power attenuator for the WM-2. Using the two together the WM-2 will read 0 to 100 watts on the 1 watt scale and its fairly accurate except on 10 meters where it rolls off a little but still quite useable Don Brown KD5NDB ++++++++++++++++++++ From: "Babe" To: , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] discussing dislikes and likes Date: Thu, 7 Nov 2002 12:47:32 -0500 Good points Earl. I believe an Opti-visor, around 3.5X to be invaluable for us "mature" hams. I will second the motion on the use of the ADDE L/C meter. 73 Larry WA2DGD +++++++++++++++++++ To: , "'Bruce Bodine'" , From: Tom Hammond =?iso-8859-1?Q?N=D8SS?= Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Tools to work with: Bruce Bodine wrote: >Having never tried my hand at kit building I am wondering what does >everyone prefer to use for securing the boards while soldering and what >type of magnified task lights do people use? Then, Ron D'Eau Claire replied: >I work on a simple wooden tabletop. I've worked with Panavises and other >"board holders" both professionally and as a Ham but have never found >them very useful. But there are those who won't touch a board unless it >is in a holder of some sort. In short, there is no "wrong" or "right" >way about holding a board, as long as you don't damage it or the >components. Develop a procedure that is comfortable for you and follow >it. I do use a bench that is normally higher than most, to bring the >work up closer to my face. That way I'm not bending over all the time to >get close to the board lying on it. I suppose a vise of some sort might >be attractive if I couldn't get my work closer to my face any other way. I agree with Ron on almost all of his comments, above. However, I do find that a small (MOVEABLE) tabletop vise (Panavise or VacuVise) are helpful for smaller PC board, such as many of the K2 accessories. I say this becasue the larger K2 PC board have enough mass to them that they'll pretty well stay in place when I'm soldering to a component lead. However, the smaller (lighter) PC boards kinds tend to 'wander' a bit when I hit the lead with the tip of the soldering iron. Personally, I do not care for the Panavise 'arms' which are designed to HOLD PC boards, preferring to merely open the main jaws of the vise up and slip the board in between them. Easier access and insertion/removal. And LOTS less 'flopping' of the (vise) arms bank 'n forth. >You WILL want a ground handy. A ground strap on your wrist and grounded >work surface are NOT necessary. But you will need to ground yourself at >times to be sure you are not carrying a static charge caused by >squirming on your seat or walking about. A metal edge on my wooden work >top is grounded. I reach over and touch it whenever I'm about to pick up >a sensitive part. Also, you do want to avoid work surfaces that can >collect a static charge. Many years ago a lot of Hams and service techs >put a bit of carpet on the bench to keep parts from rolling around. I'd >not do that today for two reasons: First most parts would disappear in >the carpet and secondly it would be easy to produce a pretty big static >charge on the carpet moving your hand across it. I have worked many >hours on a bench covered with a simple piece of vinyl or rubber floor >tread, however, with no problems at all. The black surface makes it >easier to see most hardware and other parts if one is dropped. The rubber floor tread is GREAT because the grooves in the tread help to keep devices from rolling away from you, and off onto the floow where they'll never be seen again. >I've always found that a good magnifier is far more important that >perfect lighting. I've done a lot of service work "in the field" >sometimes with only a tiny flashlight in my teeth for light, so perhaps >it's just that I'm used to less-than-perfect light. Still, I won't turn >off a nice work light if it's handy . What is MORE important to me is >good vision. My 60+ year old eyes don't focus up close easily any >longer. I wear glasses for reading. I augment them with an "Optivisor". >That is a binocular magnifier that comes in various powers that fits >over your glasses. It is held on your head by a band so you can flip it >up out of the way when you don't need the extra magnification. My >"Optivisor" has 4X power lenses in it and works fine for me. Search for >"Optivisor" using Vivisimo.com or Google.com and you'll find sources for >them. ABSOLUTELY! And you don't need the visor which is lighted... just something to forget to turn off and run down the batteries. I have two articulated lights, one (40W-60W) incandescent, the other one of the magnified circular fluorescent lamps. One lamp attaches to either side of my desk. Both are turned on when I'm building. >What I personally have found useless for this work are common circular >lights with a magnifying glass in the center. The magnifying lens seems >to be cheap and has a lot of distortion. Worse for me, it requires that >I position my head on one side and my work on the other "just so" in >order to see anything. And it gets in the way of a soldering iron. I NEVER use the magnifier in my circular fluorescent lamp... being on that long arm, I find it sways back 'n forth way too much. The head-mounted magnifier is the berries though! >Enough of my opinions. You'll get a lot of good input from other here. >Have fun! Good input, Ron. 73, Tom N0SS +++++++++++++ From: "Lyle Johnson" To: "Leonard, David" , Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Use Of Lead bender? Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 08:20:30 -0800 > Does anybody use a lead bender to bend the leads to the "exact" spacing > prior to the insertion on the board? > > If so, any suggestions as to mfg. & model number? www.productiondevices.com, click on products. I use the lead former model 801. 73, Lyle KK7P +++++++++++++++ From: "Dave. Interaccess.com" To: Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 22:02:10 -0500 Subject: [Elecraft] Panavise Knockoff at Home Depot I was buying some things at Home Depot and I ran across a Panavise "Knockoff" that seems to do the job. It has a vacuum base and soft jaws 2 1/2" wide. Now, it is not as nice (fit and finish are not as fine as the panavise) as a Panavise and I don't know if any accessories are available yet. But, it holds a circuit board just fine. It adjusts to any angle and it seems very stable. It is a Wilton part no. 63500 and the Home Depot SKU is: 293222. look in the tool department. (I had to look way under the back table to find them 8-) I paid $26.86 plus tax. Seems to work as well as the vacuum base panavise with the standard jaws. Anyway, I'll let you know if there are any problems. Cheers Dave WB9SOG +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Leonard, David" To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Answers to: [Elecraft] Use Of Lead bender? Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 09:42:14 -0500 I was asked to post a summary of the answers that I got to my original post [See [Elecraft] Use Of Lead bender? ] Also, see my contribution: [Elecraft] Panavise Knockoff at Home Depot. I don't know if you've ever seen someone put together a board with the components "stuffed" incorrectly (i.e. leads spaced a little too long etc. but it really looks "trashy". Ruins the look and can cause many problems. Anyway, I haven't built a kit of any kind in several years so I was wondering what might be new in the way of kit building "tools". (Yes I am "ANAL", I'm an engineer! 8-) Well I got a lot of good answers and so here they are (my thanks to you all!): Note: Reply 6 "quantifies" the process. And reply 8 was a good tip to avoid having to bend the IC leads to hold the IC in place for soldering. Reply 1 Hi Dave, just my two cents, I have been working on my K2 #3232, NB, SSB board, filter board/clock for the last week. I have been using either my fingernail or a pair of needle nose pliers to bend the leads. Have not had a problem even with delicate germanium diodes. The holes in the board seem to be spaced to fit the components. There are only a few components which need to be "coerced" to fit. Hope this helps. Rich KQ9L (By the way Rich I have SN 3231.... Dave Leonard 8-) Reply 2 By far, the only items which need bending are the resistors. For almost all of them, I just used my finger to bend it downward close to its body and they worked perfectly. There are a few with a slightly wider spacing so I just used my long nose pliers for those. I found a bending device totally unnecessary. Geoff, K6TFZ Reply 3 Dave, I used Kentucky Windage, and bent leads on the edge of whatever PCB that was in panavise. Worked fine for me. The only ones that gave me fits were two diodes on the bottom of the RF board. Gil K2 #3104 Reply 4 > Does anybody use a lead bender to bend the leads to the "exact" > spacing prior to the insertion on the board? > > If so, any suggestions as to mfg. & model number? www.productiondevices.com , click on products. I use the lead former model 801. 73, Lyle KK7P Reply 5 Hello Leonard, I use a simple small set of pliers with cone-shaped ends. A little practice and you will be able to form any lead to any angle. I picked it up at a regular hardware store, it's probably Chinese or Taiwanese, cost abt a dollar or so. 73' Leo. Reply 6 Dave: Here's a trick that was taught to me by an electronics tech when I was building my (first!) K2: unless otherwise specified in the kit instructions, the proper lead length for components installed on circuit boards, by design, is equal to the thickness of the PCB itself. Therefore, if you bend component leads around the edge of the circuit board itself, the bend radii will work out such the components will drop right into place exactly. It worked for me on K2 #2519 and I expect it to work again for my new K2 which just arrived this morning. No special tool required! Good luck with your K2. You are in for the experience of a lifetime. Just take your time. Gary, VE1RGB Reply 7 Go to www.jameco/com , type this part number in the search box : 106884 Rich K2CPE K2 #1102 Reply 8 Dave: Hi...I have built many K-1's and K-2's, I am a listed Elecraft builder... For inserting IC's I use a 6 inch stainless steel ruler... It is 1/2 inch wide (some people call this kind of ruler a "scale")... I insert the legs on one side of the IC into it's holes and gently hold it in place with my finger... Then, with the other hand, I use the END of the ruler and gently press ALL of the legs that are not inserted inward, all at the same time, until they line up with the holes and the chip will drop into place because you have gentle pressure on it with your other finger... The beauty of this method is that it is quick and once the chip is in place but not soldered yet, it will stay in place even if you turn the board upside down because the legs still have "spring" tension... It only takes seconds to accomplish this and you don't have to buy any special insertion tools... You could probably even do this with an Ice cream stick if you square up the end of it... Jerry McCarthy, wa2dkg K-2 # 2549 "Let's be careful out there! Because no matter where you go there you Are!" (Buckaroo Banzai) 73 & BCNU Dave WB9SOG ++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 14:27:48 -0500 From: Kfivebgb at aol.com To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] Solomon T/C Solder Station Just an FYI for anyone in the market for a T/C soldering station. Circuit Specialists in AZ still carries the Solomon soldering station that Tom Hammond mentions in his summary on the Elecraft Web site. When I ordered one recently, they had a back order list, so it's still popular. The price is still $39.95 plus shipping, which is a bargain by today's standards. The usual boilerplate applies...I have no commercial ties to Circuit Specialists. I will say this much; they're a nice group with which to do business. 73, Rod K5BGB ++++++++++++++ From: "Wallace, Andy" To: "'rondec at easystreet.com'" , Elecraft at mailman.qth.net Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 07:55:22 -0500 Subject: [Elecraft] potential of static damage > -----Original Message----- > From: Ron D'Eau Claire [mailto:rondec at easystreet.com] > > Still, I do not bother with one in my shop and don't have any trouble. > Being "careful" as you said works for me. I DO use a grounded-tip > soldering iron and I DO ground myself momentarily EVERY time before I > pick up a static-sensitive device. Electrostatic Damage is like the Easter Bunny: some people believe in it, some do not. Radio Shack has wrist straps for $5, which is something anyone building an Elecraft should get. Unfortunately, they only seem to sell mats in a service kit at $25. Perhaps an inexpensive mat and strap would be something good to add at the Elecraft order page? An idea anyway. Damage occurs because of potential differences. If the J310 is charged to 300V and you're at 0V because you're grounded, when you pick the part up, the discharge happens anyway. It doesn't matter if you're high and the part is grounded or vice versa. But the thing to remember is that you don't have to feel or see a spark to do damage. Some solid state parts can be damaged at less than 50V. The damage is cumulative. Many small "hits" can kill a part in stages. And it can be latent, too -- the part may fail much later, or die in weird ways, causing troubleshooting headaches. Motion is what causes static, generally -- walking, getting up from a chair, ruffling sheets of paper, pulling tape off a roll, etc. Ground straps should have a 1 Megohm resistor in the cord. This allows you to be safe - you're not tied directly to ground in case you touch some voltage, and the 1M bleeds off static discharge slowly. I've seen ESD films where they charge someone up to a controlled voltage and then have him touch a FET. The FET is in circuit and attached to a curve tracer oscilloscope. You can actually see the "knee" get worse and worse with each hit. They also showed electron microscope shots of damaged parts -- the static discharge just blasts through the fragile silicon. The good news is, manufacturers DO design parts to minimize ESD risks if possible. The fact that thousands of Elecraft rigs are working fine says things are PROBABLY not a huge risk with the home builder. My recommendation would be to get a strap, and get a mat if you can. They only work if they are grounded... Keep styrofoam cups and as much paper as possible away from the transistors/FETs/ICs. When I open a kit I stick any loose transistors into the black conductive foam. It helps with inventory, too. Don't wear static-generating sweaters, etc. Handle circuit boards by the edges. If you've bought cards for your PC, save the silver anti-static bags and put your boards-in-progress inside and fold over the opening when cleaning up for the day. Anyway, there are some tips. I generally try to be careful at home, because the stockroom is not close by. :-) Andy ++++++++++++++++++ From: "Don Brown" To: "Wallace, Andy" , , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] potential of static damage Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 07:12:17 -0600 Hi Although static is not usually a problem in my lab/shack because of the concrete floor and high humidity in East Texas I am still careful about handling electronic parts. One handy way I deal with it is I have mounted a aluminum yard stick to the front edge of my work bench and connected it to ground through a 1 meg resistor. This makes it easy to touch a ground before handling any sensitive parts. The yard stick is also useful for measuring wire for toroids. A wrist strap and mat is still the best but this was worked for me. Don Brown KD5NDB +++++++++++++++++++ From: "Lou Roux" To: "David A. Belsley" , "Richard Stasiak" , Subject: Re: [Elecraft] PLL temp comp mod Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 16:26:06 -0700 It's also available from the JAMECO catalog, their part # 19254. Cost $26.95 and worth every penny, I've been using one for years and love it. Lou - W6UR ----- Original Message ----- From: "David A. Belsley" To: "Richard Stasiak" ; Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2003 3:47 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] PLL temp comp mod > Richard: > The GC Solder Popper (model 12-2157) is a desoldering tool that is a > soldering iron with a hollow tip. You cock the pump, set the iron on the > pad, let it heat up, and pop the button (all with one hand and in one > operation). Thwack, the solder is gone. Most of the time, the lead is > able simply to be pulled out. If the lead is leaning against the edge of > the hole, there may be a very small amount of solder still holding it to > the edge of the hole, but slight counter pressure with your regular iron > will free it. It costs between $29-35. And, while I am sure the > highly-tauted Hakko is a better unit, for the cost difference, I can't see > the need unless, perhaps, you are a professional something-or-other. I got > mine a couple of years ago from Action Electronics via the web, and have > used it very successfully in dozens of operations. It really works, and > the price makes it a great addition to most ham benches. > > best wishes, > > dave belsley, w1euy ++++++++++++++++ Date: Fri, 09 May 2003 08:05:56 -0700 From: Phil Wheeler Organization: Outstanding To: Harry Yingst Cc: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Help for old eyes - Tool Harry Yingst wrote: >I found a nice item for those of us with old eyes it's called >"MagEyes". > > The have a website > http://www.mageyes.com/ One of the local dealers is "Happy Hookers" (?) Looks like they work fine with eyeglasses. Thanks for the heads-up, Harry. 73, Phil ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2003 15:55:34 -0500 To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net From: Tom Hammond Subject: [Elecraft] Hand Punch - Handy as a pocket in a shirt! Folks: If you're a builder. Particular if you're a 'from scratch' builder, here's a device which I've found invaluable... too bad I had to wait about 40 years to find it! Harbor Freight offers a hand punch (sheet metal, PC board, plastics, leather, etc.) which includes dies & punch sets in the following sizes: 3/32", 1/8", 5/32", 3/16", 7/32", 1/4", and 9/32" This punch has a LOT of power behind it, esp. if YOU have a decent grip. I've found this punch to be great for making holes in thin metals where a standard drill bit might catch and tear the material, or in plastic where the bit will heat up and melt the surrounding plastic. It's also great for making precision-placed holes in PC board and front panels. The Harbor Freight web site shows this device at: www.harborfreight.com Then do a search for Item Number 44060. The web site (as of 06/03/03) currently states that this device "Includes 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 4.5mm, 5.5mm, 6mm and 7mm punch and dies, and a handy storage case", but THIS IS IN ERROR. It really does include the SAE diameter punches listed above. I have spoken with Harbor Freight today and they will try to get the advertisement corrected to properly reflect the SAE measurements. And no, they do NOT currently offer a metric equivalent, unfortunately. If you buy the punch off their web site, it's currently going for $16.99 plus shipping & handling. However, if you get their catalogs, you will often find it discounted to as low as $12 with free shipping (be patient, it does show up in their catalogs this way at times). One suggestion if you do purchase one of these punches... in order to change dies, there is a Allen-type cap screw which must be removed to allow you to remove the die. This screw tends to lock rather tightly once it's been replaced and 'snugged down'. I've found that if I added a small O-ring, just the size of the O.D. of the cap screw itself, between the head of the screw and the body of the punch, I can now tighten the cap screw finger-tight and it will remain tight until I want to remove it, again with my fingers, rather than with an Allen wrench. Makes die changing a lot easier. 73 to all, Tom Hammond N0SS +++++++++++++++++ From: "Sandy W5TVW" To: , "Tom Hammond" Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Hand Punch - Handy as a pocket in a shirt! Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 18:30:30 -0500 This looks like nothing but a "Chinese copy" of the old #5 Whitney-Roper punch. I bought one years ago (the original one) and never regretted it! Extremely handy for punching VERY clean holes in metal or PC board laminate. 73, Sandy W5TVW ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Hammond" To: Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2003 3:55 PM Subject: [Elecraft] Hand Punch - Handy as a pocket in a shirt! ++++++++++++++++++ Date: Wed, 04 Jun 2003 08:14:22 -0500 To: "Rick Commo" , From: Tom Hammond Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Hand Punch - Handy as a pocket in a shirt! Hi Rick: >Have you investigated replacement dies for the thing? Working with >fiberglass tends to be hellacious on any kind of metal. Not long after I received my first punch (couple years ago), I managed to use the 1/8" PUNCH with the 3/32" DIE...! Of course, I then wound up with one 1/8" punch, but TWO 1/8" dies... and no 3/32" die. I called Harbor Freight to see about replacement parts. It took them a while (month or so), but they did come up with a replacement die! I agree that fiberglass can do more damage to steel much faster than just about any other material, but I must say that I've experienced no significant wear or tear on my punch bue to its use on PC boards. In my experience, it's the HEATing of friction of a drill bit on the fiberglass which really causes the most obvious wear. That's why I long ago switched from high-speed steel #60 bits to solid carbide #60 bits. It's the difference of 10 holes/bit to well over 100 holes/bit. 73, Tom N0SS +++++++++++++++++ Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 22:30:17 -0700 From: Joe P Reply-To: jplan at jeffnet.org Organization: Spamco Swill 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. > [snip] > > 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! For those who already wear glasses but still need some magnification, I can recommend the Magni-Spec clip on magnifiers that Action Electronics sells. I got a set of the 2x power (model #914) and they're just about perfect for sorting capacitors and PCB assembly. I wear progressive lenses and can adjust the Magni-Specs to get the magnified view in the upper center of my regular glasses (usually the distance area) and still have the lower center area clear for reading the manual. Kind of like upside-down bifocals. It's easy to switch between reading the manual and soldering components with just a tilt of my head. 73 Joe KB8AP ++++++++++++++++