Heathkit Returns!
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I like many who started ham radio in the 1950's have owned and built
heathkits: first was a DX-35 which I ran as a Novice (rocks, of course), then a Sixer, then a DX-100 (only for its PS and AM modulator for my Johnson 6N2), and final one was the 6m SB-110 (nice rig). I don't see from the website the same company as then. They are into educational packages with kits. I actually visited Heath about 1966 when I lived in Michigan. Got a tour of their plant. Even then they were changing. Now I am building my own stuff so am beyond most kits. The K3 was a really a non-kit as little soldering to do (one cable, I think). I am building a 300w HF PA kit and 100w 432 PA kit from CCI but they are pc boards with thru hole components (mostly). I have built many Downeast Microwave kits which are surface-mount components. I have a couple yet to do for 222 and 3456 MHz. I haven't done any TAPR kits but may someday. Surface-mount technology has taken kit building out most hams hands, as considered too hard to do. I am blessed with steady hands and near sightedness (but I use a lighted magnifier). I am lucky to have several years of component level repair on sm technology in my career. Yet I am aware that my steady hands may not last into my 70's so I am getting as much done, now. 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 50-1.1kw?, 144-1.4kw, 432-100w, 1296-60w, 3400-? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep [hidden email] ====================================== ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 12:34 PM, Edward R. Cole <[hidden email]> wrote:
> ... Surface-mount technology has taken kit building out > most hams hands... ============= I understand why Ed says this, but really SMT is not so scary. Many thousands of Softrock kits have been sold, and they are still selling at the rate of over 1000 per year. I built one, and it was lots of fun and not hard. I started with many trepidations, but the info on the Softrock sites told me everything I needed to know, and it worked the first time. The instructions by Robby WB5RVZ are outstanding and include all the advice you need to tool up and get ready. The standard setup includes a cookie sheet for building, some magnifiers, the right kind of solder and flux, the right soldering station and tip, and miscellaneous tweezers etc. There are videos illustrating the tricks that are very helpful. (The cookie sheet is perfect for building, but don't use it when you apply power to test! There were many draconian warnings about this on this reflector earlier) Hundreds of hams have followed the instructions and ended up with excellent SDR receivers or transceivers. Getting the software going is usually the main source of problems. If you're patient and have a little experience with building, SMT devices shouldn't keep you from enjoying constructing your own gear. 73, Tony KT0NY -- http://www.isb.edu/faculty/facultydir.aspx?ddlFaculty=352 ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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I disagree that Surface Mount Technology has taken kit building out of
the hands of most hams. Yes, it is not a task for the sloppy builder, or for those who do not have good hand and small muscle control - you must hold those small parts in the proper place while soldering, but kits designed with 1206 or even 0802 size components are not a major undertaking. Surface Mount is easier and faster to assemble than through-hole components -there are no leads to clip, and all the soldering is on one side of the board (at any one time). Yes, care must be exercised - holding the component too tightly in tweezers can launch it into remote corners where only the vacuum cleaner can find it, so a gentle touch is required. For those who cannot place the parts precisely, the solder paste and "toaster oven" techniques will work just fine, when heated to the proper temperature, the parts simply float into position. It is a wonder to see the results. OK, with the "aging of ham radio", there may be some problems, but that is an individual problem. I am 71 1/2 years old and currently have no problem with SMD construction, but that may change as the years go by, but if I am still able to put through-hole components in the correct location, I should be able to deal equally well with Surface Mount devices. Give it a try, it is not difficult at all, just different than thru-hole construction. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/9/2011 8:25 PM, Tony Estep wrote: > On Fri, Sep 9, 2011 at 12:34 PM, Edward R. Cole<[hidden email]> wrote: > >> ... Surface-mount technology has taken kit building out >> most hams hands... > ============= > I understand why Ed says this, but really SMT is not so scary. Many > thousands of Softrock kits have been sold, and they are still selling at the > rate of over 1000 per year. I built one, and it was lots of fun and not > hard. I started with many trepidations, but the info on the Softrock sites > told me everything I needed to know, and it worked the first time. > Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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Actually, I will celebrate my 32nd birthday next February. Since "Life
begins at 40", I decided to start counting from there. :-) 73, Don W3FPR On 9/9/2011 10:57 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > I concur with Don. Although my "advertised" age is 36-1/2, that's derived by > counting only birthdays on even numbered years, Hi! > > I use good lighting, an Optovisor magnifier and organize my work area as if > I'm going to disassemble a wrist-watch. > > Also my work area is set up so that my arms rest comfortably on the table > top. Only my wrists and fingers move. Sometimes I rest the side of my hand > on the table so I move ONLY my fingers. (I do not use vises that hold the pc > board up in the air. The board lies flat on the ESD pad.) > > I simply refuse to let the demon win who decreed that as I get older the > parts I work with must get smaller. > > 73 (& for the math challenged, that's my real age too), > > Ron AC7AC > > > ----Original Message----- > > I disagree that Surface Mount Technology has taken kit building out of > the hands of most hams. Yes, it is not a task for the sloppy builder, > or for those who do not have good hand and small muscle control - you > must hold those small parts in the proper place while soldering, but > kits designed with 1206 or even 0802 size components are not a major > undertaking. Surface Mount is easier and faster to assemble than > through-hole components -there are no leads to clip, and all the > soldering is on one side of the board (at any one time). Yes, care must > be exercised - holding the component too tightly in tweezers can launch > it into remote corners where only the vacuum cleaner can find it, so a > gentle touch is required. > > For those who cannot place the parts precisely, the solder paste and > "toaster oven" techniques will work just fine, when heated to the proper > temperature, the parts simply float into position. It is a wonder to > see the results. > > OK, with the "aging of ham radio", there may be some problems, but that > is an individual problem. I am 71 1/2 years old and currently have no > problem with SMD construction, but that may change as the years go by, > but if I am still able to put through-hole components in the correct > location, I should be able to deal equally well with Surface Mount > devices. Give it a try, it is not difficult at all, just different than > thru-hole construction. > > 73, > Don W3FPR > > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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Don, you old f**t, I'm 32 already, 10 months older than thee.
Regarding surface mounts, I have used Scotch tape to pick up and place parts. It holds nicely while tack soldering and is easy to reposition. I also like to "flood with solder and wick the excess", it's risky, but usually works fine. I built the daughter card for PIC-L III, which has a 24-pin SMT IC, this way. Flux is important, as several have noted. It can hold the part temporarily, too. Monty K2DLJ On Sep 10, 2011, at 12:32 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > Actually, I will celebrate my 32nd birthday next February. Since "Life > begins at 40", I decided to start counting from there. :-) > > 73, > Don W3FPR ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Edward R Cole
OK! OK! I should have phrased it that nearly no hams build anything,
anymore (one out of a hundred hams), and most hams are scared of trying to do SMT (if they even know the term). Oh yes, hams build antennas (those things out of wire) and connect radios to other accessories and plug'em in (and ask on reflectors if the red goes to red or if it goes to black). Sorry, but ham radio in 1950's was way different from what the "norm" is today. Half the hams I run into can't program their HT. So SMT did not take it from hams - the hams took HB out of ham radio. And it is understandable since the majority are not electronic technolgist and have not had years to develop skills or keep up with the ins/outs of SMT. I get that the Elecraft "crowd" is a group that stands apart from the "masses" (all you K2 builders). The only kit I built that was close was the SB-110. BTW all the comments on Heathkit stuff reminded me of several other items I bought from them...I only have left the "Tunnel Dipper" (used a tunnel-diode oscillator). It shows some corrosion and I haven't used it in decades. I agree with the singular good thing they accomplished was establishing good procedures for building (start by reading, count and inventory, don't jump ahead, check-check-check again). Twelve years after becoming a ham building Heathkits, I was writing maint. manuals on the weapon systems in the F-14. I'm sure that early imprinting of good procedures helped. The fact that I actually knew what the component looked like and did, was a leg up on my fellow college mates that had only seen math on a chalkboard. Working as an engineering tech for 2-1/2 years before becoming an engineer, also gave me great insight into "realities"! Later, I worked another 25-years as a tech., enjoying it more than pushing paper as an "engineer". 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 50-1.1kw?, 144-1.4kw, 432-100w, 1296-60w, 3400-? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep [hidden email] ====================================== ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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When my dad got out of school after the war engineers were required to
work on the factory floor until they got a promotion. Then a while at foreman until the other engineers thought their training period was up. My father was a metallurgical engineer (MetE 49) who graduated from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on the GI Bill. He always told me his time on the foundry floor trained him more as an engineer than did all his class room experience. The theory was great but without the practical aspects of working with materials it was hard to put into practice. My father was a green sand molding expert and later worked developing plasma coating tools, foamed metals, and a variety of non-ferrous alloys. 73, Kevin. KD5ONS On Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:08:16 -0700, Edward R. Cole <[hidden email]> wrote: ... > > I agree with the singular good thing they accomplished was > establishing good procedures for building (start by reading, count > and inventory, don't jump ahead, check-check-check again). Twelve > years after becoming a ham building Heathkits, I was writing maint. > manuals on the weapon systems in the F-14. I'm sure that early > imprinting of good procedures helped. The fact that I actually knew > what the component looked like and did, was a leg up on my fellow > college mates that had only seen math on a chalkboard. Working as an > engineering tech for 2-1/2 years before becoming an engineer, also > gave me great insight into "realities"! Later, I worked another > 25-years as a tech., enjoying it more than pushing paper as an > "engineer". > > > 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 > ====================================== > BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com > EME: 50-1.1kw?, 144-1.4kw, 432-100w, 1296-60w, 3400-? > DUBUS Magazine USA Rep [hidden email] > ====================================== Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Edward R Cole
Ed,
I beg to differ on one point >> So SMT did not take it from hams - >> the hams took HB out of hamradio. In my opinion, what took the 'HB' out of Ham radio was the decline in descrete parts that you could see and handle. I think that the electronics industries ubiquitous use of SMTs, LSI's, GPA's etc. caused the decline in demand in manufacturing of the more expensive and labor intensive items like tubes, variable caps, resistors. etc. Add PCB's and flow soldering to the equation and it became no longer cost-effective to manufacture parts for a relatively small private(?) market. 73 de -- Dave G KK7SS Richland, WA '59 Morris Minor 1000 - working on it.. '65 Sprite - running with a bad valve guide :( '76 Midget - co-owned with #4 Son :) '06 Honda Civic Hybrid ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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Dave,
You may not be able to buy much at the local Radio Shack, and there may not be any other local source for the components, but that doesn't mean that you and I cannot buy the parts needed to home-brew ham radio gear; even the PC Boards can be designed by a ham that's willing to take the time to learn how to design one, and have the boards made by a company that has the equipment to do it. Matthew Pitts N8OHU Sent from my Wireless Device -----Original Message----- From: Dave KK7SS <[hidden email]> Sender: [hidden email] Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:15:41 To: elecraft_mailman.qth.net<[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Heathkit Returns! Ed, I beg to differ on one point >> So SMT did not take it from hams - >> the hams took HB out of hamradio. In my opinion, what took the 'HB' out of Ham radio was the decline in descrete parts that you could see and handle. I think that the electronics industries ubiquitous use of SMTs, LSI's, GPA's etc. caused the decline in demand in manufacturing of the more expensive and labor intensive items like tubes, variable caps, resistors. etc. Add PCB's and flow soldering to the equation and it became no longer cost-effective to manufacture parts for a relatively small private(?) market. 73 de -- Dave G KK7SS Richland, WA '59 Morris Minor 1000 - working on it.. '65 Sprite - running with a bad valve guide :( '76 Midget - co-owned with #4 Son :) '06 Honda Civic Hybrid ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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> I think the electronics industry's ubiquitous use of SMTs, LSI's,
> GPA's etc. caused the decline in demand in manufacturing of the more > expensive and labor intensive items like tubes, variable caps, > resistors. etc. The demand for leaded parts may be lower, but don't count them out. We can still purchase all of the parts for our "full" kits without any trouble. That's hundreds of different leaded parts from dozens of vendors. (Our full kits include the K1, K2, KX1, transverters, and nearly all of our mini-modules and accessories.) Take through-hole ICs, for example: Digikey shows about 400 different 8-pin DIP dual op-amps in stock from 17 different manufacturers. They stock over 700 types of DIP-package Microchip PIC parts. The SA612AN 8- pin DIP oscillator/mixer found in many ham designs is carried by at least half a dozen vendors, with thousands in stock. "Interesting" I/O chips like the TI TPIC6595N 8-bit shift register/ peripheral driver are still widely available in DIP packages -- I counted 9 vendors for this part. Or how about a leaded, 10-K, 1/4-watt, 5% resistor? Digikey has well over 2 million in stock from three manufacturers. Finally, consider transistors. I found 21 stocking vendors for new 2N2222's, and there must be tens of millions of them available surplus. Digikey alone stocks 10 different kinds of TO-92 JFETs. Home brew with full-size parts lives on! 73, Wayne N6KR ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Dave KK7SS
Dave,
Most parts to do "leaded component" HB are easily available, just look at Mouser or Digikey, or Newark or Allied, or many other major distributors. It is rare not to find what is needed. If you are working from an older parts list, you may encounter some difficulty in that the stated part numbers are not available - mostly because of the switch to ROHS compliance a few years ago. Many distributors changed their part numbers to be able to distinguish between the new RoHS compliant parts and the older non-compliant equivalents. You don't even need an etched PC board to do HB - just a piece of single or double sided PC board material will provide the platform for either Wes Hayward's (W7ZOI) 'Ugly construction' or Manhatten construction techniques - a good solid ground plane is produced with both these methods, so they are ideal for RF work, DIP or SMD ICs can be used, mounted either 'dead-bug' style (glued upside down on the board), or you can purchase "carrier boards" for these from QRPme, or make your own carrier boards from small pieces of PC board with a series of cuts with spacing to match the leads of the device. The nice thing about either ugly construction or Manhatten construction is that it lends itself to making changes in the design easily, so a lot of experimenting can be done at very low cost. Also with Manhatten construction, you can do a mix of SMD and leaded passive components if desired. Since SMD capacitors usually have lower lead inductance than leaded equivalents, it is easier to produce a repeatable design at VHF and/or UHF with those construction methods. Yes, more and more available small kit boards are being made available for SMD components, but if you are doing "from scratch" homebrew, or following someone else's schematic and doing your own physical layout, you will find Manhatten construction can use your pick of either leaded or SMD components, you get to decide. HB is not dead, and does not need to use SMD components. 73, Don W3FPR On 9/11/2011 12:15 PM, Dave KK7SS wrote: > Ed, > > I beg to differ on one point > >>> So SMT did not take it from hams - >>> the hams took HB out of hamradio. > In my opinion, what took the 'HB' out of Ham radio was the decline in descrete parts that you could see and handle. > I think that the electronics industries ubiquitous use of SMTs, LSI's, GPA's etc. caused the decline in demand in manufacturing of the more expensive and labor intensive items like tubes, variable caps, resistors. etc. > > Add PCB's and flow soldering to the equation and it became no longer cost-effective to manufacture parts for a relatively small private(?) market. > > 73 de > > -- > Dave G KK7SS > Richland, WA > > '59 Morris Minor 1000 - working on it.. > '65 Sprite - running with a bad valve guide :( > '76 Midget - co-owned with #4 Son :) > '06 Honda Civic Hybrid > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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I would like to "second:" Don's comments about HB. Believe me, when I
say I come from the "old school" WRT HB, but just trying a single "Manhatten [sic] construction" using chads punched from .065" circuit board with a "nibbler" and mounted with superglue on a ground plane was more than enough to convince me that it is really worthwhile GIVING UP the old methods using tie points/strips, hole punches on a chassis, etc. Take a gander at http://www.k8iqy.com/qrprigs/sw30+/PC010006_640.jpg or simply google "Manhattan style electronic construction." One can regard Manhattan-style construction as an organized version of Ugly-style, or as a 3-D representation of an edited PC board, preliminary to a full etched-board production model. However one thinks about it, it deserves MUCH better recognition as a replacement for pre-1960's methods. In case the chads from a nibbler are too small, I use an old Dremel tool with a cut-off tool that EASILY makes islands on larger pieces of circuit board. It is worth mentioning that there are several FREE programs available for PC-board design/editing, and that there are several CONUS companies that are willing to do small runs of PC boards for (what appear to me to be) reasonable cost, if one wants to go that far. With regard to Wayne's comments about "leaded components," the only down-side is that the shipping costs are likely to exceed the component costs, "if you're having only one." I have found that Newark and Allied are willing to ship in small quantity, as long as you can bear the shipping/handling costs. On the other hand, one should not overlook the fact that several outfits sell "grab bags" of goodies, akin to the old PolyPaks of floor sweepings.. To me, Manhattan style construction is psychedelic, and I am talking about HB, not smokin' boards..."mind-freeing." John Ragle -- W1ZI ===== On 9/11/2011 2:29 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > ...if you are doing "from scratch" homebrew, or following someone else's schematic and doing your own physical layout, you will find Manhatten construction can use your pick of either leaded or SMD components... ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by MontyS
On Sep 11, 2011, at 9:38 PM, John Parker wrote: > Monty, ditch the Scotch tape. It can generate large amounts of ESD when pulled > off the spool or during removal. I have worked with parts for space instruments > and have had the NASA ESD training a couple of times as well as some other ESD > training. I like Scotch products but the tape and modern electronics do not mix. > Glad to see you are doing surface mount though. I have not tackled this at home > yet. > > I would send this out to the reflector but I am using a browser based E-mail > that there is some trick to posting. Feel free to pass this on. > > 73, John WB4UHC > K3 #2165 > > > ----- Original Message ---- > From: Monty Shultes <[hidden email]> > To: [hidden email] > > Don, you old f**t, I'm 32 already, 10 months older than thee. > > Regarding surface mounts, I have used Scotch tape to pick up and place parts. > It holds nicely while tack soldering and is easy to reposition. I also like to > "flood with solder and wick the excess", it's risky, but usually works fine. I > built the daughter card for PIC-L III, which has a 24-pin SMT IC, this way. > > Flux is important, as several have noted. It can hold the part temporarily, > too. > > Monty K2DLJ > > On Sep 10, 2011, at 12:32 AM, Don Wilhelm wrote: > >> Actually, I will celebrate my 32nd birthday next February. Since "Life >> begins at 40", I decided to start counting from there. :-) >> >> 73, >> Don W3FPR ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Edward R Cole
This Heathkit thread has been very interesting to me as a
manufacturer of professional audio equipment that uses a lot of vacuum tube circuitry. When I did the first designs for our products 20 years ago, I had a Heathkit-style assembly procedure in mind. In fact, at one time, I made an assembly manual that copied the Heath format with the check-off boxes, solder or don't solder, etc. When I started out, I was building each unit myself, and as much as I enjoyed it, after a while I thought I was in "Heathkit-hell." Now I have six assemblers who do 95% of that work, and they do a better job of it than I could do. I rotate them through the nine products we make so they don't get burned out building the same thing all the time. Parts are readily available for this type of construction. DigiKey, Mouser, and Newark are all on our suppliers list for those components we do not buy in sufficient quantity to purchase directly from the manufacturer. Prices can be high, and for us a major challenge is finding replacements for parts that are become unavailable. But the parts you need to build almost anything are out there if you're willing to do a little searching. Although all our products use vacuum tubes in the audio path, we also use a lot of solid-state components in peripheral circuitry. For example, we build an audio compression amplifier that uses a pulse-width modulator as the level control element (with a FET switch). It always makes me smile to see a printed circuit board with SMT parts on it just an inch from a point-to-point tube socket. We hand-solder all those SMT parts. Take a look at the products we make and you will see how I was influenced by the equipment I loved from the 1950s. www.dwfearn.com 73, Doug K3KW The demand for leaded parts may be lower, but don't count them out. We can still purchase all of the parts for our "full" kits without any trouble. That's hundreds of different leaded parts from dozens of vendors. (Our full kits include the K1, K2, KX1, transverters, and nearly all of our mini-modules and accessories.) Take through-hole ICs, for example: Digikey shows about 400 different 8-pin DIP dual op-amps in stock from 17 different manufacturers. They stock over 700 types of DIP-package Microchip PIC parts. The SA612AN 8- pin DIP oscillator/mixer found in many ham designs is carried by at least half a dozen vendors, with thousands in stock. "Interesting" I/O chips like the TI TPIC6595N 8-bit shift register/ peripheral driver are still widely available in DIP packages -- I counted 9 vendors for this part. Or how about a leaded, 10-K, 1/4-watt, 5% resistor? Digikey has well over 2 million in stock from three manufacturers. Finally, consider transistors. I found 21 stocking vendors for new 2N2222's, and there must be tens of millions of them available surplus. Digikey alone stocks 10 different kinds of TO-92 JFETs. Home brew with full-size parts lives on! 73, Wayne N6KR ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by MontyS
I read some time ago that pulling the tape off the roll also generates
soft X-rays [?]. Pull off a whole roll and glow in the dark? 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2011 Cal QSO Party 1-2 Oct 2011 - www.cqp.org On 9/12/2011 3:33 AM, Monty Shultes wrote: >> Monty, ditch the Scotch tape. It can generate large amounts of ESD when pulled >> off the spool or during removal. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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In reply to this post by Edward R Cole
I do not even need to reply. Mathew, Wayne, Don have done so eloquently.
I think there might have been a point when components were difficult to acquire but not today. There are many specialty houses to make custom pcb's (I use ExpressPCB). But most of my "one-of" boards are RS project boards (similar to vector board) with spacing for thru-hole mounting. I find I can also use 1206 and 805 sized chips on that board. Mouser, Digikey, Nebraska (surplus) Sales, RF Parts, etc. And my Anchorage-based supplier Frigid-North Co. The biggest issue is having patience for the mail or UPS to bring the components. Not being able to run to the store requires a bit more fore-planning. I also have tried to accumulate common parts like a resistor and capacitor for a personal inventory. I picked up a APC chip cap demo box off one of the prize tables at a VHF conference. Analog Devices offers free samples of almost everything they make. I've gotten samples of two of a lot of AD stuff. Other companies do that too. So I maintain it is hams who have abandoned HB (for whatever reason). There is a healthy HB community in the QRP, mw and eme worlds. TAPR bunch too. The common perception is "I can't do that". Well, you do not know until you try. Building stuff is the real joy of ham radio for me. 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 50-1.1kw?, 144-1.4kw, 432-100w, 1296-60w, 3400-? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep [hidden email] ====================================== ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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