K2 Front Panel assembly question

[R Thompson]

    While assembling my new K2, I've lost some of the LED backlight
spacers that are broken off of the Spacer Set PC board.  Ref. Figure 5-1
on page 23 of the assembly manual.

    I don't see where the LED backlight spacers are used, are they?  If
so I should order a replacement.

        Ron VE8RT

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[Mike K8CN]

Hi Ron,

Check Figure 5-9 on page 27 of the rev. H manual - the spacers are used only temporarily to set the height of the backlight assembly prior to soldering its pins in place.  I suppose any other means you might devise to keep the backlight 1/8 inch off the front panel board and parallel to it would be acceptable (presuming you can extract the spacer after the backlight pins are soldered :) ). Don, W3FPR may have a better suggestion.

73,
Mike, K8CN

[Don Wilhelm-4]

  Ron,

You need only some kind of spacers that are the thickness of 2 PC boards
stacked one upon the other.
While it is convenient to have the proper spacers that fit over the
leads of the backlight assembly, that is not necessary.  Find two pieces
the thickness of the PC board material used by Elecraft - the switch
spacing tool is one thickness - find something (anything, even popsicle
sticks or matchsticks!) that matches it.  Use that to hold the backlight
assembly above the front panel board while you solder the leads on one
end of the backlight assembly, then move the same stack to the other end
and solder those leads - job done, remove the spacing tool and proceed
with the assembly.

Do be careful to obtain the correct size for whatever spacing tool you
improvise.  If the backlight assembly is not spaced the correct distance
from the board, then the LCD will not fit correctly, and you may have
interference problems when you attach the front panel metalwork.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/16/2011 11:47 PM, R Thompson wrote:
>      While assembling my new K2, I've lost some of the LED backlight
> spacers that are broken off of the Spacer Set PC board.  Ref. Figure 5-1
> on page 23 of the assembly manual.
>
>      I don't see where the LED backlight spacers are used, are they?  If
> so I should order a replacement.
>
>          Ron VE8RT
>
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[W4CCS]

K3 5553 arrived about 24 hours ago.. Five hours last night and 3 today
and she is on the air..!!

What a joy to assemble the K3 and other Eklecraft equipment. Not a
single thing was missing (actually had extra hardware it the kit), every
test was successful and all calibration went without a hitch.

The is my second K3.. The first was factory assembled and I really
wanted to try building one. It was GREAT..

Thanks to all the team Elecraft for a wonderful product..

de W4CCS
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[Bill Johnson]

Preach it brother, 10 hours to rf. Super product. 5545 is on the air.
 
To quote another owner I am also learning to drive.  I loved it with the HRD interface.
 
Bill Johnson
K7BRR K3 #5545

From: W4CCS <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 4:32 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 - 5553 Is on the air..!!

K3 5553 arrived about 24 hours ago.. Five hours last night and 3 today
and she is on the air..!!

What a joy to assemble the K3 and other Eklecraft equipment. Not a
single thing was missing (actually had extra hardware it the kit), every
test was successful and all calibration went without a hitch.

The is my second K3.. The first was factory assembled and I really
wanted to try building one. It was GREAT..

Thanks to all the team Elecraft for a wonderful product..

de W4CCS
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[R Thompson]

Thanks,

    I spent almost 2 hours looking for the missing pieces, without
success.  There are several alternatives I can think of to use as
temporary spacers.  Fortunately this has been the only mishap during
assembly, and hopefully the last.

           Ron VE8RT

On Fri, 2011-06-17 at 15:26 -0700, Mike K8CN wrote:

> Hi Ron,
>
> Check Figure 5-9 on page 27 of the rev. H manual - the spacers are used only
> temporarily to set the height of the backlight assembly prior to soldering
> its pins in place.  I suppose any other means you might devise to keep the
> backlight 1/8 inch off the front panel board and parallel to it would be
> acceptable (presuming you can extract the spacer after the backlight pins
> are soldered :) ). Don, W3FPR may have a better suggestion.
>
> 73,
> Mike, K8CN
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K2-Front-Panel-assembly-question-tp6485680p6489056.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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[R Thompson]

Thanks Don,

     I installed the LCD last night and I used the remaining spacers
(that I hadn't lost) and stacked on top of one of them the spacer used
for the switches (so that the larger switch spacer would clear the cut
off leads.  It looks good to me, flat, level, and no visible gap, when
held up to a bright light, between the LED panel and the LCD panel.

     Ron VE8RT

On Fri, 2011-06-17 at 18:51 -0400, Don Wilhelm wrote:

> Ron,
>
> You need only some kind of spacers that are the thickness of 2 PC boards
> stacked one upon the other.
> While it is convenient to have the proper spacers that fit over the
> leads of the backlight assembly, that is not necessary.  Find two pieces
> the thickness of the PC board material used by Elecraft - the switch
> spacing tool is one thickness - find something (anything, even popsicle
> sticks or matchsticks!) that matches it.  Use that to hold the backlight
> assembly above the front panel board while you solder the leads on one
> end of the backlight assembly, then move the same stack to the other end
> and solder those leads - job done, remove the spacing tool and proceed
> with the assembly.
>
> Do be careful to obtain the correct size for whatever spacing tool you
> improvise.  If the backlight assembly is not spaced the correct distance
> from the board, then the LCD will not fit correctly, and you may have
> interference problems when you attach the front panel metalwork.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 6/16/2011 11:47 PM, R Thompson wrote:
> >      While assembling my new K2, I've lost some of the LED backlight
> > spacers that are broken off of the Spacer Set PC board.  Ref. Figure 5-1
> > on page 23 of the assembly manual.
> >
> >      I don't see where the LED backlight spacers are used, are they?  If
> > so I should order a replacement.
> >
> >          Ron VE8RT
> >

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[Bruce McLaughlin-2]

Well, congratulations.  If you already owned a K3 I assume the new radio
provided very few surprises.  I also own two K3s but I am embarrassed to
admit that both were factory assembled.  I don't know why since I managed to
build a K2/100 with most of the accessories without any problem.  I am even
more embarrassed to admit that I haven't even peeked under the hood of
either radio and I really should do that.  I have heard a rumor that they
are driven by hamsters pedaling madly on wheels but I guess I can only
dispel that by looking inside.  Who knows.  If I do that I may find that
feeding them will even increase the performance further.  Perhaps we will
meet one day on the air but after this message I suspect if you hear my call
sign you will probably just change bands!

Bruce-W8FU

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of William C. Johnson
Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2011 12:09 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 - 5553 Is on the air..!!


Preach it brother, 10 hours to rf. Super product. 5545 is on the air.
 
To quote another owner I am also learning to drive.  I loved it with the HRD
interface.
 
Bill Johnson
K7BRR K3 #5545

From: W4CCS <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 4:32 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] K3 - 5553 Is on the air..!!

K3 5553 arrived about 24 hours ago.. Five hours last night and 3 today
and she is on the air..!!

What a joy to assemble the K3 and other Eklecraft equipment. Not a
single thing was missing (actually had extra hardware it the kit), every
test was successful and all calibration went without a hitch.

The is my second K3.. The first was factory assembled and I really
wanted to try building one. It was GREAT..

Thanks to all the team Elecraft for a wonderful product..

de W4CCS
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