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K2 parts to have 'on hand' ?

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Brian Pepperdine

K2 parts to have 'on hand' ?

I saw a message on 'another list' the other day which was a reply to someone who was thinking about getting a K2 kit while they could. The reply said... "inferior parts.. get spare variable resistors etc." ---- I am assuming he means potentiometers...
Anyhow, I'd not seen or heard much about this 'you gotta replace this stuff in a year' kind of view.
Since I DO have a couple K2 rigs... would I be advised to get a few critical parts to take them into the next decade or two? They probably have more than a decade on them already.
I must admit that in the VERY early days I asked Eric how long we might expect the microprocessors to last? Meh, never been an issue nor has anything else in them, for me at least, luckily perhaps. Or the norm....

I realise nothing 'lasts forever' but since almost every thing I have is getting on... and some are pushing MY age from late 50's and early 60's circa some things can last a long time.
In any case, any wisdom on what to get on the shelf and have at hand while it is possible?... or don't worry and if the time comes just say a fond farewell? Or will I not care if and when a K4 finally landed here sometime (not thinking about that....yet).

Having Winter fun on CW here...hope you are too.
Brian VE3VAW

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ke9uw

Re: K2 parts to have 'on hand' ?

I’ve never failed to resurrect a HealthKit potentiometer with a tiny squirt of Caig DeOxit D5. I’ve not had trouble with my K2.
The parts you stock, will not be the parts that fail...some kind of natural law.

Chuck Jack Hawley
KE9UW

Sent from my iPhone, cjack

> On Jan 4, 2020, at 2:25 PM, Brian <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> I saw a message on 'another list' the other day which was a reply to someone who was thinking about getting a K2 kit while they could. The reply said... "inferior parts.. get spare variable resistors etc." ---- I am assuming he means potentiometers...
> Anyhow, I'd not seen or heard much about this 'you gotta replace this stuff in a year' kind of view.
> Since I DO have a couple K2 rigs... would I be advised to get a few critical parts to take them into the next decade or two? They probably have more than a decade on them already.
> I must admit that in the VERY early days I asked Eric how long we might expect the microprocessors to last? Meh, never been an issue nor has anything else in them, for me at least, luckily perhaps. Or the norm....
>
> I realise nothing 'lasts forever' but since almost every thing I have is getting on... and some are pushing MY age from late 50's and early 60's circa some things can last a long time.
> In any case, any wisdom on what to get on the shelf and have at hand while it is possible?... or don't worry and if the time comes just say a fond farewell? Or will I not care if and when a K4 finally landed here sometime (not thinking about that....yet).
>
> Having Winter fun on CW here...hope you are too.
> Brian VE3VAW
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
> Message delivered to [hidden email]

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Chuck, KE9UW

k6dgw

Re: K2 parts to have 'on hand' ?

In reply to this post by Brian Pepperdine

My K2 is 10+ years old and only one part has failed: One of the main
CPU chips failed very early [infant mortality?]. The front headphone
jack is finally showing signs of possible problems. That's it. Law of
Quantum Predestination -- "Buying a spare before the original fails
automatically guarantees that the original will never fail." Something
about a dead-ish/live-ish cat in a box or something like that

73,
Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 1/4/2020 12:25 PM, Brian wrote:

> I saw a message on 'another list' the other day which was a reply to someone who was thinking about getting a K2 kit while they could. The reply said... "inferior parts.. get spare variable resistors etc." ---- I am assuming he means potentiometers...
> Anyhow, I'd not seen or heard much about this 'you gotta replace this stuff in a year' kind of view.
> Since I DO have a couple K2 rigs... would I be advised to get a few critical parts to take them into the next decade or two? They probably have more than a decade on them already.
> I must admit that in the VERY early days I asked Eric how long we might expect the microprocessors to last? Meh, never been an issue nor has anything else in them, for me at least, luckily perhaps. Or the norm....
>
> I realise nothing 'lasts forever' but since almost every thing I have is getting on... and some are pushing MY age from late 50's and early 60's circa some things can last a long time.
> In any case, any wisdom on what to get on the shelf and have at hand while it is possible?... or don't worry and if the time comes just say a fond farewell? Or will I not care if and when a K4 finally landed here sometime (not thinking about that....yet).
>
> Having Winter fun on CW here...hope you are too.
> Brian VE3VAW
>

Don Wilhelm

Re: K2 parts to have 'on hand' ?

In reply to this post by Brian Pepperdine

Brian,

I believe I can speak with authority having repaired over 1000 K2s in
the last 15 years.

The one item that fails frequently in the K2 is the headphone jack, so I
would advise having a spare on hand.

Maybe a set of K2 PA transistors (for the base K2, not the KPA100). If
the diodes in the KPA100 or KAT2 are hit by static and the power control
goes to maximum, the base K2 PA transistors will fail if that condition
is not recognized and operation is not stopped until the condition is
corrected.

If the K2 is old, yes the AF Gain and other potentiometers can become
'scratchy', and since they are sealed, there is no other cure but
replacement. If the K2 serial number is less than 3000, make sure the
Alternate AF Gain Wiring Mod has been installed (and replace the AF Gain
pot at the same time).

A few 1N5711 diodes can be handy especially if you are not diligent
about disconnecting the antenna when not in use and static from the
antenna feedline takes out the diodes in the wattmeter (KPA100, KAT2 or
KAT100). For those who do disconnect the feedline(s), be certain to
short between the feedline center conductor and the shell to discharge
any accumulated static charge before connecting it to the K2 ANT connector.

Other than that list, I can't think of any K2 part that fails
frequently. As Murphy says, if you have the part on hand, it will not
fail! Other failures involving ICs and transistors are not common.
However, if you have an older KPA100 (with red toroid cores at L15 and
L16), I advise you to install the KPA100UPKT mod and also the shield kit
KPA100SHLDKT.

If you do not have the current K2 firmware 2.04 MCU 1.09 IOC, you might
want to upgrade it and save the old firmware ICs in case of a
catastrophe, but that is not a frequent failure either. Serial numbers
below 3000 do require wiring changes for the sidetone source when
upgrading to the 2.04 MCU firmware. If the KIO2 or the KPA100 has been
installed, those wiring changes have already been installed.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 1/4/2020 3:25 PM, Brian wrote: