KX1 s/n 1287 now a four-bander

[ni0c]

Just completed the KXB3080 modification today and made my first 80m QSO with HI3/OK2ZU (Dominican Republic), running about three watts to a Butternut HF-2V antenna.  

Like Spence, W7CSW (who reported on his March 7), I was pleased to participate as a field tester for this very worthwhile modification to the KX1.  The instructions are very detailed and clear, with good illustrations to guide you through the carefully planned steps.

I'm very happy to have my favorite band (80 meters) now available in my QRP rig!

73,
Chuck  NI0C
KX1 s/n 1287
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[Martin Gillen-2]

Hi, Chuck.

I'm just curious - did you have the 30m option already installed, and was
it easy to unsolder it?  If so, did you use solder braid or a plunge vacuum
desoldering tool?  How did that go?

Thanks,
Martin.
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[ni0c]

Martin Gillen wrote: "I'm just curious - did you have the 30m option already installed, and was
it easy to unsolder it?  If so, did you use solder braid or a plunge vacuum
desoldering tool?  How did that go?"

Although I purchased a 30m kit at the time I got the KX1 and KXAT1, I never did get around to installing it.  However, if you are concerned about desoldering, you should know that the new 80 & 30 meter kit does require desoldering a few components from the KX1 board, in addition to removing the existing 30m kit.  (Only one of the removed parts gets re-used and in this case Elecraft supplies a spare in case you destroy it).  The desoldering is not difficult, but does require some care.  Elecraft recommends using a good vacuum desoldering tool.  I got by using some very small (0.1" wide) solder wick; however this is risky.

73,

Chuck  NI0C
KX1 s/n 1287
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[David Toepfer]

I have not done this yet (though I plan to), but I'll take this time to suggest
the Hakko 808 desoldering gun (<http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2978>).  I
bought mine a year or two ago and OMG, it is wonderful.  I spent years when I
was younger fiddling with desoldering braids and ruining PC boards.  This thing
is just wonderful.  Money well spent.

David, K3TUE
.

--- Martin Gillen <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Hi, Chuck.
>
> I'm just curious - did you have the 30m option already installed, and was
> it easy to unsolder it?  If so, did you use solder braid or a plunge vacuum
> desoldering tool?  How did that go?
>
> Thanks,
> Martin.
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[Allan Bacon-2]

K2 with KBT2 installed.

If the battery switch is turned off, and 13.8 volts in plugged into the K2
will the radio come on if the on switch in pressed? Or another way of
asking, If I have the radio plugged in to external power and I turn the
batter switch off, does that turn off the K2.

With an old (4+ years) battery installed, and plugged into external power,
what would be the nominal reading off the K2's internal voltage meter? On my
radio #309, I only show about 12V, power supply is providing 13.8.

73,
KI4HRN
Al


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[wayne burdick]

Hi Allan,

On Mar 13, 2006, at 8:10 PM, Allan Bacon wrote:

> K2 with KBT2 installed.
>
> If the battery switch is turned off, and 13.8 volts in plugged into
> the K2
> will the radio come on if the on switch in pressed? Or another way of
> asking, If I have the radio plugged in to external power and I turn the
> batter switch off, does that turn off the K2.

The battery switch only disconnects the battery. It has no impact on
supplying power to the radio.


>
> With an old (4+ years) battery installed, and plugged into external
> power,
> what would be the nominal reading off the K2's internal voltage meter?
> On my
> radio #309, I only show about 12V, power supply is providing 13.8.

If the voltage on the K2's display reads 12 V even with the battery
switch OFF, then either the K2's voltage monitoring circuit is in
error, or your external DMM is.

If the voltage on the K2's display goes up to about 13.3 V or so with
the battery switch OFF, but is 12 V with the battery switch ON, the
battery is trying very hard to take a charge. If it gradually increases
to 13.3 V or so over about an hour, the battery may be OK. But if it
just sits at 12 V all the time, your battery may be unable to charge.
In this case it should be replaced.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


---

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[n2htt-2]

Having had several harrowing desoldering experiences over my kit building career, I read with interest the posts on the Hakko 808 - I'm on the verge of ordering one on the spot. But I have a question to anyone who has used one, especially if you've used to install your 3080 option:
Does the unit come with the right tip, or do you need to order an extra?
I've found a number of good internet sites to buy it, but none mention what tip if any it ships with.
Thanks
Mike N2HTT
KX1 s/n 99
K1 s/n 566
(and probably eventually a K2 .....B-)


----- Original Message -----
From: David Toepfer <[hidden email]>
Date: Monday, March 13, 2006 8:13 pm
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KX1 s/n 1287 now a four-bander

> I have not done this yet (though I plan to), but I'll take this
> time to suggest
> the Hakko 808 desoldering gun
> (<http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2978>).  
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[Don Brown-4]

Hi

I have the 808 and a older 706 Hakko. The 808 comes with 2 tips and they are
about the right size for most of the work I do. They should be fine for any
rework or option installing on a K2. I use my 808 quite a bit and the tips
last about 6 months to a year, so for occasional use the two tips that come
with the 808 should last a long time. I have not received my 8030 option yet
but I have not started the KX1 yet so I may not need the 808 for the 8030. I
have several repairs and calibrations to complete and two K2's to build
before I will get to the KX1

Don Brown
KD5NDB


----- Original Message -----
From: <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:42 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] Desoldering and installing the KX1 3080 option

> Having had several harrowing desoldering experiences over my kit building
> career, I read with interest the posts on the Hakko 808 - I'm on the verge
> of ordering one on the spot. But I have a question to anyone who has used
> one, especially if you've used to install your 3080 option:
> Does the unit come with the right tip, or do you need to order an extra?
> I've found a number of good internet sites to buy it, but none mention
> what tip if any it ships with.
> Thanks
> Mike N2HTT
> KX1 s/n 99
> K1 s/n 566
> (and probably eventually a K2 .....B-)

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[n2htt-2]

Ken,

Thanks for the advice, Kiesub looks to be the best price around, and they have free ground shipping too! It'll take a few days from Las Vegas to the east coast, but I'd rather spend the money on a few extra tips.

I just placed an order with them. Here's the URL again: http://shop.kiesub.com/Detail.bok?no=8

73,
Mike N2HTT


----- Original Message -----
From: Ken K3IU <[hidden email]>
Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:25 am
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Desoldering and installing the KX1 3080 option

> Hi Mike:
>
> I recently purchased the Hakko 808-KIT/P from Kiesub Electronics.
> This is
> the URL for the kit... http://shop.kiesub.com/Detail.bok?no=8. The
> basic KIT
> comes with a "Standard Nozzle" 1.0mm nozzle opening (A1005). I also
> purchased the A1007 nozzle which has a 1.6mm opening, and a A1394
> tip which
> has 1.0mm nozzle opening (same as standard) but is longer and
> thinner than
> the standard nozzle. It is good for getting down to tight spots on
> a crowded
> board like the KSB2. I haven't built a KX1 so I can't comment on the
> appropriateness of these to that use.
>
> The KIT comes in a small briefcase type container and has cleaning
> pins,spare filter pipe, spare ceramic filters, spare prefilters....
> All in all, a
> nice package.
>
> BTW... I found that Kiesub had the best price around. Usual
> disclaimers...<g>
>
> Oh... Here is URL for Tom Hammond's (N0SS) thoughts re the Hakko...
> http://www.ac6rm.net/mailarchive/html/elecraft-list/2002-
> 11/msg00747.html
> 73, Ken K3IU
>

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[David Toepfer]

My 808 came with one tip.

--- [hidden email] wrote:

> Having had several harrowing desoldering experiences over my kit building
> career, I read with interest the posts on the Hakko 808 - I'm on the verge of
> ordering one on the spot. But I have a question to anyone who has used one,
> especially if you've used to install your 3080 option:
> Does the unit come with the right tip, or do you need to order an extra?
> I've found a number of good internet sites to buy it, but none mention what
> tip if any it ships with.
> Thanks
> Mike N2HTT
> KX1 s/n 99
> K1 s/n 566
> (and probably eventually a K2 .....B-)
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: David Toepfer <[hidden email]>
> Date: Monday, March 13, 2006 8:13 pm
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] KX1 s/n 1287 now a four-bander
>
> > I have not done this yet (though I plan to), but I'll take this
> > time to suggest
> > the Hakko 808 desoldering gun
> > (<http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2978>).  
> _______________________________________________
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>
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>

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[Alexandra Carter]

>

In my experience, desoldering irons come with a tip, and the one they
come with fits at least 99% of the desoldering jobs you'll encounter -
of course you can order other ones for unusual jobs, but the one that
comes with it will be just about perfect. 73 de Alex NS6Y

> --- [hidden email] wrote:
>
>> Having had several harrowing desoldering experiences over my kit
>> building
>> career, I read with interest the posts on the Hakko 808 - I'm on the
>> verge of
>> ordering one on the spot. But I have a question to anyone who has
>> used one,
>> especially if you've used to install your 3080 option:
>> Does the unit come with the right tip, or do you need to order an
>> extra?
>> I've found a number of good internet sites to buy it, but none
>> mention what
>> tip if any it ships with.

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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

I wrote the KXB3080 manual for Elecraft as well as the original assembly
procedures for the KX1 itself. I'd like to make a couple of observations
about the tools recommended in the KXB3080 option manual and the upgrade
process.

Out of a desire for accuracy, while writing the procedures for a manual I
use the tools listed in the manual, and only those tools. If I have trouble
with them, I try to work out an easier build procedure or recommend
different tools. I try to imagine those tools in the hands of the average
builder. I get good input from the Field Testers as well. The procedures are
not significantly different from any board work. The KX1 is just a little
smaller and denser than most of the Elecraft kits, so you need to be a
little more careful and take your time.

In the case of the KXB3080, I did probably 2-1/2 KXB3080
installations/de-installations on poor ol' KX1 S/N 0004 while documenting
the procedures. After all that "abuse" those are photos of poor ol' 0004's
circuit boards in the KXB3080 manual. All of the soldering was done with a
Hakko 936 soldering station and all of the desoldering was done with aid of
a common spring-loaded pump desolderer as described in the recommended tools
list.

That was a spring-loaded desoldering pump, not a squeeze bulb or braid. I'm
not saying that one might not do the job with a bulb or braid, but Wayne was
quite clear and I agree that the safest route is to use a good spring-loaded
desoldering pump.

First you remove the part. Clipping leads, then clearing holes is always the
safest way although, with care, many two-leaded parts can be removed intact.
Obey the warnings about pulling on the lead before the solder is completely
melted. You *can* pull the whole plated hole assembly out of the board. That
can happen not just because you didn't get the solder fully melted. If,
during the original assembly, you bent the leads over the edge of the solder
pad to hold the part in place on the PCB, you may find yourself applying too
much pressure on the pad tugging on the part trying to 'un-bend' the lead
and pull it from the hole while keeping the solder molten. As long as heat
is applied to the pad it is de-bonding itself from the circuit board.  

You do not need to save any parts that you remove from your KX1 while
installing the KXB3080. Only one part in the KX1 is removed and
re-installed. You  move it from one side of the KX1 circuit board to the
other. The KXB3080 kit includes a replacement for that part so you can clip
the leads off the original.

Once a part is off the board it's time to clear the hole. Now's when having
both hands free is important if you're using a desoldering pump with your
regular iron. It is easy to clamp the KX1 circuit board in many kinds of
vices. Lacking a vise, a couple of small "bean bags" or a couple of books
are great for propping up a board on edge when two free hands are needed.
Don't forget to follow ESD precautions while handling the loose boards.

It's also important to set up your work space so your arms are supported.
It's very hard to work smoothly and accurately with your arms "floating" and
all to easy to bump something with the iron.

Use a 700F soldering temperature and wet the tip of the iron before touching
it to the pad. Wetting the tip is important. Heat transfer is slow from a
'dry' soldering iron tip! Slow heat transfer increases the likelihood of
finding a pcb solder pad stuck to the tip of your iron when you take the
iron away. The more you 'cook' the pad, the more you loosen its bond to the
PCB.  

Cock and position the pump over the pad on one side of the board, then touch
the soldering iron to the other side of the board to melt the solder. Of
course, choose the side of the board for your hot iron where you have the
least chance of bumping into other parts and keep your eye on what you are
doing with the iron. If the pump tip slips, it won't hurt anything. Not so
with the hot iron. As soon as the solder melts, often no more than 1 second
after touching the tip to the pad, press the pump trigger and "whack!" you
have a clean-as-new hole in the solder pad. The time you have the iron on
the pad is much shorter if you've clipped the component leads because
there's no component there to soak up the heat. Still, a pad attached to the
ground plane may take a little longer. Don't bother to remove the soldering
iron tip before you press the pump trigger. Do them together or hit the
trigger then remove the iron if that's easier. As you remove the iron, do
*not* look at the pad. Watch where you're waving that hot iron tip until
it's safely away from the circuit board <G>.

Suppose you do pull your iron off of the pad and see the little "donut" of a
pad stuck to it? If that's all that's there, you're rig is fine. It's a
warning that you're using too much heat or, most likely, taking too much
time. The plated-through section of the hole and the pad on the other side
that connects to a circuit trace are still intact. There is no performance
degradation whatsoever in losing the little donut on the opposite side
providing it wasn't torn loose from the ground plane or a trace there. It
will be barely visible after you install the new part. That solder pad
represents damage, though. If it happens to you, take it as a serious
warning that you're cooking the pads too much. The whole pad has been heated
long enough to de-bond from the pcb itself. Be extra careful installing the
new leads there.

To me, the biggest concern about the soldering needed to install the KXB3080
is accidentally touching heat-sensitive parts that will melt in an instant
if you bump them with a hot iron: pots and pot shafts, trimmer caps, relays
and the like. I use a 2 mm spade tip on my iron. It's just about the
biggest, fattest thing I'd ever want to use around the KX1 board!

A power vacuum desolderer like the Hakko can be a wonderful investment and
good addition to the bench. Like any tool, it requires the user understand
its limitations and applications. It does greatly eliminate the need for
two-handed desoldering. I'm aware that one can use a separate desoldering
pump and iron on one side of the board. It works, but it usually takes more
heat and more time. Because of that, it's a good way to debond pads.

The Hakko 808 makes the job easier, for a price. Just be careful, very
careful, what you touch with it. I've used similar tools. I've thought about
getting one myself, but since we don't have it on the recommend tools
list...

Ron AC7AC

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[Alexandra Carter]

When all else fails, if you can melt the solder, pull out the part
while keeping the solder hot and melted (keep the iron on the component
pin while pulling <i>gently</i> on the part to be removed) then clean
up the hole with a little braid, you're good. This is how I installed
my 30m module, twice! 73 de Alex NS6Y

On Mar 14, 2006, at 8:39 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
>
> That was a spring-loaded desoldering pump, not a squeeze bulb or
> braid. I'm
> not saying that one might not do the job with a bulb or braid, but
> Wayne was
> quite clear and I agree that the safest route is to use a good
> spring-loaded
> desoldering pump.

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[KBG Luxford]

Hi guys,

The Hakko 808 looks very much to me like the Denon Instruments Co. Ltd.
SC-7000 desoldering tool.  I wonder if there is some tie up between
Hakko and Denon?  Anyway the point of this post is that I find the
SC-7000 excellent for desoldering stuff on PC boards.  Continuous
vacuum, and controllable tip temperature are the two major features of
the SC-7000.  Do be quick when using it, as lingering too long can
result in a copper pad being lifted off the board.

However, it is not so good on glowbug stuff where components are
soldered to tag strips or tube bases, and the volume of solder to be
removed is much greater than on the typical PC board.  Under these
circumstances the vacuum tends to die because the slots in the plastic
separator in front of the filter get quickly clogged.  Then the nozzle
fills with solder.

A desoldering tool that handles the glowbug stuff a bit better is the
very inexpensive GC Electronics "Solder Popper" (about USD37.00).  I
also have one of these.  It consists of a manual desoldering pump
mounted on a soldering iron with a hollow tip.  Simple, inexpensive, and
it works well.

FWIW!

73
Kevin
VK3DAP / ZL2DAP
--
  Kevin B. G. Luxford
  [hidden email]

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[ni0c]

Ron, AC7AC wrote:

"To me, the biggest concern about the soldering needed to install the KXB3080
is accidentally touching heat-sensitive parts that will melt in an instant
if you bump them with a hot iron: pots and pot shafts, trimmer caps, relays
and the like. I use a 2 mm spade tip on my iron. It's just about the
biggest, fattest thing I'd ever want to use around the KX1 board! "


This, of course, is one of the concerns about using braid for desoldering.  The braid spreads heat, and if any part of it is touching adjacent parts  (or your fingers) these can be damaged.  The other drawback of braid is that it oozes flux onto the board.  

73,

Chuck  NI0C
KX1 + 3080  s/n 1287

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[n2htt-2]

Thanks to everyone who commented on this thread - lot's of good advice, especially Ron's post.

I've decided to go with the Hakko 808 tool as I have some other rework to do where it will be useful.  I think it's great that the install procedure is thoroughly debugged using readily available tools, though. This  attention to detail is a big part of what makes Elecraft kits so terrific, and the builder's experience so postive.

73,
Mike N2HTT

----- Original Message -----
From: Ron D'Eau Claire <[hidden email]>
Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:39 pm
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Desoldering and installing the KX1 3080 option

>
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[Tom Hammond-3]

Hi Kevin, et al:

For what little it's probably worth, I've used my Hakko 808 numerous
times to clear away a LOT of solder from tube sockets, and many other
heavily-soldered devices with little difficulty.

Kevin speaks of "slots in the plastic separator in front of the
filter" which become clogged with solder... I have not seen such a
plastic separator in the Hakko and, other than the hole in the nozzle
sometimes clogging up as a result of burnt flux, I've had no problems
with the vacuum.

Hakko does offer a fairly wide range of tops for the 808 and I
recommend anyone buying the 808 invest in a couple of them... specifically:

A1394 This is a long (0.434"), slender (0.090") nozzle which will
       allow you to get into places the fatter tips won't. It is
       particularly handy when you are working on PC boards which
       are pretty tightly packed AND which have some of their
       components mounted on the bottom of the PC board with the
       soldered pads in and among the tightly packed components on
       the top side. Because it is long and slender, this is a
       'delicate' nozzle, and probably NOT one you would want to
       leave on the desoldering tool when you do not need to use
       it.

A1396 This is a short/fat nozzle, similar to the nozzle provided
       with the Hakko 808 when it is originally purchased.
       However, this nozzle has a 0.091" inside diameter, so it
       will suffice for removing most, if not all, of the
       connectors used on most PC boards. Some of these connectors
       use flat lug-type leads, instead of wire leads, which can
       be particularly difficult to remove if you find you must
       remove the connector itself. Of course, it also works well
       on the larger diameter leads of big diodes, etc.

I just looked at several links to the Denon SC-7000 and while it
appears to be similar to the Hakko 808, I'm not certain they're
related... the Denon is certainly a LOT higher-priced (about $500 CN)... whew1

73,

Tom   N0SS

At 11:47 PM 3/14/2006, Kevin B. G. Luxford wrote:

>Hi guys,
>
>The Hakko 808 looks very much to me like the Denon Instruments Co. Ltd.
>SC-7000 desoldering tool.  I wonder if there is some tie up between
>Hakko and Denon?  Anyway the point of this post is that I find the
>SC-7000 excellent for desoldering stuff on PC boards.  Continuous
>vacuum, and controllable tip temperature are the two major features of
>the SC-7000.  Do be quick when using it, as lingering too long can
>result in a copper pad being lifted off the board.
>
>However, it is not so good on glowbug stuff where components are
>soldered to tag strips or tube bases, and the volume of solder to be
>removed is much greater than on the typical PC board.  Under these
>circumstances the vacuum tends to die because the slots in the plastic
>separator in front of the filter get quickly clogged.  Then the nozzle
>fills with solder.
>
>A desoldering tool that handles the glowbug stuff a bit better is the
>very inexpensive GC Electronics "Solder Popper" (about USD37.00).  I
>also have one of these.  It consists of a manual desoldering pump
>mounted on a soldering iron with a hollow tip.  Simple, inexpensive, and
>it works well.
>
>FWIW!
>
>73
>Kevin
>VK3DAP / ZL2DAP
>--
>   Kevin B. G. Luxford
>   [hidden email]
>
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[Don Brown-4]

I agree with everything Ron has said here and would like to add: The spring
loaded solder remover as well as the Hakko 808 require frequent cleaning.
The spring type should be disassembled and all of the solder bits removed.
You can clean the excess flux from inside the barrel with a rag and a little
WD40. You should also put a light coat of silicone grease on the O-ring on
the plunger. Get a few spare tips and on one of them cut a little V with
your flush cutters just large enough for your soldering tip. That way you
can place solder sucker tip over the iron tip and get a better seal for the
vacuum to remove the solder

If the solder sucker is not clean the little balls of solder will re-fill
the pad hole and generally get all over the board as well as the loss of
suction will require several tries to get the solder removed. I usually
clean the solder sucker after about 10-15 cycles.

You can also use a wooden toothpick to clean out the pad holes after the
part is removed if you heat the pad and stick the toothpick into the hole
while the solder is still liquid but the solder sucker works better.

Don Brown
KD5NDB



----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 10:39 PM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Desoldering and installing the KX1 3080 option


<Snip>


A power vacuum desolderer like the Hakko can be a wonderful investment and
good addition to the bench. Like any tool, it requires the user understand
its limitations and applications. It does greatly eliminate the need for
two-handed desoldering. I'm aware that one can use a separate desoldering
pump and iron on one side of the board. It works, but it usually takes more
heat and more time. Because of that, it's a good way to debond pads.

The Hakko 808 makes the job easier, for a price. Just be careful, very
careful, what you touch with it. I've used similar tools. I've thought about
getting one myself, but since we don't have it on the recommend tools
list...

Ron AC7AC
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[ok1rr]

It should be mentioned (also on the Elecraft web site) that there is
Hamlib - an universal radio control software with full support of the
K2. It is Hamlib (a project of Frank Singleton, VK3FCS/KM5WS and
Stéphane Fillod, F8CFE) which can be found at

http://hamlib.sourceforge.net/

It can be used with(in) Linux and Windows software, however this
software must be projected to work with Hamlib. As far as I know it is
employed by TLF by Rein, PA0R, a very promising TR-log like contesting
software pack (very powerful and free, of course). Other projects using
Hamlib are Xlog by Joop, PG4I, a fast developing station logger for
Linux (X11) and Xdx, also by PG4I, which is an excellent Telnet DX
Cluster client.

More details on my web site

http://www.ok1rr.com/preview.php?cisloclanku=2006031601

73,
Martin, OK1RR
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