New K2 build.
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As I prepare to build my second k2, my mind drifts back to the hours I spent with the little ceramic caps.
They all had the bonding material over flowing the lead shoulders. I spent hours cleaning that hardened material off the leads before soldering them in place. The QUESTION: Did I need to remove the extra material or should I just have dropped them in and made sure they got soldered properly? Tia, Tom, ng3v Sent from my iPhone 6 ______________________________________________________________ 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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Tom,
Your first K2 must have been a very early one. No need to remove material from the leads. There is at least one capacitor supplied that has kinks in the leads, but those are easily straightened with a pinch of your pliers. 73, Don W3FPR On 4/22/2015 10:49 AM, Thomas Skinner wrote: > As I prepare to build my second k2, my mind drifts back to the hours I spent with the little ceramic caps. > > They all had the bonding material over flowing the lead shoulders. I spent hours cleaning that hardened material off the leads before soldering them in place. > > The QUESTION: > > Did I need to remove the extra material or should I just have dropped them in and made sure they got soldered properly? > > ______________________________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by Thomas Skinner
Tom,
That bit of the material extending over the lead is an integral part of the "housing" of the capacitor. Removing it weakens the overal housing and the "support" for the lead where it connects to the actual capacitor and will potentially allow moisture into the capacitor. It's in no way "excess". Innocent things like this are why I'd never buy a kit assembled by someone else. 73 Ken - K0PP ______________________________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by Thomas Skinner
I'm assuming you mean the epoxy that the cap is dipped in.
I've never removed it; I'm not sure but I think doing so may damage the sealing quality of the epoxy. From: Thomas Skinner <[hidden email]> To: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 10:49 AM Subject: [Elecraft] New K2 build. As I prepare to build my second k2, my mind drifts back to the hours I spent with the little ceramic caps. They all had the bonding material over flowing the lead shoulders. I spent hours cleaning that hardened material off the leads before soldering them in place. The QUESTION: Did I need to remove the extra material or should I just have dropped them in and made sure they got soldered properly? Tia, Tom, ng3v Sent from my iPhone 6 ______________________________________________________________ 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] ______________________________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by Rose
So far, I've owned a KX1 and two loaded K2s built by others. One was
from ebay, the others from members of this list. The ebay one was S/N 495 and went directly to Don to be sorted out, because I knew it wasn't up to date, and it was my first Elecraft product. That was about 10 years ago, I believe, and it is every bit as good as the more recent one I bought, S/N 6911. They sit side by side, 6911 mainly for QRP/CW, and 495 connected to a KPA100 w/ATU in an EC2 case, used mainly for digital modes. Both have been entirely trouble free. The KX1 was purchased from this list maybe 8 years ago. It was also trouble free from day one. I recently sold it as I rarely ever operate from the trail, and when I do, the K1 I built is better suited to my needs. So I wouldn't be so quick to write off the efforts of other builders. Elecraft has done an outstanding job of making kits that almost anyone can build and enjoy success. That success extends to succeeding owners of those rigs. The quality of assembly may vary to some extend, but nothing that can't be fixed by the next owner. A healthy used market stimulates the new market. Prospective new buyers are assured that when they want to get something else they won't have any problem selling their existing rig--something auto manufacturers have known for a very long time. I owned and operated my KX1 8 years for free thanks to the healthy used market in Elecraft products. Eric KE6US On 4/22/2015 8:46 AM, Rose wrote: > Tom, > > That bit of the material extending over the lead is an integral part of the > "housing" of the capacitor. Removing it weakens the overal housing and > the "support" for the lead where it connects to the actual capacitor and > will potentially allow moisture into the capacitor. > > It's in no way "excess". Innocent things like this are why I'd never buy a > kit assembled by someone else. > > 73 > > Ken - K0PP > ______________________________________________________________ > 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] > > ______________________________________________________________ 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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Someone wrote:
>>It's in no way "excess". Innocent things like this are why I'd never buy a >>kit assembled by someone else. There are some builders with poor skills and I have read about disasters. But I have purchased a lot of kit-built stuff and have been generally pleased with the build quality and soldering skills. Kit built stuff has always provided me with the greatest performance/price ratio. A K1 4-band unit I purchased on ebay was advertised with a low RF-output problem. It was beautifully built but during alignment, the trimmer cap for the RF driver tank circuit could not peak the rf because an associated fixed cap was too far off tolerance. I could see the trimmer was at max when it peaked. I added a few pf across the existing fixed cap and the rf peaked and the Watts output was even way more than the K1 specs! I felt like a criminal paying so little and getting such a fantastic unit already built. I added the backlight to the display, changed the internal batteries to 3 lithium cells (came with internal battery pack) and added the resistor to linearize the tuning and enjoyed it ever since. It even came with the mobile mounting kit! 73, Ron KO7V ______________________________________________________________ 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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From my past experience in upgrading or repair some old K2s, general built workmanship is good. Except some occasions when the K2 changed hands few times with upgrades in stages, then a variety of workmanship was noted.
May be I live in Hong Kong, repair request are mostly from Asia Pacific region. 73 Johnny VR2XMC 寄件人︰ Ron Fial <[hidden email]> 收件人︰ [hidden email] 傳送日期︰ 2015年04月23日 (週四) 3:55 AM 主題︰ Re: [Elecraft] New K2 build. Someone wrote: >>It's in no way "excess". Innocent things like this are why I'd never buy a >>kit assembled by someone else. There are some builders with poor skills and I have read about disasters. But I have purchased a lot of kit-built stuff and have been generally pleased with the build quality and soldering skills. Kit built stuff has always provided me with the greatest performance/price ratio. A K1 4-band unit I purchased on ebay was advertised with a low RF-output problem. It was beautifully built but during alignment, the trimmer cap for the RF driver tank circuit could not peak the rf because an associated fixed cap was too far off tolerance. I could see the trimmer was at max when it peaked. I added a few pf across the existing fixed cap and the rf peaked and the Watts output was even way more than the K1 specs! I felt like a criminal paying so little and getting such a fantastic unit already built. I added the backlight to the display, changed the internal batteries to 3 lithium cells (came with internal battery pack) and added the resistor to linearize the tuning and enjoyed it ever since. It even came with the mobile mounting kit! 73, Ron KO7V ______________________________________________________________ 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] ______________________________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by Thomas Skinner
You should have soldered them in 'as is'.
Brian Denley KB1VBF Sent from my iPad > On Apr 22, 2015, at 10:49 AM, Thomas Skinner <[hidden email]> wrote: > > As I prepare to build my second k2, my mind drifts back to the hours I spent with the little ceramic caps. > > They all had the bonding material over flowing the lead shoulders. I spent hours cleaning that hardened material off the leads before soldering them in place. > > The QUESTION: > > Did I need to remove the extra material or should I just have dropped them in and made sure they got soldered properly? > > Tia, > > Tom, ng3v > > Sent from my iPhone 6 > > ______________________________________________________________ > 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] 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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In reply to this post by Thomas Skinner
Thanks for all who answered. One less mystery to solve.
Tom - ng3v On Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 10:49 AM, Thomas Skinner <[hidden email]> wrote: > As I prepare to build my second k2, my mind drifts back to the hours I > spent with the little ceramic caps. > > They all had the bonding material over flowing the lead shoulders. I > spent hours cleaning that hardened material off the leads before soldering > them in place. > > The QUESTION: > > Did I need to remove the extra material or should I just have dropped them > in and made sure they got soldered properly? > > Tia, > > Tom, ng3v > > Sent from my iPhone 6 > > 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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Enjoy the building work. There are not many chances for us to do through hole components soldering now.
73 Johnny Vr2XMC 寄件人︰ Thomas Skinner <[hidden email]> 收件人︰ "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> 傳送日期︰ 2015年04月24日 (週五) 9:00 AM 主題︰ Re: [Elecraft] New K2 build. Thanks for all who answered. One less mystery to solve. Tom - ng3v On Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 10:49 AM, Thomas Skinner <[hidden email]> wrote: > As I prepare to build my second k2, my mind drifts back to the hours I > spent with the little ceramic caps. > > They all had the bonding material over flowing the lead shoulders. I > spent hours cleaning that hardened material off the leads before soldering > them in place. > > The QUESTION: > > Did I need to remove the extra material or should I just have dropped them > in and made sure they got soldered properly? > > Tia, > > Tom, ng3v > > Sent from my iPhone 6 > > 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] ______________________________________________________________ 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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Indeed and alas, Johnny.
Phil W7OX On 4/23/15 6:02 PM, Johnny Siu wrote: > Enjoy the building work. There are not many chances for us to do through hole components soldering now. > 73 > Johnny Vr2XMC ______________________________________________________________ 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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