many thoughts, somewhat at random

[Steve Jackson-5]

N5VWN wrote:  
"I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out why there is
no words appearing on the K2 on the phase 1 test."

I've felt frustrated many times while building, too,
and I've been at it over 30 years.  You are not alone.
 But you've buit a Rockmite and a Pixie.  The K2 is
WAAAY easier to make work than either of those rigs.

My comments, for what they are worth:

1.  if I got a K2 for $12, in ANY condition, I'd be
dancing an Irish jig!  you're starting out WAY ahead
of the game ...

2.  ... on the other hand, one of the things I have
learned to probably not try again is building a kit
somebody else started!  ;)  probably including myself,
at an earlier age.

3.  Stockton alone has 7 times the number of hams in
it that my ENTIRE rural NC county does, yet there are
FOUR other K2 rigs/owners here!  In Stockton, I'd try
to find a local, experienced Elmer to come by and help
in person.  There's NOTHING like learning from an
expert, and NO replacement for having a helper there,
IN PERSON.  Surely, there MUST be at least ONE local,
capable, and willing Elmer, the odds are very much in
favor of it.  Stockton also has at least one
well-known ham club, a great way to find the right
person.

4.  Hardly anyone ever says this, but, it should be
said ... nobody should try to build or fix an
electronic *anything* without having an ammeter in
line.  The current drawn (or, not drawn) by a
device-under-test is THE #1 most telling thing about
what's wrong with a recalcitrant circuit.  If you
don't have a handy ammeter, run, do not walk, to go
get one, or make one by using a 1 ohm resistor in
series with your device and then measure the voltage
drop across it.  1/10th volt equals 100 mA and so
forth, that is why Ohm's Law is on the test!  A good
digital voltmeter can be bought at Sears (readily
available)  and while it probably has a milliammeter
in it, it's actually easier to put the shunt in series
and use the voltmeter to go back and forth from the
shunt to the circuit tests.

5.  Another ageless truism is that there's no more
useful a piece of test gear than an oscilloscope.  Of
course, one would need to be taught to use one, and
you'd also have to have one ... neither are hard at
all ... and this one piece of gear could make the
difference between an enjoyable hobby and a
frustrating discouragement.  Consider making the time
investment (I would have said money too but these days
a good used 'scope is so cheap as to be laughable).

6.  A current-limited bench supply, preferably with
variable voltage and adjustable current limiting, can
be your best friend.  There are some mighty nice used
ones around I've seen at hamfests for $10 or $15, and
even a decent new one can cost as little at $45.  I
just got three of some little Chinese knockoff mini
bench supply from Circuit Specialists, for work.  They
are very inexpensive and reliable.  No, they are no
threat to Lambda or HP, but, hey ...

7.  The reason I've suggested these extra goodies is
that they make things go faster and smoother.  Because
I have the experience, I can probably make do without
any of them; indeed, I *have* made do without ... that
is HOW I got the experience in the 1st place!  You
don't absolutely need this stuff, but, based on your
QRZ! profile, it looks like you're a budding builder.
Take it from me, don't do things the hard way like I
did (soldering with hot nails, using strips of
aluminum foil for wire, etc., I've done it all), get
some decent shop equipment and never look back.

8.  Please post some specific results of your tests so
far.  For example, "I turned it on and it doesn't
work" is not nearly as useful as "I tested the voltage
at U3, pin 4 and found it to be x.y and during the
test the set is drawing about 475 mA" and so forth, to
help others help you out.  

9.  This electronic medium is not at all a good way to
troubleshoot electronic equipment, but it will do in a
pinch, and you can make it much easier by providing
specifics, in detail.  Don't be afraid to write down
every detail because you are the eyes and fingers for
all the people who want to help, and there are a LOT
of us.

10.  Lastly, there are almost 5 thousand K2 rigs now,
some six years old, and still going strong.  They
work, and work well.  Let's get YOURS on the air SOON!

gl 73  Steve KZ1X/4
K2 #0771
Go Tar Heels






               
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[Howard W. Ashcraft]

Steve,

Just a comment.  Your discussion, below, was a very friendly, but solid
piece of advice to builders with little prior experience in electronic
design/troubleshooting.  Good post.

I would add that in the darkest moments of kit building you actually
learn most about what you are doing and how your equipment works.  It is
satisfying when everything fires up perfectly when the last solder joint
cools, but you really begin to understand what is going on when it
doesn't--and you have to spend a few hours (days?) pouring over the
schematic and checking readings to determine what went wrong.  In the
end (if you didn't fry anything expensive) you probably gained as much
as you lost. Something to remember when the #*#$% thing doesn't work.

Howard Ashcraft, W1WF

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Jackson [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:03 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] many thoughts, somewhat at random

N5VWN wrote:  
"I'm at my wit's end trying to figure out why there is no words
appearing on the K2 on the phase 1 test."

I've felt frustrated many times while building, too, and I've been at it
over 30 years.  You are not alone.
 But you've buit a Rockmite and a Pixie.  The K2 is WAAAY easier to make
work than either of those rigs.

My comments, for what they are worth:

1.  if I got a K2 for $12, in ANY condition, I'd be dancing an Irish
jig!  you're starting out WAY ahead of the game ...

2.  ... on the other hand, one of the things I have learned to probably
not try again is building a kit somebody else started!  ;)  probably
including myself, at an earlier age.

3.  Stockton alone has 7 times the number of hams in it that my ENTIRE
rural NC county does, yet there are FOUR other K2 rigs/owners here!  In
Stockton, I'd try to find a local, experienced Elmer to come by and help
in person.  There's NOTHING like learning from an expert, and NO
replacement for having a helper there, IN PERSON.  Surely, there MUST be
at least ONE local, capable, and willing Elmer, the odds are very much
in favor of it.  Stockton also has at least one well-known ham club, a
great way to find the right person.

4.  Hardly anyone ever says this, but, it should be said ... nobody
should try to build or fix an electronic *anything* without having an
ammeter in line.  The current drawn (or, not drawn) by a
device-under-test is THE #1 most telling thing about what's wrong with a
recalcitrant circuit.  If you don't have a handy ammeter, run, do not
walk, to go get one, or make one by using a 1 ohm resistor in series
with your device and then measure the voltage drop across it.  1/10th
volt equals 100 mA and so forth, that is why Ohm's Law is on the test!
A good digital voltmeter can be bought at Sears (readily
available)  and while it probably has a milliammeter in it, it's
actually easier to put the shunt in series and use the voltmeter to go
back and forth from the shunt to the circuit tests.

5.  Another ageless truism is that there's no more useful a piece of
test gear than an oscilloscope.  Of course, one would need to be taught
to use one, and you'd also have to have one ... neither are hard at all
... and this one piece of gear could make the difference between an
enjoyable hobby and a frustrating discouragement.  Consider making the
time investment (I would have said money too but these days a good used
'scope is so cheap as to be laughable).

6.  A current-limited bench supply, preferably with variable voltage and
adjustable current limiting, can be your best friend.  There are some
mighty nice used ones around I've seen at hamfests for $10 or $15, and
even a decent new one can cost as little at $45.  I just got three of
some little Chinese knockoff mini bench supply from Circuit Specialists,
for work.  They are very inexpensive and reliable.  No, they are no
threat to Lambda or HP, but, hey ...

7.  The reason I've suggested these extra goodies is that they make
things go faster and smoother.  Because I have the experience, I can
probably make do without any of them; indeed, I *have* made do without
... that is HOW I got the experience in the 1st place!  You don't
absolutely need this stuff, but, based on your QRZ! profile, it looks
like you're a budding builder.
Take it from me, don't do things the hard way like I did (soldering with
hot nails, using strips of aluminum foil for wire, etc., I've done it
all), get some decent shop equipment and never look back.

8.  Please post some specific results of your tests so far.  For
example, "I turned it on and it doesn't work" is not nearly as useful as
"I tested the voltage at U3, pin 4 and found it to be x.y and during the
test the set is drawing about 475 mA" and so forth, to help others help
you out.  

9.  This electronic medium is not at all a good way to troubleshoot
electronic equipment, but it will do in a pinch, and you can make it
much easier by providing specifics, in detail.  Don't be afraid to write
down every detail because you are the eyes and fingers for all the
people who want to help, and there are a LOT of us.

10.  Lastly, there are almost 5 thousand K2 rigs now, some six years
old, and still going strong.  They work, and work well.  Let's get YOURS
on the air SOON!

gl 73  Steve KZ1X/4
K2 #0771
Go Tar Heels






               
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses.
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: [hidden email]
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
 http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft   

Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com