monday

[kc5wa]

I can hardly wait. My K1-2 (80/40) will be here Monday. I've built
several smaller kits like the Rock mite etc. Nothing of this magnatude
though. I ordered it Friday after Thanksgiving and it seems like I.ve
been waiting forever for it to arrive. Meanwhile hoping to pick up
building hints I've monitored this reflector. I've never used the side
of a cardboard box but instead a 12" x 12" sheet of styrofoam from the
craft store to hold the parts and DVM to check EVERY resistor  and
VARIABLE TONE TESTER to check capacitors before mounting them on the
pcb. This looks like the place to be should I have QUESTIONS or need a
good sharp kick in the motivator [g]. 72/71 de "RC" kc5wa

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[Don Wilhelm-3]

RC,

I strongly advise against using styrofoam from the craft store to hold the
parts - it creates static which can damage active components.  It is OK with
resistors and capacitors, but I hesitate to keep any of that stuff near my
workbench on the off chance that it will brush against something and zap it.
The black foam stuff that sensitive parts are often stuck into is fine for
holding components.

Do enjoy building your K1 - take your time and work carefully.  Yes, put a
note on this reflector when you have questions - often you will receive an
answer within minutes.

73,
Don W3FPR

----- Original Message -----

>I can hardly wait. My K1-2 (80/40) will be here Monday. I've built several
>smaller kits like the Rock mite etc. Nothing of this magnatude though. I
>ordered it Friday after Thanksgiving and it seems like I.ve been waiting
>forever for it to arrive. Meanwhile hoping to pick up building hints I've
>monitored this reflector. I've never used the side of a cardboard box but
>instead a 12" x 12" sheet of styrofoam from the craft store to hold the
>parts and DVM to check EVERY resistor  and VARIABLE TONE TESTER to check
>capacitors before mounting them on the pcb. This looks like the place to be
>should I have QUESTIONS or need a good sharp kick in the motivator [g].
>72/71 de "RC" kc5wa
>

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[Don Brown-4]

Hi

I would make a couple of suggestions. One I would not use the styrofoam as it generates a lot of static electricity and may damage some parts. I use cardboard or metal pans to dump all the parts into for sorting. The resistors will come on a tape sequenced in the order you will need them. Do not remove the resistors from the tape until you need them. If you must measure them with your meter leave them on the tape. Save the yellow coin envelopes and use them to place all of the brown capacitors of each value and mark the value on the outside of the envelope. I lay all of the little blue caps out in a metal pan with the values facing up so I can find them quickly. Some builders place them into the side of corrugated cardboard and mark the value on the cardboard. There are dozens of methods just find one that works for you that keeps all the parts organized so you can find them quickly when needed and you will not lose anything between building sessions.

Don Brown

KD5NDB  
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Robert Conley<mailto:[hidden email]>
  To: [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
  Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 9:55 AM
  Subject: [Elecraft] monday


  I can hardly wait. My K1-2 (80/40) will be here Monday. I've built
  several smaller kits like the Rock mite etc. Nothing of this magnatude
  though. I ordered it Friday after Thanksgiving and it seems like I.ve
  been waiting forever for it to arrive. Meanwhile hoping to pick up
  building hints I've monitored this reflector. I've never used the side
  of a cardboard box but instead a 12" x 12" sheet of styrofoam from the
  craft store to hold the parts and DVM to check EVERY resistor  and
  VARIABLE TONE TESTER to check capacitors before mounting them on the
  pcb. This looks like the place to be should I have QUESTIONS or need a
  good sharp kick in the motivator [g]. 72/71 de "RC" kc5wa

  _______________________________________________
  Elecraft mailing list
  Post to: [hidden email]<mailto:[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<http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft>    
  Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm<http://mailman.qth.net/subscribershtm>
  Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com<http://www.elecraft.com/>
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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

Don W3FPR wrote:

I strongly advise against using styrofoam from the craft store to hold the
parts - it creates static which can damage active components.  It is OK with

resistors and capacitors, but I hesitate to keep any of that stuff near my
workbench on the off chance that it will brush against something and zap it.

The black foam stuff that sensitive parts are often stuck into is fine for
holding components.

-----------------------------------------------------

I'll certainly second Don's comments about styrofoam. Having it around is
sort of like storing computer floppy disks in a drawer full of magnets, Hi!

When you inventory (Everyone inventories, right? Even me, sometimes...) do
NOT take the ICs supplied in plastic carriers out of them. Those are
anti-static carriers and you should be wearing a ground strap or touch a
known ground with your fingers just before handling one out of the package.
Touch the ground again regularly or wear a ground strap while you are
working with them.

The same is true for individual boards containing the firmware chips. I
haven't carefully analyzed the K2 circuits, but it is very common for a
board that has been unplugged from the system to have some inputs to a
sensitive IC "floating" because the circuit is open at the connector. They
are then as liable to be zapped with a small static charge as if you were
handling the individual IC. When you set an assembled board aside, an empty
anti-static bag is a great place to put it. At the very least, handle it as
if it were a static-sensitive IC and ground yourself first.

Note, you will receive lots of small relays in tubes very much like the ICs.
They aren't static sensitive.

Also, when looking over the parts it's good to open the bags one at a time.
If you have trouble identifying a part, being able to check which bag it
came from will often help. Of course, you can't do that if you dump the
contents of several bags together.

When I built my K2 I worked on a very small temporary bench. I left the
parts in the shipping bags until they were needed. Yes, it took a little
longer to find a part now and again, but it probably helped me be very
careful to check the value of the part BEFORE I inserted it on the board and
AFTER I inserted the leads and before soldering.

As one other fellow here pointed out, assuming that you have the right part
in hand because it came out of a certain pile is an invitation to error.
Always double-check.

Also, when you check, double check WHERE the part is on the board as well as
its value. It's amazing how a part can seem to move over to the wrong set of
holes! I helped a buddy troubleshoot his K2 recently. It had a weird problem
that I simply could not find, until I finally noticed that two resistors
side-by-side on a board were reversed! I must have looked at them 50 times,
carefully checking the values, before I realized that the values were FB,
but the positions were wrong!  

A capacitor tester might make you feel more comfortable if it'll help you
confirm the values, but the instruction manual has the actual markings
indicated for each part. Bad caps or resistors are exceedingly rare. That
said, I do use an ohmmeter frequently because some resistors have color
markings that are very hard to see clearly.

Take your time. Pay attention to what you are doing. Double, even triple
check your work as you go and you'll be rewarded with a rig that makes sweet
sounds the first time you apply power.

Most of all, have fun!

Ron AC7AC


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[Carl, n5wn]

A good material for holding sorted parts is EPP anti-static foam.  This is a
stiff foam, not squishy, and is a pink color.  Cut it down to about 1/2"
thick slabs and stick component leads straight into it.  I usually take
small "sticky notes" and tack them onto the side of the slab with the parts
values penciled in for what is stuck into the foam.  I group all the similar
parts together.  These slabs with parts stuck in them can easily be moved
around between building sessions and if tilted or tipped won't spill like
tins or sheets.  I don't know a specific source for this material but I have
obtained more than enough of it over the years from the inside of packing
boxes for CRTs and other computer equipment.

EPP stands for Expanded Polypropylene and is a stiff and kind of glossy foam
with large air cells.  If you press hard on the foam will rebound to it's
original shape slowly.  It is a great packing material for filling space and
absorbing shock.  Maybe someday Elecraft will use it to pack kits and we
would be able to use the packing material to sort the parts....

Another good sorting container is the recycled cardboard separator trays for
bulk packs of jelly packages (the kind you use in the restaurant).  I use
these separators to hold hardware, cores, wire, switches, etc. that are not
susceptible to static.  These work better than egg cartons because they are
typically only about 1/2" deep and have circular or rectangular depressions
about 2-4 sq inches in size.  It is easy to see what you have and get it
out.  The separators I like the best are for round jelly packages and the
whole tray is about 8"x10".  You can get these separators from coffee shops
or breakfast restaurants who use hundreds of jelly packages a day and just
throw away these packing items.  Because they are cardboard you can write in
the bottom of the depression what size screw or part is in that depression.
When loaded with parts these trays can be stacked and picked up as a group
to set aside between build sessions.  I built my K2 using 4 of these for all
the non-static parts.

73,

Carl S.    N5WN    K2 #1241


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[N8LP]

I got some conductive foam for shipping of parts from these guys...

http://www.staticspecialists.com/esdbags.htm#Foam%20and%20Bubble

They have a couple choices in the $13-14 range for a sheet 2' x 3' x 1/4"

Not free, but at least it's a source.

Larry N8LP



Carl, n5wn wrote:

> A good material for holding sorted parts is EPP anti-static foam.  
> This is a stiff foam, not squishy, and is a pink color.  Cut it down
> to about 1/2" thick slabs and stick component leads straight into it.  
> I usually take small "sticky notes" and tack them onto the side of the
> slab with the parts values penciled in for what is stuck into the
> foam.  I group all the similar parts together.  These slabs with parts
> stuck in them can easily be moved around between building sessions and
> if tilted or tipped won't spill like tins or sheets.  I don't know a
> specific source for this material but I have obtained more than enough
> of it over the years from the inside of packing boxes for CRTs and
> other computer equipment.
>
> EPP stands for Expanded Polypropylene and is a stiff and kind of
> glossy foam with large air cells.  If you press hard on the foam will
> rebound to it's original shape slowly.  It is a great packing material
> for filling space and absorbing shock.  Maybe someday Elecraft will
> use it to pack kits and we would be able to use the packing material
> to sort the parts....
>
> Another good sorting container is the recycled cardboard separator
> trays for bulk packs of jelly packages (the kind you use in the
> restaurant).  I use these separators to hold hardware, cores, wire,
> switches, etc. that are not susceptible to static.  These work better
> than egg cartons because they are typically only about 1/2" deep and
> have circular or rectangular depressions about 2-4 sq inches in size.  
> It is easy to see what you have and get it out.  The separators I like
> the best are for round jelly packages and the whole tray is about
> 8"x10".  You can get these separators from coffee shops or breakfast
> restaurants who use hundreds of jelly packages a day and just throw
> away these packing items.  Because they are cardboard you can write in
> the bottom of the depression what size screw or part is in that
> depression. When loaded with parts these trays can be stacked and
> picked up as a group to set aside between build sessions.  I built my
> K2 using 4 of these for all the non-static parts.
>
> 73,
>
> Carl S.    N5WN    K2 #1241
>

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[Arthur Delibert]

I have just one bit of advice:  TAKE YOUR TIME.  When I'm expecting a new radio to arrive, I want it so bad I can just about taste it.  When my K2 arrived, it took a lot of control to slow down and make sure I understood what I was doing at each step before I did it.  But it paid off in the end.

Art Delibert
KB3FJO


  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Robert Conley<mailto:[hidden email]>
  To: [hidden email]<mailto:[hidden email]>
  Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 10:55 AM
  Subject: [Elecraft] monday


  I can hardly wait. My K1-2 (80/40) will be here Monday. I've built
  several smaller kits like the Rock mite etc. Nothing of this magnatude
  though. I ordered it Friday after Thanksgiving and it seems like I.ve
  been waiting forever for it to arrive. Meanwhile hoping to pick up
  building hints I've monitored this reflector. I've never used the side
  of a cardboard box but instead a 12" x 12" sheet of styrofoam from the
  craft store to hold the parts and DVM to check EVERY resistor  and
  VARIABLE TONE TESTER to check capacitors before mounting them on the
  pcb. This looks like the place to be should I have QUESTIONS or need a
  good sharp kick in the motivator [g]. 72/71 de "RC" kc5wa

  _______________________________________________
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