Just to add to Ron's comment (and merely conjecture on my part):
I would guess the pc boards in the K3 kit are tested in a standard "jig" which connects the various boards and subassemblies so that it may be fully tested as it would be connected in a fully factory assembled unit.
I worked for an electronic manufacturer many years ago and that is how all the boards were tested in engineering. In our case the test jig had little spring-loaded pointed contacts to the underside of the pcb to make contacts for testing. A board was set in the jig and pressed down with a cam hinged mini arm, board run thru operational tests, then released.
I was an engineering technician so mainly aided in NAVY acceptance pre-testing plus doing testing of engineering prototypes. We actually found all the 'bugs", made up fixes, and documented them to feedback to the design engineers who then incorporated these into a re-design. A couple loops thru this process resulted in good operational designs. It was an ideal job for a "ham" who is used to tinkering.
Later in one project, production required our "expertise in fixing" to debug production units. Apparently, the engineers ignored some of our input (smile). Since the production line was union labor I could not physically do anything to help their QA techs. We could only stand beside them and talk them thru different procedures and fixes. After awhile the QA tech picked our "tricks" well enough that my shift was very boring.
In today's electronic production lines auto-matic testing is very common. The unit under test is installed and a computer controlled test station does all the tests producing a test report. Failed boards go back for either repair or the junk bin.
Now I have no ideas how the Elecraft production line actually works (that would be very interesting to hear about).
Regarding SMD construction, factory processes are very much superior to hand installation (and faster). For the most part is does not make sense to make SMD board kits for assembly by hams. The K3 "kit" is the practical way to go in today's electronic technology. Much higher reliability results. You will find the few outfits, that sell SMD kit boards, preassemble much of the more critical components leaving only basic chip resistors, caps, transformers and transistors to install. I am one of the dying breed of SMD skilled repair techs. Almost all new electronic repair is relegated to board exchange troubleshooting. On my last job I was outsourced because there was little need of my expertise anymore.
73, Ed - KL7UW ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
