Mark and folks, IF one is familiar with the KX1 basic circuits AND the KXB3080 circuits, AND IF one has very cood and methodical troubleshooting techniques if something goes wrong, AND IF you can integrate two sets of instructions, AND IF you have a VERY high confidence in your ability to properly follow all the instructions correctly the FIRST time through AND to work without error - then by all means, add the KXB3080 option at the same time as the initial KX1 build.
BUT --- if you are lacking in ANY ONE of the above criteria, I recommend highly that you complete and test the basic KX1 before tackling the KXB3080 (the KXB3080 LPF board requires a lot of care and is where many builders have trouble). Yes, there is one thing that you can do to save removing one component - put L6 on the back side of the board when assembling the base KX1. Be aware that the base KX1 cannot be properly tested independently withe the KXB3080 parts installed and you may not know where the failure has occurred should something not work in the end. To make matters worse, the KXB3080 board covers a number of base KX1 components and solder connections, and should a problem in the base KX1 be discovered, you may have to remove the KXB3080 just to troubleshoot the base KX1. Yes, I routinely build up the KX1 and the KXB3080 together myself, but then I have built many of them. I did not attempt that feat until the 5th one that I had built - there is just too much that can go wrong - even things that are easily corrected in the base KX1 become complex to repair if the combination is all in place. It is true that things are very tight for de-soldering - after all, this is a small handheld transceiver, and even a Hakko 808 with the standard tip will not reach them all, you need the long slender tip. Instead of worrying about the de-soldering, just plan to destroy the components when removing them - remove the legs one at a time (all components to be removed have only 2 legs) and clean out the hole with careflully positioned solder wick or just push a stainless steel needle into the hole while heating it. Work very carefully and be certain you know exactly where all parts of the soldering iron are positioned at all times - it is easy to melt a relay or other components while working in those tight quarters. 73, Don W3FPR > -----Original Message----- > > Okay, so I got a KX1, KXB3080 & KXAT1 for Christmas from my XYL > (first time she has ever bought me anything for the hobby, > YEAH!). A couple of years ago I built my K2 with all > accessories and haven't really had any issues. I had > preinstalled some of the components in the K2 to make things > easier when it came time to install the other modules later, and > I'm glad I did. So far we have two differences of opinion on the > subject with the KX1. Is there any particular reason others see > for doing it one way or the other? Obviously, following the > directions explicitly is a sure fire recipe toward success, > although problems can still occur. I just don't really see the > need to be so explicit if there are some smart things that can be > done to make future planned (short term) upgrades easier. I > think that as long as the modifications in the assembly do not > result in different results when attempting to do alignment or > testing then it should not matter. > > Mark, NK8Q > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.15.29/608 - Release Date: 12/29/2006 8:22 AM _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] 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
