The KX1 was done just as you say, Vic. Elecraft pre-populated the pc board with the DDS chip and the builder adds the rest.
Y'know a lot of builders find SMDs too small. Shoot, some even find current 1/4 or 1/8 watt leaded resistors too small, and I do sympathize with the issue of trying the read those microscopic numbers on capacitors and other parts, but needing a microscope and loupe are not going to interfere with the fun of building my own gear. I, too, hope Elecraft keeps producing new kits, even SMD kits. It all depends upon whether there are enough people to buy them out there. People like the American QRP club have some interesting kits, including many using SMDs. I've considered getting their net Antenna Analyzer http://www.amqrp.org/kits/micro908/ QRP enthusiasts remain for me some of the most inspiring and interesting operators on the air. It's great to see the continued interest in home-brewing. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- I know how you feel. I recently bought a W1 wattmeter. I sort of needed another wattmeter, but really I wanted to sit down, turn on some classical music, and solder parts to a neat little board. I still get a kick when something I build works, even if it is a well-planned kit! I've built some stuff with surface mount parts. It's not so hard, although it's annoying when something goes flying. They seem to enter the 4th dimension before landing. I always keep some surface-mount diodes, resistors, and caps handy; hopefully the one that vanishes will be a common one. One thing that Elecraft can do is supply boards with multi-pin surface-mount parts already attached, and you can add through-hole components to finish it. They didn't do this with the K3 because of the difficulty of testing the partially-populated boards -- at least, I think this was the reason -- but it's practical with simpler kits. -- 73, Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco ______________________________________________________________ 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
