May 8, 2012
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Project Building Tips
So how do you go about building up a project that you see in QST or QEX magazine? Is it an excruciating effort to collect the parts and get started? Or perhaps do you see it all as a big adventure and dive into things before evening thinking through some of the issues about to be tackled?
Well, the discussion this week may give you some ideas for closing the loop on how to get your next new project built up. Whether it's a source of parts, some old tools used in new ways, or just some ideas you might get from the years and years of bench experience that Joe, George and others bring, we pretty much guarantee that you'll come away from the session with some fresh ideas that you'll be itching to try out on the bench!
73, George N2APB & Joe N2CX
Audio Recording ... (Listen to MP3 recording)
Text Log ...
?<20:11:25> "W2AEW - Alan": Do
you have a source for one of these circular punches?
?<20:11:45> "George - N2APB": Yep, it's a Harbor Freight tool. Will get the
number.
?<20:12:50> "Pete - WB2QLL": I make pads out of the fingers of old pc cards.
Just cut 'em off and make 'em as long as you need.
?<20:15:17> "George - N2APB": I also use a small, 4" high-speed hobby circular
saw (again from Harbor Freight!) to cut long, thin strips of the pcb material,
then cut off little square pieces, about 1/8"-square
?<20:16:44> "Mike WA8BXN": The harbor freight punch that makes the round pads
can put a little "peak" on one side of the pad, be sure to put the peak up when
gluing them down
?<20:17:10> "Mike KD5KXF": or file hat point off... if filed flush you wont get
that peak
?<20:18:03> "Ray K2ULR": Everclear (grain alcohol) might also be a good
solvent.. (good old white lightning). :)
?<20:18:09> "Kelly K4UPG": What is best way to place the pads to keep from
touching them with my fingers? Do you use tongs?
?<20:18:48> "Joe N2CX":
http://www.njqrp.org/islanderpadcutter/index.html
?<20:19:00> "Mike KD5KXF": I usually have superglue covering my fingers so it
isnt an issue Kelly
?<20:19:12> "Mike WA8BXN": I use tweezers/tongs so I don't get the super glue on
my fingers. once positioned i press down with a small screwdriver
?<20:20:51> "Joe N2CX":
http://www.njqrp.org/islanderamp/Islander%20Amp%20Manual%20v1.pdf
?<20:22:38> "Mike KD5KXF": Do you do a lot of preplanning before gluing Mikey?
?<20:22:43> "Sam KD0QJL": Harbor Freight in my area does not have a hand punch
but Grizzly does. Here's the link
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Portable-Hand-Punch/G8780 . I use it
and it works great.
?<20:23:13> "Frank N3PUU": those are often referred to as "roper whitney" hand
punches
?<20:23:47> "Joe N2CX": Harbor freight does not always carry the hand punch
Northern tools is another source.
?<20:24:23> "Mike WA8BXN": I have sometimes sketched out a section of circuit on
paper before doing the pads. like each stage from the schematic
?<20:24:54> "Pete - WB2QLL": There is a difference between brand name and off
brand cyanoacrylate!
?<20:25:34> "Larry - W2HHV": This is a neat audible continuity checker for
verifying isolation between adjacent pads:
http://www.carnut.info/star-parts/pcbs/buzzer.htm
?<20:25:39> "Joe N2CX": There are test poiins shown on a pc board half way down
the page
?<20:27:37> "Joe N2CX": One can also put more circuitry on the bottom side of
the board but use standoffs!
?<20:29:03> "Mike WA8BXN": I have never had a worry about shorts between
adjacent pads
?<20:33:25> "W2AEW - Alan": Be careful with NiCd - very low internal resistance!
?<20:33:31> "Mike KD5KXF": if you are cutting rectangular pads for ic's and
using saw or similar for the separate traces it is good to use a DMM to check
for lack of continuity between them
?<20:34:40> "Mike WA8BXN": What about a low voltage dial light with appropriate
current --- like putting one in series with a crystal, provides protection and
indication of high current draw
?<20:38:07> "Joe N2CX": <http://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=MEP>
?<20:38:24> "Joe N2CX": That was link for ME PADS
?<20:41:01> "Joe N2CX": Rex's grid of pads board is mint-tin sized
?<20:44:30> "Curt WB8YYY": K3PEG is the well known guru for extreme manhattan of
2n2 and Islander
?<20:45:41> "W2AEW - Alan": Take care with RF circuits with plug boards - lots
of parasitic capacitance and inductance with them
?<20:46:23> "Curt WB8YYY": yes here for example --
http://www.learnmorsecode.com/k3peg.html
?<20:50:09> "George - N2APB": Great collection of John KE3S use of copperclad in
homebrew projects ...
http://www.midnightdesignsolutions.com/atlanticon/atlanticon%202003/pics/hires/cawthorne-table.jpg
?<20:50:24> "Mike WA8BXN": cut boards with a heavy duty paper cutter?
?<20:50:51> "W2AEW - Alan": A fine toothed blade in a tabletop scroll/jig saw
works well too
?<20:50:59> "George - N2APB": Another view of Jim Kortge's manhattan style
construction ... 2N2/30 transceiver:
http://www.midnightdesignsolutions.com/atlanticon/atlanticon%202003/pics/hires/2n2-30-1.jpg
?<20:51:59> "George - N2APB": And Nancy Feeny NJ8B projects of copperclad
construction ...
http://www.midnightdesignsolutions.com/atlanticon/atlanticon%202003/pics/hires/feeney-project-table-2.jpg
?<20:54:11> "Joe N2CX": WB8RCR has some software to do panel artwork
?<20:59:24> "Joe N2CX": Terry WA0ITP has a good presentation on doing custom
panel artwork on his website www.wa0itp.com
?<21:01:48> "Joe N2CX": I believe that Dymo labels with clear backing and white
lettering are available.
?<21:04:11> "Mike WA8BXN": if you are printing on clear film and can print the
black background around clear (white) lettering, could you spray the back with
white paint?
?<21:05:22> "Curt WB8YYY": another nice link with MEsquares -
http://aa7ee.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/the-wbr-a-simple-high-performance-regen-receiver-for-40m-by-n1byt/
?<21:09:38> "Howie - K3HW": Are the "L" brackets for BNC's, connectors, and
other panel mount devices available from a vendor or are they homebrew?
?<21:10:29> "Mike WA8BXN": you can make L brackets from aluminum angle stock cut
to length
?<21:16:59> "Terry WB4JFI": I use a five-drawer plastic roll-around cart, with
audio/video in one drawer, RF adaptors in the next, DC adaptors and common
walwarts in the next, short audio cables in the next, and short RF cables in the
last. The cart sits under my bench, but can roll our for easy access.
?<21:18:02> "Terry WB4JFI": RF step attenuators (surplus or homebrew) are also
very nice accessories.
?<21:20:11> "Mike WA8BXN": What is the story about the last picture - Holding
down the soldiering iron cradle?
?<21:21:17> "George - N2APB": Well, the soldering iron holder has strong
double-sticky tape (or velcro) to hold it fast to the table. Otherwise, the
holder will move around a lot when replacing the iron into the holder.
?<21:22:05> "George - N2APB": Thus when you have a messy bench (such as mine),
you don't push the junk around all over the table.
?<21:22:09> "Mike WA8BXN": Thanks George, good idea!
?<21:23:36> "Howie - K3HW": I use waxed dental floss for lacing and bundling
cables using the old fashioned "wire harness" method.
?<21:25:56> "W2AEW - Alan": Those litttle stray pieces of shield wire are known
as Murphy's Whiskers
?<21:26:27> "George - N2APB": Ha! Yes, Bill (of SolderSmoke fame) mentioned that
too. How true and aptly-named!
?<21:27:03> "Mike KD5KXF": Great presentation, thank you very much!!!
?<21:27:15> "Frank N3PUU": thanks guys, that was a fun one!
?<21:27:35> "Howie - K3HW": Great session
?<21:27:45> "Terry WB4JFI": thanks guys! another great discussion
?<21:28:28> "Russ G3OTH": Thanks George and Joe 73
?<21:28:34> "Ray K2ULR": 73
?<21:28:38> "George - N2APB": Dental floss for wrapping cables ... great idea
Howie! (Hopefully it's unused floss?)
SESSION NOTES ... "Project Building Tips" [Photos and diagrams yet to be added ... GH]
