DIY kit builders

[Guest guest]

markm wrote:

I built three LOR 16 ch. delux kits and 1 Ramsey fm25 transmitter kit this year. All worked fine on the first try. I'd never assembled an electronic kit before. Two things to help new guys with limited budgets and experience:

1) get a good magnifying light for $13 (cheap) here: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=31679

2) get a good pencil-type soldering-iron at Wal-Mart. only $9 and comes with 3 sizes of tips. Found it after buying 2 others at differnet places (D'OH!). Harbor Freight also sells a bigger, gun-type iron for the heavy-duty components like power terminal lugs and the fuse holders. I think it is $15.

Those two things will eliminate most of the aggrevation of building the kits and improve your results.

Well Said, The key to it all is Patience. Dont rush thru kits.



Mike

[Guest guest]

How long should it take a novice with some electronic kit building experience to build a 16 channel board kit?

[Guest guest]

njamateur wrote:

How long should it take a novice with some electronic kit building experience to build a 16 channel board kit?

Less then 3 hours... People have built the kit in less than an hour.

[Guest guest]

I like to take my time to minimize mistakes.

[Guest guest]

My first board took me 4-5 hours, since I wasn't sure about what I was doing and was afraid the board wouldn't work. I've had no PCB trouble-shooting experience and little knowledge of electronics. The last two boards took about 2 hours each. the LOR instruction manual is very good and the new blue boards are easier to assemble. My biggest problem: mounting the resister packs correctly (got one backwards). De-soldering an 8 pin pack is NOT FUN.

[Guest guest]

I have to say that the LOR kits are probably the BEST kits I have ever purchased as far as instructions and packaging go.

The boards are pretinned and masked. The instructions include RECENT pictures of the completed board. The instructions have a picture for locating the parts on each page. And generally, the kit is just easy.

Compare it to the Ramsey Fm100B kit- their pc board is not pretinned and mine was dirty and needed cleaning. The silkscreened part numbers were hard to read and some of the parts were difficult to know where they were to be located as there is NO PICTURE of the board with the parts like LOR usess.

The LOR board instructions are simply the best I have ever had. I've put together kits since the Heathkit days and even though the LOR board seems like it is a board designed for automated assembly, it is still great for hand soldering.

Again- what a great kit. I get a kick out of the assembly and enjoy it immensly.
My only gripe if any would be that I wish the kit (16 channel high power) was offered as a COMPLETE kit with enclosure, cords, and all.

RW

[Guest guest]

markm wrote:

snip...My biggest problem: mounting the resister packs correctly (got one backwards). De-soldering an 8 pin pack is NOT FUN.

I soldered R2 in backwards and caused the board to fail. This is a very good tip! I've noticed the instructions now have a highlight about getting the orientation right on the resistor networks. Please take your time and make sure you get the parts placed in the right direction. You'll be glad you did!

jeff

[Guest guest]

markm wrote:

I built three LOR 16 ch. delux kits and 1 Ramsey fm25 transmitter kit this year. All worked fine on the first try. I'd never assembled an electronic kit before. Two things to help new guys with limited budgets and experience:

1) get a good magnifying light for $13 (cheap) here:

2) get a good pencil-type soldering-iron at Wal-Mart. only $9 and comes with 3 sizes of tips. Found it after buying 2 others at differnet places (D'OH!). Harbor Freight also sells a bigger, gun-type iron for the heavy-duty components like power terminal lugs and the fuse holders. I think it is $15.

Those two things will eliminate most of the aggrevation of building the kits and improve your results.

Well Said, The key to it all is Patience. Dont rush thru kits.



Mike

I must also say Patience, Patience, Patience and double-checking everything before you solder. I also built 3 kits and a Ramsey tranmitter. When I got to the third board, I was getting cocky and in a hurry. I have assembled several projects over the years and it is easy to get in a hurry or begin to think you can't make a mistake. It pays to double-check your parts placement before you solder. Just try unsoldering a whole line of power terminal strips because you placed them on the board upside down. It was a really foolish mistake that I could have avoided with just 2 seconds of double-checking.

[Guest guest]

Don't go back to work on your board when the kids are fighting and yelling. I had all the pieces lined up in order and trying to be so efficient at building the second board. The first board went so smooth. Anyway, the kids were what it seemed like trying to reenact a scene from ultimate fighting. I got up so separate them and when I got back I was so frustrated I put in 3 parts and soldered them in place. As soon as I did that I realized I had just soldered the microprocessors in place. I hate to tell anyone this but I am afraid that I may have fried them. To scared to even try the board. If board does work are there any ways of taking them off or should I just leave them alone.

Remember DO NOT SOLIDER WHEN KIDS ARE FIGHTING !!!!!

[Guest guest]

clee wrote:

Don't go back to work on your board when the kids are fighting and yelling. I had all the pieces lined up in order and trying to be so efficient at building the second board. The first board went so smooth. Anyway, the kids were what it seemed like trying to reenact a scene from ultimate fighting. I got up so separate them and when I got back I was so frustrated I put in 3 parts and soldered them in place. As soon as I did that I realized I had just soldered the microprocessors in place. I hate to tell anyone this but I am afraid that I may have fried them. To scared to even try the board. If board does work are there any ways of taking them off or should I just leave them alone.

Remember DO NOT SOLIDER WHEN KIDS ARE FIGHTING !!!!!

As long as the chips are in correctly you should be okay. No harm in trying it.

[Guest guest]

I just started building the new kit and R17 was marked by a tab which matches the color code yellow-violet-yellow-gold. The photo of the completed board on page 12 shows a different resister yellow-violet-violet-gold, which is also in my box of parts, but has no mention in the parts list? Which one should I use for R17? and why was the second resister mentioned not included in parts list?:shock:

[Guest guest]

JDLitesUpKT wrote:

I just started building the new kit and R17 was marked by a tab which matches the color code yellow-violet-yellow-gold. The photo of the completed board on page 12 shows a different resister yellow-violet-violet-gold, which is also in my box of parts, but has no mention in the parts list? Which one should I use for R17? and why was the second resister mentioned not included in parts list?:shock:

Not sure what kit you are putting together. I noticed that the CTB16DK had a picture on page 12 and the CTB16PC did not (using the online versions of the documents).

R17 (470K) is marked by a tab with "R17" written on it. It is Yellow Violet Yellow..... Also in the parts list you will see that R17 is described as being Yellow Violet Yellow. In the manual there is also a restistor chart that describes a 470K resistor as being Yellow Violet Yellow.

I looked at the all manuals and did not see a Yellow Violet Violet in a picture. Is it possible that there is a coloration issue in the print.

You should go by the parts list....

There is not a yellow violet violet resistor in the kit but there is a yellow violet brown. That is R5....

[Guest guest]

The kit is CTB16KV6 with 40 AMP setup. I believe my eyes are just a tad weak and the R5 was being miss read. The violet and browns are alot alike.

Taking it slow and easy. Thanks for the reply.

JD

[Guest guest]

Read my post further up the thread - the light you are using in your work room can and will change the identifier color bands. Get out your trusty flashlight and have a look under a different light - it will amaze you especially if you have a fluorescent light above your head.

Experience teaches us many funny things.......



Happy trails!

[Guest guest]

I just got done putting 9 boards together, and they all tested ok! I want to thank Mary for the quick turnaround on a part I needed. I started with 2 fishing boxes with 16 compartmets each, then I labled each one as on page 9 the parts list. this did 2 things for me first it made sure that all the right parts were there, and second I did't have to look around for the part when it came time to assemble. I also bought on E-Bay a Weller soldering station. ( well worth the bucks ) I only mesed up on one board, It was my third one and I got over confident and put R1 where R15 went. I tried every thing I new how toget it out , but ended up cutting it. What a mistake that was. I later talked to my brother ( elec. eng. ) he told me they use a biology pick it's cheep and works great to open the holes, he also advise me to wash off all the boards when done using new acid brush with the brisles cut short using alcohol, he claims that the rozin will eat the board over a long time. well it's time to try to program my light show, it's the first time for that to. OH! bought 10 but one was compled for a copy.

Gerald

[Guest guest]

quackgr wrote:

I just got done putting 9 boards together, and they all tested ok! OH! bought 10 but one was compled for a copy.

Gerald

Wow, 160 channels year one...makes me feel better about my 80..

[Guest guest]

quackgr wrote:

[snip] he also advise me to wash off all the boards when done using new acid brush with the brisles cut short using alcohol, he claims that the rozin will eat the board over a long time[snip]
Gerald

Sounds like you did a good job!

The solder supplied with the LOR kits is not rosin core... It is a more expensive no-clean solder. It does not hurt at all to clean things when you are finished but the residue will not harm the board.

[Guest guest]

Got major problem. Computer that initialized the boards went down. I've got to use another computer to do the progamming and run the show. Do I have to now reprogram all ten boards to the new computer for the com ports? Also with Media player 11 and not using show director, do I have to have any other downloads to synchronize the show?

Gerald

[Guest guest]

quackgr wrote:

Got major problem. Computer that initialized the boards went down. I've got to use another computer to do the progamming and run the show. Do I have to now reprogram all ten boards to the new computer for the com ports? Also with Media player 11 and not using show director, do I have to have any other downloads to synchronize the show?

Gerald

You do not need to do anything to the cards. Not sure what you mean by "not using show director" But if you load the LOR software on another PC and you have your audio files and sequence files then you are ready to go.

The sequence files may need to be re-pointed to the audio files on the new machine. To do this, use the Sequence Editor: Open the sequence then click Edit->Audio File and select the audio file associated with this sequence. (This is only necessary if you get an error message when you attempt to play the sequence in the Sequence Editor).

[Guest guest]

I have built a couple of the ctb16pc complete kits here lately and they go together very well. They have worked right from plugging them in. Advice to help I would give is.

1. As much as (me) or any guy hates is read the manual first. be familiar with it before you start.

2. i use a white sheet or pillow case and lay it out on the table and this helps eliminate and parts rolling around and they stand out more if you lay them out. Just be careful to secure it somehow tape or something so it does not get snagged on something and wonder off attached to you or someone.

3. use a tray or egg carton or some type of container and separate your parts to help in locating them when ready for that particular part in assembly.

4. plenty of light and as mentioned earlier a magnifying glass helps allot in checking joints and in connecting them.

5. if you are going to do allot of soldering invest in a good quality iron or soldering station if you can.

6. double check the identity of each component before soldering it to the board.

Like i said the pc kit goes together well and was fun. just take your time limit distractions, take breaks rest mind, body, soul, and eyes:shock: (:laughing:) and you will have something to be proud of and that works in the end.

Hope this helps.