Rework-Free K2 Assembly

A rework-free “Option Ready” K2 is one in which the three main cir­cuit boards were ful­ly pop­u­lat­ed dur­ing its ini­tial as­sem­bly.  We re­fer to this build­ing tech­nique as “our re­work-free al­ter­nate as­sem­bly meth­od”.  Our ap­proach in­cor­po­rates un-mod­ule op­tion by­pass head­ers, plus the fol­low­ing ad­di­tion­al parts which mount on the K2’s main cir­cuit boards, but which are pro­vid­ed with as­so­ci­at­ed K2 op­tions rath­er than with the base K2 …

• Components:  (9) caps, (2) diodes, (2) resistors, (1) resistor net­work, and (1) transistor.
• Connectors:  (9) SIP jacks, (2) 2-pin plugs, and (1) DIP ter­mi­nal strip.
• Some coax cable, miscellaneous jumper wire, and heat shrink tubing.
• (4) standoffs and their associated mounting hardware.

Our Rework Eliminators™ Companion Guides use an­no­tat­ed K2 man­ual pag­es to pre­sent the de­tailed in­struc­tions for build­ing a re­work-free “Op­tion Ready” K2.  The as­sem­bly meth­od it­self ac­tu­al­ly pre­dates our orig­inal guide by about six months, and has been in use since the sum­mer of 2005 by build­ers who were con­tent to fol­low what amount­ed to lit­tle more than the sum­mary ta­ble shown at right.

The value of our method be­comes ap­par­ent when add­ing op­tions to your K2.  The two main ben­e­fits being:

1. That no PCB rework is required.
2. That repeated significant disassembly of the en­clo­sure is avoid­ed.  (With our meth­od, only the top cov­er need be re­moved.)

Given that rework (even when it’s performed prop­er­ly) can af­fect a print­ed cir­cuit board’s re­li­abil­ity, it fol­lows that our as­sem­bly meth­od can po­ten­tial­ly improve the re­li­abil­ity of your radio.

Our website offers a wealth of in­for­ma­tion about our re­work-free al­ter­nate as­sem­bly meth­od.  Here is where you’ll find it …

• News & Site Updates – especially see …
  • Wayne’s Comments:  “when to use them, and why” – (30 November 2006)
  • Simplified Rework-Free K2 Assembly Instructions – (15 January 2007)
  • Companion Guide II – (16 August 2007).
• Customer Remarks – unsolicited user comments about our kits, method, and documentation.
• “Class 2” Builders for Hire – if you would prefer a pre-built K2, our method is the best way to have one custom built for your needs.
• Frequently Asked Questions – a thor­ough dis­cus­sion ad­dress­ing how our ap­proach dif­fers from the tra­di­tion­al as­sem­bly meth­od.
• What Else Do I Need? – this ta­ble makes it easy to see which of our parts kits you need.  (You also need our Head­ers kit.)
• Product Specifications – de­tailed spec­ifi­ca­tions of our ac­ces­so­ries and our Du­pli­cate K2 PCB Parts kits.  (These parts kits are in­te­gral to our as­sem­bly meth­od if you are build­ing a stock or only par­tial­ly load­ed K2.)
• Download Documentation – the actual rework-free as­sem­bly in­struc­tions:
  • Use our original Companion Guide with Elecraft’s previous rev. F (January 2004) K2 manual.
  • Use our new Companion Guide II with Elecraft’s new rev. G (May 2007) K2 manual.
• Order Online or by Mail – use our secure online shop­ping cart, or our mail-in order form.  (US cus­tom­ers can also or­der by phone, al­though with some re­stric­tions.)
• About/Contact Us – we are just an email away if you have a ques­tion about our in­struc­tions, or are un­sure about what to pur­chase.
• Understanding Un-Modules – lots of use­ful in­for­ma­tion, in­clud­ing:  sche­mat­ics, our own for­mal def­ini­tion, and the orig­inal KE1L home­brew ar­ti­cle.  Un-mod­ules are a key tech­nol­ogy that make our as­sem­bly meth­od pos­si­ble.  Be­yond that role, they are also handy for trou­ble­shoot­ing and ex­peri­men­ta­tion.
• Other Resources (Links) – as a min­imum, you should down­load the man­uals for the K2 op­tions that you have not yet pur­chased.