Take a look at this NASA page on zero gravity soldering. Just look at that rosin go!
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/16aug_solder/
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http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm
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Sunday, May 27, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Communal Shacks: TechShops
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-05-23/techshop-paradise-for-tinkerers#p1
We've talked about these places before. Lots of potential here! I'm pleased to see that one of them is coming to my area.
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
We've talked about these places before. Lots of potential here! I'm pleased to see that one of them is coming to my area.
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Labels:
workbench
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Update from the QRP Ranch
Bill,
Really enjoyed SolderSmoke 143, great job as always.
I wanted to fill you in on the happenings at the WA6ARA QRP Ranch. A bunch of us are doing a kit build. We meet at the QRP Ranch Man Cave for a few hours of building several times a week. Several of us are building the 40 meter SSB rig that won the homebrew challenge a couple years ago and there are a couple BTX20s and 17 meter rigs being built as well. I'd like to say they are from scratch but alas, we are building them from Hendrick's QRP kits. The first one has been completed, a BTX17, by a 15 year old Extra Class ham in about 3 days. BTW - he already had WAS and DXCC. The next project is the W6JL 50 watt amplifier that won the amplifier homebrew challenge. I am building both the 40 meter and the BTX17 rigs. The 40 meter rig, plus amp is going in a ammo can and then in the jeep for back country emergency use. I've enclosed a couple of photos, including the required chocolate chip cookies to keep the gang going and the solar oven to cook them in.
--
Mike Herr
WA6ARA
DM-15dp
Home of The QRP Ranch
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Really enjoyed SolderSmoke 143, great job as always.
I wanted to fill you in on the happenings at the WA6ARA QRP Ranch. A bunch of us are doing a kit build. We meet at the QRP Ranch Man Cave for a few hours of building several times a week. Several of us are building the 40 meter SSB rig that won the homebrew challenge a couple years ago and there are a couple BTX20s and 17 meter rigs being built as well. I'd like to say they are from scratch but alas, we are building them from Hendrick's QRP kits. The first one has been completed, a BTX17, by a 15 year old Extra Class ham in about 3 days. BTW - he already had WAS and DXCC. The next project is the W6JL 50 watt amplifier that won the amplifier homebrew challenge. I am building both the 40 meter and the BTX17 rigs. The 40 meter rig, plus amp is going in a ammo can and then in the jeep for back country emergency use. I've enclosed a couple of photos, including the required chocolate chip cookies to keep the gang going and the solar oven to cook them in.
--
Mike Herr
WA6ARA
DM-15dp
Home of The QRP Ranch
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Labels:
BITX20,
Clubs,
Solar power
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Two great sites from Rogier
Our Bay Area correspondent Rogier (orignally PA1ZZ, now KJ6ETL) recently sent us links to two very interesting sites. The first is a collection of Jean Shepherd programs. EXCELSIOR!
http://www.flicklives.com/Mass_Back/massbackpodcast.xml
The second is a collection of electronics tutorial videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Afrotechmods?feature=watch
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Labels:
Jean Shepherd,
video
Friday, May 18, 2012
Feynman on Electricity
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Labels:
Feynman -- Richard,
Physics,
video
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Has your solder EXPIRED?
Wow, here's another thing to worry about: Has your solder expired? Is it past its "use by" date?
This came up in the discussion of the Heathkit voltmeter being built on the Evil Mad Scientist blog (see our post on this from a few days ago). One commenter wrote:
None the less, the solder manufacturers are explicitly clear on the subject.
Alpha, the manufacturer of the solder included with this kit, says of (at least one of their) flux-cored solders, "If >36 months from manufacture, please submit sample to Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials for testing."
What happens when it expires? Does the smoke start to smell bad? Steve Smith -- please help us out here.
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
This came up in the discussion of the Heathkit voltmeter being built on the Evil Mad Scientist blog (see our post on this from a few days ago). One commenter wrote:
If you ever look at a spool of solder-- one made for use in industry --it will have an expiration date. And that date always seems surprisingly soon, to us.
Here in Silicon Valley, we regularly purchase solder (including
flux-cored 60/40) that is discounted because it is sold after its
stamped expiration date-- sometimes as much as five years past. To us,
this is just "a good deal." We've had some spools work better than
others, and it would be very hard for us to *prove* that one is "bad"
because it's old.
None the less, the solder manufacturers are explicitly clear on the subject.
Kester, one of the most important manufacturers, says "Flux
cored solder wire has a limited shelf life determined by the alloy used
in the wire. For alloys containing more than 70% lead, the shelf life
is two years from date of manufacture. Other alloys have a shelf life
of three years from date of manufacture."
Source: http://www.kester.com/Portals/0/Knowledge_Base_Articles/Shelf_Life_Policy.pdf
Alpha, the manufacturer of the solder included with this kit, says of (at least one of their) flux-cored solders, "If >36 months from manufacture, please submit sample to Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials for testing."
Source: http://alphacpmd.com/~/media/Files/CooksonElectronics/TB-RELIACORE15-WRC-USAPE-SM334-9%20%2010-09-28.pdf
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Labels:
solder
Sibeband Inversion: 9 MHz, 5 MHz, and the ARRL Handbook
The 2006 ARRL Handbook had it right. Jeremiah went back and took a look:
Bill:
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Bill:
I have a comment about the question of the
LSB/USB convention mentioned in the most recent SolderSmoke podcast and
the follow up blog post:
I checked the 2006 Handbook and there is a sidebar
(page 9.27) explaining the 5/9 MHz connection with the Lower/Upper
Sideband convention in use today. It explains that there was a popular
rig that used a 5 MHz VFO and a 9 MHZ IF that were mixed to create the
75/20 meter RF signals. This is certainly a reasonable method, but
would not result in the inversion. The article then goes on to explain,
however, that other rigs used a 5 MHz tunable IF and a 9 MHz local
oscillator which would indeed result in sideband inversion and thus the
convention we use today.
73,
Jeremiah, KB0OFF
Our book: "SolderSmoke -- Global Adventures in Wireless Electronics" http://soldersmoke.com/book.htm Our coffee mugs, T-Shirts, bumper stickers: http://www.cafepress.com/SolderSmoke Our Book Store: http://astore.amazon.com/contracross-20
Labels:
radio history,
SSB
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