ILER-20 MK2 SSB QRP Transceiver Kit
Page 5
PLEASE
READ
ALL
OF
THE
ASSEMBLY
INSTRUCTIONS COMPLETELY AT LEAST ONCE
BEFORE BEGINNING.
TIPS FOR FIRST TIME BUILDERS
Tools required:
- A 15-30w soldering iron with fine tip, small wire cutters for cutting component leads, wire strippers,
long-nose pliers, needle-nose pliers, X-Acto knife, screwdriver for M3 screws, alignment tool for
adjusting IF transformers.
- You will need a good light and a magnifying glass to see the fine print on the components and other
assembly details.
Instruments required:
- Multimeter, oscilloscope (desirable but not essential), frequency counter or HF receiver, RF power
meter, dummy load: 5W - 50 Ohms, RF generator (desirable but not essential).
Soldering:
There are two important things which need to be done to insure successful operation of a kit. The first is
to put the component into the proper place on the circuit board; the second is good soldering.
To solder properly, you must use a high-quality solder for electronics use and the correct type of iron.
Use a small soldering iron with a fine, pointed tip. The soldering iron should be about 15-30 watts (if it is
not thermostatically controlled). Use only high-quality electronic type solder. NEVER use any extra flux.
You should hold the hot soldering iron in contact with both the circuit board and the component lead for
about two seconds to heat them up. Then, keeping the soldering iron in place, touch the solder at the
junction of the lead and trace and wait about two seconds or so until the solder flows between the
terminal and the trace to form a good joint. Now remove the soldering iron. The soldering iron should
have been in contact with the work piece for a total time of about 4 seconds. After soldering each joint,
you should clean the soldering tip, removing any excess solder. This prevents mixing in old solder and
residues from previous soldering operations.
