VEC-121K Owner's Manual
Crystal Radio Set Kit
2
4.
Ruler or tape measure.
A small 12” ruler or flexible tape measure will do.
5.
Small penknife.
A penknife, or small Exacto
TM
knife, is needed to scrape
off wire insulation. If you aren’t old enough to use a knife, a small section of
sandpaper will do.
6.
Small Hammer.
It will be used with a finishing nail to mark where the
screw holes are placed on the pine board.
7.
Small-Screwdriver or Hex-Tool
. Size to fit the set screw in the tuning
knob--depending on which type of knob is supplied with your kit.
Radio Shack carries many inexpensive small hand tools for electronics work.
Here are some items that will come handy:
1.
Masking tape.
2.
Cyanoacrylate adhesive.
This is the fancy name for contact cement, which
is sold as “Super Glue
TM
” or “Crazy Glue
TM
”. You’ll use the contact cement
to hold the coil windings in place. These adhesives are very strong, and can
instantly glue your fingers together if you are not careful! If you are not old
enough to work with contact cements, have someone who is older help you
when gluing is directed in the instructions. The glues used to assemble
plastic model airplanes are safer to work with and may also be used instead
of super glue. However, they will require a longer time to dry. Always have
an adult advise and supervise your use of any chemicals!
WOODWORKING AND FINISHING (OPTIONAL)
Perhaps this is your first kit building experience, or your first homemade
receiver project. If so, your VEC-121K crystal receiver will be a source of pride
for many years to come. Before assembling this kit, you might wish to consider
sanding and staining the pine board—this will bring out the beauty of the wood,
and make your project look as if it was done by an “
old pro”
. Many early radios
were built in what was called “breadboard” fashion. The radio parts were laid
out on a small section of wood board.
Early radio parts were very expensive, even a simple crystal radio set could cost
a week’s pay! Most experimenters had to improvise. Often an old breadboard
(used to roll out bread dough) was used as a base to mount radio parts. If you
were well-to-do, your “breadboard” was probably a fine piece of mahogany or
walnut board!
Sanding:
Before applying a stain finish, carefully sand the pine board using 200
grit sandpaper. When sanding the surfaces, always sand in the direction of the
grain to avoid scratching the wood. The two board edges that expose the end
