Building LVB Trackers The boring story,

Well today I'm gonna try to start and try to continue blogging.

It's a great Saturday morning. Why? Because I'm not working at the phone company! And the dog has been walked and we both have adjusted to the frigid temperatures we've had lately... It's 7 degrees.

This blog is mostly going to cover the status if the building LVB Tracker's I'm doing for AMSAT.
A place where anyone who cares can see the progress of the current build.

So far we have built at least 150 trackers perhaps more. I'm bad at records... don't have an accurate number. The last 11 were delivered to AMSAT this past week but we are still behind. In December Gould Smith, WA4SXM suggested we plan on building 10 per month. We've been behind since the project started in October 2007. That means we'll need 100 trackers by June!! I really had no idea how much work this was to become. Gould has been trying to help and get help.

A recent suggestion to change the design of the lcd cable totally pissed me off. Using punch down connector blocks and ribbon cable instead of the possibly more labor intensive cable we currently use. Lookey here:

This is the cable we currently use. (--->>>) It connects the lcd display to the trackers pcb. Yea I gotta cut, strip and crimp 12 wires for each cable assembly. It takes time... The last 20 I built took 2 evenings, maybe 3. I've done 30 over a weekend.

Here is how it looks on the tracker. ---->>> Looks nice... If something looks good it's probably good and will work good!

Ever buy a nasty looking brand new car?









Here's what was suggested we goto to save time.--->>> I don't like it. Don't think the connections are as good and have a better chance to go bad over time. Some of the connections on the connectors in the picture had to be soldered. Ever strip ribbon cable? And if you don't cut each wire to the correct lenth they bunch up. Can be difficult and I'd rather not go there. For a little more effort and time I like the cable we use now. My Dad always said "It takes only 10 percent more to go first class".




Here's the two together.---->>>> Form your own opinions. Thanks for reading my vent. The suggestions made were in a sincere effort to help me and the project. I'm a spoiled brat who wants everything my way. Not necessarily a good team player.







It's now 12:41 and my wife Sue and I just got back from breakfast. We eat breakfast every Saturday and Sunday morning at the Crooked River Grill in Munroe Falls, Ohio with our friends Barb and Dick Fournier. Today was special cause Barb's brother Bill and sister-in-law Cindy showed up and our friend Doris joined us. So we had a GREAT time.

Now I need to get started building trackers. Today we are going to start loading parts on the pcb's. There are 15 bare boards left in one of the packages so that is a good amount to build.
I have done 20 at a time and that is a bunch. You seem to mount and solder parts forever making little progress. Can be depressing.






<---Here's the pc boards as they arrive from the board house. So neatly packed... I hate to mess them up!





<---Bare board before we start loading parts.




















<---First we mount all the resistors.












<---Here's the workbench as we get ready to mount all the machined ic sockets. 3 per board.



<---Board with all the ic sockets mounted.













So that's Saturday afternoon and evenings progress. Doesn't seem like a lot but I also walked the dog twice. Had lunch and dinner. A QSO with my friend Tom, K8CNN and a very enjoyable Echolink QSO with Marty, WD0EFZ in Salt Lake City. And of course kept my eye on ebay. And spent some time (too much perhaps) learning and posting this on blogger.

Sunday we're gonna finish soldering on the machine sockets and try to finished the boards as much as possible. There are some parts I've run out of that should be in from Mouser on Monday.