LVB Tracker 13 days till Dayton Hamvention

Another boring Saturday blog... Guess that's a poor way to start but that's the way I feel about it.

12:35pm

We're still working on cutting and stripping wires for the button assemblies. At this point I think it's too much trying to do 90... well actually, we're doing 87... it's all the switches I have. But then we have 6 assemblies from the last build.

This morning we had to ship a tracker to a member who's original unit never arrived. I sure hope it was insured.... I'd hate to loose 200 bucks and the time I put into building it. Also sent out my PCR1500 to Gould for use at the AMSAT booth at Hamvention.... something about SuitSat. To those unfamiliar with packing and shipping.... it can be a chore and is here. Took all the idle time before going to breakfast. Home from breakfast around 10:30 then off to get a haircut. And later this afternoon when the grass dries out IT HAS TO GET CUT!!! Many of the neighbors have cut their lawns twice already so you can guess how ours looks. I hate doing it especially when there is no time due to the tracker project. And the CRG website needs the Mother's Day Menu added. Worked on that a little during breakfast. Have a plan of attack and hopefully that won't take too much time. Another issus is sleep.... I can't seem to get enough... Last evening I was stripping button assy wires.... someone on my repeater brought up a website in Canada on Echolink... The connect message from that node said something about SVXLINK... a linux version of Echolink GOT MY ATTENTION... So over to the pc I went and while researching SVXLINK....I FELL ASLEEP!!!! ZONK CITY!!!! Woke up about 11:30pm and went ot bed.... sucks.... In my younger years I could get by with 4 hours a night... NOT NOW... sucks...

12:50pm back to the tracker project...

2:32pm
We FINALLY finished stripping the wire that is a common to all the switches. Again, 90 is too many... you get a sense of getting nowhere while stripping away... and before you strip the wire they need to be marked for stripping after they are cut.

Above is the jig used to build the button assemblies. The lower part of the pic we see the common wire connected between 4 switches. It's the first wire applied in the building process. Above that we see the common wire after it is stripped. Then at the top is the completed button assembly.

2:46pm Back to work... the remaining 4 wires need to be stripped. Fortunately the ends of the wires are all that need stripped. The bad part is they need to be marked before stripping which is another step... 90 is too many but if we can get thru this we'll be ahead of the game for a change. Boards won't be here till the end of next week so this is time well spent. I hope.

3:42pm UP button wires are stripped and ready for assembly. Will try to do another before breaking to cut grass.

4:28pm LEFT button wires are stripped and ready for assembly. It gets darker later now. Do you think I could put off cutting the grass for later? I'm on a roll ! ! ! Rufus will need a walk any time now but I shall proceed anyway.

5:16pm UP button wires are stripped and ready for assembly. I'm on a roll!!! Right button is all that is left so I'm gonna work on them until interrupted by someone.

6:00pm RIGHT button wires are stripped and ready for assembly. UNBELIEVABLE... It must get easier with practice... or... as I worked the wires got longer. Perhaps the added length made it easier to do them... Don't matter... Hopefully later tonite I will get started assembling button assemblies. It would be awesome to get them done this weekend.