1. Softrock 20m SDR RX Buildathon Radio Play Days 11 July 2009
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

2. The Circuit
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

3. The kit
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

4. Stages of the Build PS – Power Supply LO – Local Oscillator
2 ceramic caps; 1 SMT cap; 1 diode; 1 TO-92 voltage regulator; 9V power lead
Smoke Test Station
LO – Local Oscillator
3 ceramic caps; 1 SMT cap; 2 transistors; 7 resistors; 1 XTAL
Smoke, Frequency Test Stations
DIV – Dividers/Phasers
7 SMT caps; 2 SMT ICs
SMT, Smoke, and Frequency Test Stations
OPAMP – Operational Amplifiers
3 ceramic caps; 8 resistors; 1 SMT IC
SMT, Smoke, and Op-Amp Test Stations
BPF – Bandpass Filter
2 ceramic caps; 1 coil; 1 transformer
MIX – Mixer
2 ceramic caps; 2 resistors
CONN – Connect and go
Stereo cable /plug (or jack); antenna coax; PC; software
Final Test Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

5. Fixtures/ Elmer Stations
1. Smoke Test –
DMM (test current draw, limited and unlimited)
2. SMT (IC installation,)
Soldering; Heat gun; Tweezers; lighted magnifier; Panavise Jr.
3. OpAmp Test (voltage gain)
DMM; 10k resistors; clip leads (builder “borrows” resistors/leads)
4. Inductors (winding, tinning)
DMM; Clamps; Paste Flux/Solder; Soldering Iron; extra #30 Magnet Wire; extra cores; ruler
5. Freq Test (LO, Div, phasing, audio I/Q)
Freq meter; Sig generator; dual trace scope
6. Final Test (receiving)
PC with SDR software; Stereo Soundcard; 20m dipole antenna or hamstick
7. Rework/Troubleshooting
Club-furnished solder (63/ ”), RG-174 Coax, spare parts
Solder wick, flux, heat gun, solder station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

6. Builder’s Station
DMM
Soldering Station: .032” or smaller tip; .015” solder
Vise/Board Holder/Jig
Bright light, with magnification
Diagonal Cutters
Wire strippers
Tweezers recommended
Uncoated Cookie sheet: 8 x 10 or 11 x 14 w/grounding lead
Power strip
Safety glasses
9V battery
Power leads (red/black, mate with 9V battery)
Stereo cable with stereo mini plug (or stereo jack)
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

7. Builder Station Infrastructure
See Infrastructure Details
Checklist:
☐Kit, with Components Organized(We do not have spare kits!
☐DMM(labeled with your call)
☐Solder Station(labeled with your call)
☐3rd Hand/Vise(labeled with your call)
☐Light and Magnification(labeled with your call)
☐Cookie sheet(labeled with your call)
☐Tweezers
☐Stripper
☐Cutter
☐Power Strip(labeled with your call)
☐Connectors
☐Grounding wire/clip
☐PC(Optional)(labeled with your call)
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

8. Process – Pre-Build Day
Before build day, each registered builder does prep-work:
Reviews “Getting Ready” Instructions (downloadable PDF)
Studys & prints out documentation pages
Prints out Stage BOMs and organizes BOM components by stage
Obtains Builder Station Infrastructure Items
(Optional) Loads Winrad and Rocky to PC (if have PC)
(Optional) Winds coil and transformer at home before coming to Buildathon
Pack “build-day kit”
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

9. Process – Build Day Each builder to a build station (“home”)
Builder goes through each stage:
PS: test at smoke test station; back to home for remaining tests.
LO: test at smoke test, freq test stations ; back to home for remaining tests.
DIV: go to SMT station for ICs (do caps at builder station); test at smoke test, freq test stations ; back to home for remaining tests.
OP-AMP: go to SMT station for IC; test at smoke test, OpAmp Test stations ; back to home for remaining tests.
BPF: wind coils, tin leads at Inductor Station ; back to home for remaining tests.
MIX: test at smoke test ; back to home for remaining tests.
EXT CONN: test at freq test station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

10. Smoke Test Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

11. Smoke Test Procedure Start Select Resistor 1k 100 Record Limited
Value”
Press
“TEST”
Record
Unlimited
Value
DMM On
< Nominal Value
Current vs.
Nominal
Connect
Board
DMM OFF,
Stop
>= Nominal Value
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

12. Frequency Test Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

13. SMT Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

14. Op-Amp Test Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

15. Inductors Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

16. Final Test Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009

17. Rework Elmer Station
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MARS Buidathon 11 Jul 2009