ELECRAFT T1 Assembly Manual
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ELECRAFT T1 Assembly Manual

ELECRAFT T1 Assembly Manual

Automatic antenna tuner
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E
L E C R A F T
Revision D1, October 18, 2011. Copyright © 2011, Elecraft; All Rights Reserved
Introduction
This manual covers assembly of the Elecraft T1 automatic antenna tuner. Operating instructions,
troubleshooting procedures, schematic diagram and customer service information can be found in your T1
Owner's Manual.
Tools Required
You will need the following tools to build this kit:
Fine-tip temperature-controlled ESD-safe soldering station with 700 to 800F tip (370-430C).
Recommend a spade tip no greater than 0.05" (1.3 mm) wide.
High wattage (approx. 100 watt) soldering gun to solder the BNC connectors. Use this iron only
where directed in the procedure. Use the temperature-controlled station for all other soldering.
IC-grade, small-diameter (.031") solder (Kester #44 or equivalent). Small diameter solder is
important to avoid filling adjacent solder pads and creating solder bridges.
i
DO NOT use acid-core solder, water-soluble flux solder, additional flux or solvents
of any kind. Use of any of these will void your warranty.
Small, #2 Phillips screwdriver.
Needle-nose pliers.
Small wrench or driver for 6-32 nut.
Small-point diagonal cutters. Flush-cutting type required (Xcelite MS54-5J or equivalent).
Digital Multimeter (DMM) with voltage, resistance and diode-checking functions. A DMM with
capacitance measurement capability is desirable, but not required.
Magnifying visor or magnifying glass with a hands-free stand.
Desoldering tools and supplies are invaluable. Narrow solder wick or a good vacuum desoldering
tool such as the Soldapullt® model DS017LS are recommended.
Small, #2 (1.4 mm wide) blade screwdriver may be required.
T 1
A U T O M A T I C A N T E N N A T U N E R
Assembly Manual
Elecraft
•
www.elecraft.com
•
831-763-4211

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  • Page 1 Revision D1, October 18, 2011. Copyright © 2011, Elecraft; All Rights Reserved Introduction This manual covers assembly of the Elecraft T1 automatic antenna tuner. Operating instructions, troubleshooting procedures, schematic diagram and customer service information can be found in your T1 Owner’s Manual. Tools Required You will need the following tools to build this kit: ...

  • Page 2: Unpacking And Inventory

    Resistors are identified by their power dissipation rating and their resistance value. The power rating is indicated by their physical size. There are both 1/4 watt and 1/8 watt resistors in your T1 tuner kit. The 1/8 watt resistors are about one-half the size of the 1/4 watt resistors.
  • Page 3 The color bands that indicate the value of resistors are shown in the text to help you identify the correct part. However, it’s helpful to familiarize yourself with the color code (see Figure 1). For example, a resistor with the color bands of brown, red, yellow, gold would be a 120K ohm, 5% resistor. This resistor will be identified in the text as 120K ohm (brn-red-yel).
  • Page 4 Invest in a PC board vice with a heavy base if possible. This makes parts removal easier because it frees up both hands. If in doubt about a particular repair, ask for advice from Elecraft or from someone else with PCB repair experience.

  • Page 5: Parts List

    Part Ref. Photo Description Number T1 main PC board (larger board). This board has a number of Misc. surface-mount device (SMD) capacitors pre-installed on the E850198 bottom. Misc. T1 control PC board...
  • Page 6 LED spacer E570024 Ceramic resonator, 4.0 MHz E660001 S1,S2 Switch, Tactile, SPST, 6 mm, actuator length 7 mm E640022 K1-K15 Miniature DPDT relay E640010 T1,T2 Toroid, FT37-43 (Gray) E680003 L1-L5 Toroid, T37-6 (Yellow) E680013 L6-L7 Toroid, T37-2 (Red) E680006 Hardware...
  • Page 7 Misc. Hookup wire, #24 solid, green insulation 6 in. E760008 Misc. T1 front panel label E980104 Misc. T1 cover spacer, 1x1.75x0.125", foam, black, self-adhesive E980107 Misc. T1 enclosure top and bottom cover E100204 Misc. T1 enclosure end cover E980106 Misc.
  • Page 8 Main PC Board Assembly The main PC board is the larger of the two boards. The completed PC board is shown in Figure 2. Use this figure for reference, but follow the step-by-step procedures as given. Some parts are very difficult to install if done in the wrong sequence.
  • Page 9 This is the only time you should use anything other than a temperature- controlled, ESD-protected soldering station to assemble your T1 tuner. __ Place the board the bottom side up on a surface that will not be damaged if body of the BNC connector becomes warm.
  • Page 10 Use only your temperature-controlled, ESD-protected soldering station for the remainder of the assembly. Bend the leads for R1, 51 ohms (grn-brn-blk or 510J), 1 watt, at right angles to the body. Insert the leads in the solder pad holes at the ends of the printed outline between J1 and J2. There are three holes very close together at the end of R1 near J2.
  • Page 11 On the bottom of the board, bend the leads at 45 degree angles to hold it in place. Your T1 tuner will not operate correctly if the banded end of the diode is not aligned with the banded end of the outline on the PC board.
  • Page 12 Locate the 15 relays and carefully remove them from the carrying tube(s). Check the relays for bent pins. Carefully straighten any bent pins using needle-nose pliers. Locate a small book or other smooth, flat object somewhat larger than the PC board that is easy to handle.
  • Page 13 Inspect the 28-pin, low-profile socket for U1. Note that: __ Each pin has a shoulder. When installed, all of the shoulders must be in contact with the PC board. You will not be able to assemble your finished tuner if this socket is not mounted against the PC board. __ The pins are hollow.
  • Page 14 On the top of the board, position ceramic resonator Z1 (4.00 MG) in the outline between the socket for U1 and the edge of the board. Even though it may have a red dot on one end, the resonator may be installed in either direction.
  • Page 15 Inspect the assembly to be certain the control PC board is oriented as shown in the figure. The top of the board should be level with and slightly below the top of the relays next to it. The connectors must be square against the two boards.
  • Page 16 3. Scrape the wire with a sharp tool. Take care not to nick the wire. Remove all the insulation around the entire circumference of the wire, then tin the wire. Prewound toroids are available from an Elecraft-approved source. See www.elecraft.com for details.
  • Page 17 Thread the wire through the center of T1 and into the holes on either side of the printed outline for T1 on the PC board to form the 1-turn primary winding for the transformer. Solder and trim the wires flush with the bottom of the board.
  • Page 18 Locate the five T37-6 yellow toroids. Use these toroids to prepare inductors L1 through L5 as listed below. Position the turns on each toroid as shown in Figure 10 so the leads will line up with the holes in the PC board.

  • Page 19: Control Board Assembly

    Visual Inspection Use a magnifier and good light to check the board for the following: Missed solder connections. Look closely at each relay pin. Solder bridges. Look closely at the SMD capacitors between the relay pins. Properly tinned toroid leads. You should see some tinned lead above the PC board on every toroid. Be suspicious of any leads where the enameled part of the wire goes into the solder pad.
  • Page 20 Control Board Assembly Procedure Install resistor R10, 120K (brn-red-yel), 1/8 watt. When your tuner is assembled, the bottom of the control PC board will be very close to the top of the MCU. It is critical to flush cut all leads on the bottom of the board in the area directly over the MCU to no more than 1/32”...
  • Page 21 Install the following 1/8 watt resistors. __ R9, 180 ohm (brn-gry-brn) __ R21, 3.3k (org-org-red) __ R11, 24k (red-yel-org) Position resistor R13, 3.3K (org-org-red), 1/8 watt on the board and spread its leads to hold it in place. Do not solder yet. You will be instructed to solder the leads in a following step. Insert one of the pushbutton switches in the position for S2.
  • Page 22 Install capacitor C20, .01 µF, LS 0.1” (103). Even though the outline does not indicate it is placed against the board, fold it down in the direction of the red LED D8 before soldering (See Figure 12). Bend the leads of diode D3 (1N5817) at right angles to its body and insert it in the space shown on the control board.

  • Page 23: Final Assembly

    Final Assembly Locate the enclosure. It consists of a bottom cover, a top cover and an end panel. The top cover is drilled with a row of holes for the LEDs and switches. The end panel is drilled with two large holes for the BNC connectors and one small hole for the ground lug.
  • Page 24 Either wear a grounded anti-static wrist strap or touch an unpainted, grounded object before handling the MCU (U1) in the next steps, or at any time you handle the boards with the MCU installed. Remove MCU U1 from its package or anti-static foam pad and inspect the pins. The two rows of pins must be straight and parallel to each other to establish the proper pin spacing for insertion into the socket.
  • Page 25 On the inside of the enclosure top cover, use your flush cutters to remove any plastic webbing on the side of the screw housings toward the holes (See Figure 17). The wide round shoulders are okay, but any excess plastic toward the LED and switch holes will strike the control board and keep the top and bottom covers from closing properly.
  • Page 26 Fit the stripped end of the black wire into the wide battery terminal and solder. Take care not to touch the plastic case or overheat the terminal and soften the plastic. Route the red wire to the narrow battery clip, pushing it down on top of the black wire. Be sure neither wire is where it can be trapped between the screw housings when the top cover is installed.

  • Page 27: Performance Tests

    Performance Tests Your T1 tuner is now complete. Perform the following tests to verify that the unit is working normally. Refer to Troubleshooting on page 28 if your tuner fails any of these tests. Power On Tests Install a fresh battery as shown in Figure 19.
  • Page 28 Tune Mode Tests Put your T1 in Normal mode by tapping PWR/TUNE, then while the yellow LED is flashing, tap BYP/INFO until you see the green LED on steady. It will stay on for about two seconds then go off.
  • Page 29 Removing the MCU Normally you will not need to remove the MCU. However, if necessary, remove it as follows. Observe ESD precautions whenever you handle the MCU. See note above. Unplug the control board and remove the main PCB from the enclosure. Use a small blade screwdriver that will fit between the pins of connectors P1 and P2.

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