The HX Files Xtract 024

Hello and welcome to Xtract 024 of the HX Files.

In this issue I would like to write about some of the templates that were made, and used, to help me in the layout of the parts in some of the projects constructed over the last few years.

Like in any construction project you would layout the various parts to be used in the project to find out not only what goes were but were to drill, file and shape.

When it comes to drilling out the holes and filing them to shape for the final fitting, you would be placing the parts in and out of their positions many times before their final placement, and as a result the parts can get marked, damaged and even broken, and as a result of this, over some time various templates have being made to help me out, see photo 1 below for a few of them beside the actual parts to be used.

Project parts and templates

The easiest to make was the template made for the various amplifiers that have been used, as they are most often mounted on to some heat sink by the manufacturer in its enclosure and this would entail removing one of its lids, and this was a ready made template that could be used for marking out its location.

But when it came to space being a part of the construction a piece of wood was cut to the size of the amp and the lids bonded to the wood, and some small screws and/or panel pins are used to act as their coaxial sockets and DC connections, later on some of the templates had N type sockets and others had the SMA type fitted to them as well as a screw or two, and these screws would act as the DC connections.

The 1.2/2.5 GHZ transmitters are the same size as each other, and like wise, their receiver boards, so only one of each would have to be made.

After sourcing some scrap wood, some marking out and rough cutting of the wood was done first and by using some dowel rod to mimic the phono, aerial and DC sockets. 

Smaller parts like the coaxial relays fuse boards, aerial sockets, and such like would not require a template, but I found parts like the SMA terminated coaxial relay would be on most projects featured in Echo Ireland be fixed internally in the project  and mounted onto, or sandwiched between a couple of suitable heat sinks. The larger N type coaxial relays mostly being used often come with a mounting bracket that can be used as a template for marking out the locations of the aerial sockets, seen on top right in photo 1.

For an item like the TV/monitor it would not be practical to make a template unless you could be guaranteed to be able to get the same size of TV/monitor  every time, as a foot note  a couple of 4 inch (100 mm) monitors are in-stock , but their mounting plates are both completely different from one another. At a recent rally four 6 inch (150 mm) monitors were purchased and these are identical to one another so it will be worth making a template for them. These monitors were used for an ice system (in car entertainment system) and would be originally wrapped around the headrest of the vehicle by their own Velcro straps, but as they could be mounted onto the projects by either fixing some small pieces of angle aluminium to their back, or to make a frame, and for it to be attached to the project first and then to the monitor. Some of the projects made did not have many connecting power or coaxial cables, but of those that require a lot of cabling, a wiring loom would be made. When a wiring loom is needed for a project t a layout of the parts are naturally done first on some paper and then a line drawn from the various part to its switch, LED, power or coaxial point, and then when the case or box to house the project has been found, it is also decided what parts are going were. A piece of wood is cut to the size of the chassis and the various project parts would then be screwed or stuck to the wood. With that completed some screws or nails were added that would act as formers or guides for the various cables to be used in the loom, by simply using some string (in stock, as it is cheaper than the finished cable) to act as the cables, the string would be tied onto the screws on the templates and then the string ran along the board to the other points on its line and then tied off. (This would be repeated until all parts were catered for)  Once you were happy you would transfer each length of string to the appropriate length and rating of cable, and with all the cables now replacing the string they could be bound together with some tape or cable ties. 

As you can see in photo 2 above and on the right, the template of the chassis and front panel have a few holes and screws about their surfaces, these are for the various switches and any other parts that would be attached to the panels.  You maybe able to see the string and the screws making up some of the loom, the piece of string tied to the screw representing the switch and routed along the screws to the fuse point and then to the DC supply, and this you would do until you have everything wired up, there are a few holes in the chassis boards and the ones not in use are covered with a piece of sticky tape or label when starting to wire up the parts to be used.

Bird Watt meter parts   

For some project you may have no other choice but to use the actual parts,(those of you who have a Bird meter need not worry as one was not scraped,I bought the parts of a fellow ham who had bought them off a dealer, so rest assured dear readers a meter did NOT die for this up coming project) as you can see in photo 3 above these parts are being used in a forthcoming  project, the parts are from a Bird Watt meter  and the only part seen other than the meter is the cavity that its slug is located, but that is another story……..

Close up of some of the templates

And finally, I would like to wish you and your family a prosperous New Year,

 and may your signals continue to be P5.

73, Pat.