We are working on instructions to go with the kit. Here are some for now to get you going. Keith The female connectors are already gold plated. But they get damaged and should be replaced anytime the male connectors are damaged. Or replace the KPAIO3 board.
The male connector pins can be heated well and then pulled out through their plastic carrier one by one. Use a little extra solder to speed the heating and removal process (you can remove it later). You can replace just the 6 male pins of the connectors at P68B on the KPA3 and at P67B on the RF board that carry the 12V current to the KPA3, if they are the only ones that look to be damaged. But do check the female connectors too for signs of high heat, oxidation, and pitting. You can remove the plastic carrier as with the female connector, to make it easier to get the pins out one by one. Then vacuum out the remaining solder and use desoldering braid to finish the job, followed by a good cleaning with Q-Tips (cotton swabs) or a cloth moistened with acetone, alcohol, or flux solvent. Take extreme care to not damage the PCB or any nearby parts either. Get the connector pins out first, then remove the solder from the plated through holes. This works better in most cases than trying to remove the connector intact unless you are truly an expert at desoldering and have the best desoldering tool made. Make sure there are no solder bridges remaining between pins and the board is in good shape before installing the new connectors. Inspect it well under a bright light with a magnifier. You should have good desoldering skill and a good desoldering station like the Pace, Weller, Waasco, Xytronic, OK/Metcal, Aoyue, etc.) or a Hakko 808 desoldering gun to do this work. Clean the desoldering tool well before starting so it works as well as it can. On 3/1/2012 11:52 AM, Mike K2MK wrote: > I received the mod kit for the gold plated pin replacements but I can't find > an instruction sheet on the Elecraft site. I really wanted to view the mod > before diving into it. Can someone point me to a link. The number on the > parts envelope is KPA3CONMDKT. > > 73, > Mike K2MK > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
