Part I involves installing the DC and control circuits.  This allows the front panel and control boards to be installed and tested.  At the end of this portion of the build, the K2's built-in test equipment will be fully functional, as will be the keyer and bar graph display. 

RF Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and Owner's Manual

Compared to the other two boards, the RF Board is intimidating!  I must say that, to date, it is the largest PCB I've ever filled.   The first task for the RF Board was to do a thorough inventory of all parts...

Doing an Inventory for the RF Board

Not too many parts, eh?  There are alot more than it looks.  Each small manila envelope contains many small parts.  Some very common parts, such as .01pF monolithic capacitors ("103"), are so numerous that they have their own envelope! 

One suggestion to anybody at this stage of construction:  Before you begin inventorying parts, think through how you can label parts containers during the inventory, so that finding those parts is easier later on.  There are alot of parts, and I can imagine how frustrating it could be to have to search many envelopes looking for one particular component (especially after having already gone through all the parts once during inventory).

What I ended up doing was labeling each manila envelope with a broad category name and numbering it sequentially, i.e., "Caps #1", etc..  Since there are four envelopes containing various types of capacitors, I needed a way to know which of those four envelopes contained the particular cap I needed.   So, in the parts list in the Owner's Manual, I wrote next to the part descriptions which envelope they were in.  So far, this has made locating parts a breeze.

RF Board with Relays Installed

Above, the board is beginning to populate with parts.   The standoffs and fasteners have been attached, the I/O Controller IC socket is in place, and all relays have been installed.

RF Board with Sides Attached
Bottom Cover with Tilt Stand

K2 #1271 is starting to take shape for the first time!   Here, the side covers have been attached to the RF board, and in the foreground is the bottom cover.  Attached to the bottom cover is the tilt stand.  I was surprised at how tight the fit was ... it took some aggressive encouragement to get the tilt bail to squeeze between the two oval feet.  However, once the tilt stand installation was complete, I was impressed with how solid it feels, and how well engineered it is. 

Bottom Cover Gets Installed

Front Panel Installation

The Front Panel plugged into the RF Board very easily, and all chassis screw holes lined up perfectly.  I can't believe how well the K2 is engineered!  As the chassis came together, I was impressed with how the pieces fit together so tightly.

Rear View - The Control Board is the Vertical Board

Here, the chassis assembly is complete (well, at least that which is required for Alignment and Test, Part I).  The vertical board is the Control Board.  Behind it, of course, is the Front Panel board (not in view).  The Control and Front Panel boards plugged in very easily to the RF board.

The Alignment and Test sections were completed successfully, and all test measurements were within specs.  What a great feeling to fire her up for the first time and have everything work perfectly.  Now, on to Part II ...