There comes a time in every Ham Radio Operators life when some piece of equipment fails. The next decision is whether to send it out for repair or repair it yourself. If you are going to repair it yourself I would recommend that you have some electronic background. You will need to understand what various components are and what they do. There are some websites on the internet to get some electronic training for free. One such place is http://101science.com/Radio.htm they have a lot of information on quite a variety of topics. Another place I have found some interesting videos and lectures is at learner tv http://www.learnerstv.com/Free-Engineering-Video-lectures-ltv024-Page1.htm . There are many more sites on the internet providing lots of information. I would also check out free college courses at places such as MIT http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-002-circuits-and-electronics-spring-2007/video-lectures/ .
The next item you are going to need is the schematics for the piece of equipment you are going to repair. I have found that schematics are usually available from the manufacturer using the internet. I like to download the schematic and then use it through a program such as adobe reader, so I can view it as a pdf file. I like this program ,because I can make the schematic larger so it is easier to read. It can be found at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ . Just make sure to remove the check mark, so you don`t end up with the free software they may try to give you such as mcafee security scan.
I would get the service manual for the particular piece of equipment you are repairing. I would check first at the manufacturers website. If they don`t provide it, then I would check on the internet.
There are various pieces of test equipment that I would suggest to have to do the repair properly. First I would recommend a digital voltmeter . Fluke is a very good brand that I have used in the past.
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| By Svjo (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons | |
Digital Multimeter shown above
The next piece of test equipment I would have is a good oscilloscope. There are quite a few different brands out there, so I would look at reviews on the device before you purchase one. They can be very expensive depending on the functions it can provide.
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| By Autopilot (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons | |
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| By Jeff Keyzer (Flickr: New Oscilloscope) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Another piece of test equipment you should have is a logic analyzer. It will be used to capture and display multiple digital signals. A good description can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_analyzer . Again there there are a variety of different brands out there, so check out reviews.
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| Logic Analyzer |
I would also recommend to have a good signal generator. They are also known as a function generator. They are used to inject a particular signal such as a sine wave, square-wave or triangle waveform into a analog or digital part of a circuit. Again there are many different brands available and they vary in price. There also some portable signal generators out on the market.
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| By Elborgo (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
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| Newer Function Generator |
You are also going to need a good power supply. You will need this to power the piece of equipment you are repairing. There are numerous brands with different functions and capabilities. Some are made by MFJ http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Categories.php?sec=239 or diamond http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamps/3195.html . There are many more brands out there, which vary in price. Jameco http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&rfr=1 offers quite a good variety of power supplies as well as other repair equipment and components.
Linear Power Supply
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| By Cqdx (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Switching Power Supplies
You are also going to need various pieces of equipment for the replacing of the defective component. These are going to be a good soldering iron station with a variable temperature setting. You will also need solder and soldering equipment. Always have good ventilation to exhaust any smoke and fumes from the solder. Here are some examples of the soldering equipment.
Soldering Station
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| By Simon A. Eugster (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Vacuum Desoldering Tool
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| By Mysid [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Removing A Surface Mount Component
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| By Aisart (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons |
As a final thought always practice good esd electrostatic discharge protection. I have some good information on one of my other blogs.
Antistatic Wrist Strap and Mat
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| By Kms (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
Thank You for reading. All comments or added information are welcomed. 73s from Dan KC2YTI
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