The solder is a meltin'

After dinner, I took some time to read over the PFR3A manual yet again, to familiarize myself with the order in which things are to be done, etc. Then I plugged in ol' Weller and got some solder melted. I did not get a whole heckuva a lot done; but I did get the first series of resistors in.


There are a few things that I am noticing. The first and foremost is that my eyes are not what they used to be. Since my last "major" builds, I have been prescribed bifocals. I used to use a headband magnifier as a convenience. Now it has become a necessity. Not only does it make component identification easier, it allows me to more easily check for cold solder joints and bridges.

I am not one of these guys who inserts 20 components at a time and then solders them all in. No, I put in a component, solder it, cut the leads and check for cold joints and bridges. I am not the fastest builder in the world; but I do end up having fewer problems with this approach. I've used this method since I built my first Heathkit, an HR-1680 receiver back in 1978 and I'm not about to change now.

As you can see from the photo, I've only soldered in about a dozen resistors or so; but it is a start. It is good to be building again!

73 de Larry W2LJ