WB5RVZ.ORG - KITS' Documentation Home Page

Introduction

This site is the ultimate successor to my original SDR (and other) projects website, WB5RVZ.com. That site had several limitations, chief among which was the fact that the pages on the site were static.

This site contains pages, dynamically generated from a database. This will allow me to make the process of documenting band-specific variations of the same Softrock kit much easier to create and digest, while simplifying the task of maintaining the pages up-to-date.

Each project (kit) shown in this website has complete, "Heathkit-like" build documentation, in which the construction of the kit is separated out into sequential build stages. Each build stage will provide some introductory material, a "sub-schematic" covering the stage's circuit details, subsets of the PCB's top and bottom layouts/silkscreens, and a listing of the sequential steps to be performed in the stage. At the end of each stage, the builder will be shown photos of the top and bottom of the pcb, as completed through that stage. Finally, the builder will be able to perform one or more stage-end tests which, when successfully passed, will give the him the confidence that he has successfully completed the stage and is ready to move on to the next stage.

Here is an example of the organization of a kit's documentation (here, the Softrock Lite II Kit):

  • Power Supply
    Steps:
    • Install SMT cap
    • Install topside components
    • Install ground test loop
    Tests:
    • Visual Inspection
    • Current Draw
    • Voltage Test
  • Local Oscillator
    Steps:
    • Install SMT cap
    • Install Crystal
    • Install Ceramic Capacitors
    • Install transistors
    • Install Resistors
    Tests:
    • Visual Check
    • Current Draw
    • Voltage Tests
    • LO Output Test
  • Divider
    Steps:
    • Install remainder of the SMT Capacitors
    • Install U3
    • Install U2
    • Install Hardware
    Tests:
  • Operational Amplifiers
    Steps:
    • Install OpAmp
    • Install band-specific components
    • Install remaining components
    Tests:
  • Band Pass Filter
    Steps:
    • Install Band-specific Capacitors
    • Wind and Install Band-specific L1
    • Wind and Install band-specific T1
    Tests:
    • Visual Check
    • Inductor Continuity Tests (NO power)
    • Voltage Tests
    • Resistance Tests (no power)
    • Phasing Test (NO power)
  • Mixer
    Steps:
    • Install Topside Components
    Tests:
    • Warning
    • Visual Inspection
    • Current Draw
    • Voltage Tests
  • External Connections
    Steps:
    • Install Power Connection
    • Install I/Q Audio Cable Connection
    • Install Antenna Connection
    Tests:
    • Final Test

Navigation

Each kit documented in this site will have a tab on the navigation menu in this home page. There will be, for each project that has multiple band-specific options, a "Bands" tab, where the builder can select the band appropriate to the build he/she is undertaking. You must enable cookies on your browser for the band function to work.

Once you select from among the kits shown in the menu, you will be taken to the work area for the selected kit, where a new menu will be presented, allowing you to navigate between/among the pages for each build stage of the kit, as well as the home and various bill-of-materials (BOM) pages.

Web Site Responsiveness

You may find on occasion that, when switching from one page to another, you will find there is a delay before the target page displays. This happens especially after a long period of inactivity. This the unavoidable consequence of my decision to choose a shared hosting provider for this site, in which the applications are "farmed out" across a server farm composed of many separate servers. The result is the website may get saved out to one server, and then passed on to another, which must take time to load all of the components of the site. Whadda you want for $5 per month???