[Heath] The Art of Rebuilding the HW-101 Pt 2: Feng Shui of Radio Restoration

[David Goncalves]

As promised: Part 2, Feng Shui of Radio Restoration

Recommend listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrXmeQgUT44
Play it now, as you read this.

The most important tool you have is your brain. To get that into shape, and
to know WHY you are doing this, I recommend reading "Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance" Don't worry - it has little to do with either.

The second most important tool you have is a good workspace. Like any tool,
poor quality will lead to poor results. So, what makes a high quality
workspace?

*1. Built and dedicated to its purpose. *
For any complex project (or anything that takes more than a day), you need
a space that you can step away from for extended periods of time (heck,
even months!) and come back to without anything out of place. You will fail
if you are constantly moving it into boxes, off to the side, etc. So, find
SOMEWHERE where you can do this. Most anything you want in a hamshack, you
want to make this space a place you don't mind being for several hours at a
time. Make it so interruptions are minimized - one of the worst being the
wife-yell. Get yourself an intercom (or cordless phone with intercom mode).
Install a telephone. Get some sort of computer in there.

I think it is also important that stuff be in quick reach (frequently used
stuff within an arms-length, most other stuff within a couple steps). If
you are having to dig under stuff to get the thing you need, or reaching
under the table and pawing through boxes to get your flathead, you need to
stop and fix that. My layout is a set of rack shelves behind me with the
chemicals, spare parts, and some test equipment. My workbench is a huge
butcherblock table with drawers on both sides. I hardly ever had to walk
more than a step to get what I needed. Whatever you do, make it work for
you but also work efficiently.

*2. Good Lighting*
Can't fix what you can't see. It has taken alot of bad workspaces to figure
out what is good. I have found that bright light, illuminating the entire
workbench, but NOT having a direct path to my eye - that is the perfect
balance. You need to flood the bench with as much light as you can - for my
space, I bought a cieling-hanging flourescent fixture with metal shading
(shop-light). I hung it low so I didn't get all that brightness directly in
my eyes. In addition, a couple desk-type spot lamps, that you can perch
over areas you need MORE light in, is very helpful. And a bright little LED
flashlight will help with the most challenging spots, like checking tuning
slugs.

Don't forget this place still have to be inviting to you - so if you are in
a room where the shop light may not fill the space, fill in the darker
areas with nice, warm and diffuse light - floor standing lamps with warm
bulbs and no direct light path are the best.

*3. Good Sound*
There is alot of this work that is going to be immensely boring if you had
your entire focus on it. Take it from a fellow that unsoldered and
resoldered every wire connection in an HW-101 - I was not spending all my
thinking power on that. Audio entertainment works best. I listen to my
public radio stations alot, because inside this young man is a Subaru
driving greybeard trying to break free! Whatever you pick, put some thought
into the audio quality and don't use one inch of your workspace for that
stuff. Put in a shelf if you have to.

*4. The Workbench*
At least 9 square feet. Solid. Not covered in other projects. Should have
an outlet strip mounted on it. High/low enough for good ergonomics. CLEAN.
And light colored. From there it is up to your own preferences. I tacked on
strips of cardboard back and side edges, so that screws/pens/tubes didn't
roll away from me.

I found that, when I left my project over the summer, that the humidity
would cause the front panel paint to stick to the bench. From this point
on, I got a low-pile bath mat on the bench - it helps to keep from stuff
from getting stuck/chipped/scratched. Carpet scraps are good to - go for
light colors.

It is so much nicer if your frequently used tools are in drawers below the
bench, so that you can keep them from piling up on the working surface.

*5. Notebook*
Write EVERYTHING down. Plans, actions, purchases, everything. Trust nothing
to memory - only to paper. Keep them in a binder with your radio's
schematics, your receipts, article printouts. All in one spot. So, of
course, you are going to need pens - I have a mug full of them. Write this
like somebody else is going to read it to pick up where you left off.

*6. Containers*
There is going to be alot of parts moving around, and you'll need to keep
track of that stuff. Cardboard shipping boxes suck, so do this:

1. Big plastic storage bins for spare chassis, subassemblies, other junk
2. Shoebox sided plastic boxes with lids, for most electronic parts,
subassemblies
3. Wide and flat plastic containers for screws and small parts. Cups SUCK,
they always get knocked over. I had a ton of petri dishes from work,
anything like that (with some cover) will do nicely.

Size the container to the part being held and its frequency of use - have
several small containers instead of one larger one. That allows you to
organize them according to so many more categories than being forced to
lump them together. And you can put the small containers into the larger
one anyway.

Have a roll of tape and a fine Sharpie to label everything - this is part
of writing EVERYTHING down. Again, think about what you would need to do if
somebody else was going to pick up where you left off.

*6. Drugs*
Either I need to loosen up or get amped up. On the loosen side, I like to
have a sipping liquor or a hoppy beer. I did not start my work until I got
a shot of applejack down. It helped to calm down the noise of the day's
concerns. Restoration is a 2 shot maximum hobby though. If you can get into
the state of calm and clear without this, then you are fine.

Weekends I needed coffee; only think I need to say is if you are lazy like
I am and forget to bring your mugs back to the kitchen and they get mold
spots, you may want to use paper cups or hose the mug outside of the view
of your significant other.


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Next Part - Tools and Equipment

See you then.

-- 
David Goncalves
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