Completing is such sweet sorrow... and I'm taking all of you with me! In this final episode of my build series I go for the finish and give my final take on the Heathkit GC-1006 kit.
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Join Team FranLab!!!! Become a patron and help support my YouTube Channel on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/frantone
#make #Heathkit #build
- Music by Fran Blanche -
Frantone on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/frantone/
Fran on Twitter - https://twitter.com/contourcorsets
Fran's Science Blog - http://www.frantone.com/designwritings/design_writings.html
FranArt Website - http://www.contourcorsets.com
Your video series on the build was excellent, I only wish I saw it before I installed the 4 switches matching the pcb pattern markings. I have some desoldering to do!
Thanks!
Hi Fran, I like your conclusion and agree with a lot of what you said, you certainly know your stuff. Do you have any updates on the using the clock? How accurately does it keep time?
From a circuit standpoint, this Heathkit clock is designed incredibly poorly, it looks like this clock was designed by someone with no experience in electronic circuit design. For example, the MCU input is held at -0.6V at 50% duty cycle, exceeding the absolute max rating of the MCU which will cause early failure of the MCU. I would even go so far as to say that this clock could be hazardous: the MAX7219 LED display driver on mine (which I discovered to be counterfeit) failed after about 5 weeks and the clock almost burned up, fortunately I unplugged it before it caught fire. Shame on this new rendition of Heathkit for tarnishing a formerly respected name in electronic kits. Shame on Heathkit for knowingly selling counterfeit and inferior parts with this expensive kit! By all means the GC-1006 circuit should not be considered good design practice and therefore this kit has zero educational value. Not to mention the firmware is not open source, so no educational value there either.
I have ordered the GC1006 but haven't received it yet. I enjoyed all of your videos about the GC1006. Very informative. I would love to get a copy of the Instruction manual ahead of time so I could be reading up on the installation process. Anyone have any ideas??
Thanks Fran. These Heathkit assemblies are great to watch. Love it!
good job 🙂
How I get the expression 'it's a bit Heathkit!' Here Down Under we had Dick 'head' Smith.
I included the battery pack but with rechargeable cells which I trickle charge from the DC supply. Also, this thing generates a lot of RF interference which is radiated using the power lead as an antenna. I wrapped the cable around a couple of ferrite clamps to reduce the interference.
Ever think of buying a house to use as a home and lab?
Folks who didn’t grow up with kits missed out on great training for visualization and problem solving!
When you turned on that emergency sound.
I immediately hear the words in my head.
"Periscope down, DIVE DIVE!"
You’re a good girl Fran!! I just ordered my first Heathkit today after watching you – I’m 70 years old! I’ll be thinking of you all the time when I’m building it!
I had no idea that Heathkit was back in business. I still have my Heathkit AA-1506 Stereo Audio Amplifier, and I have been using it since 1978. Plus I have my Heathkit Hero 2000 Robot that I built back in 1986. It too is still up and going after all these years. But I did at one point eventually have to De-Yellow all of Hero's external plastic components. The variety of different products that Heathkit has provided has been overwhelming.
Yes, Fran, machine screws in holes tapped in hardwood is OK. It’s a common practice in RC model building. If you want to reinforce these threads, drop some thin CA glue in the holes. Once the CA is set (about a minute) chase the threads with your tap. Makes a very nice and strong connection that can be taken apart/put together many times without damaging the threads.