Thursday, June 1, 2017

KY3R's Metalized Cigar Box BITX Enclosure


Bob KY3R writes:

Bill:  I was watching your visit with Farhan, and you mentioned your penchant for building projects into wooden hobby boxes, and using copper  flashing for shielding. I want to share my solution. 

I snatched up any old cigar boxes I come across. For shielding I use "metal repair tape." This is the stuff used for joining or repairing dryer lint vent ducts, and it is available at any hardware store. Very lightweight, and you just cut the desired lengths, peel off the backing, and press onto the inside of the box. The only drawback is that it is aluminum and doesn't take solder very well, but it is easy enough to add one or two short lengths of wire from the circuit ground plane to a terminal bolted down onto the case interior. 

The attached photos show my current project--a Por Larranaga cigar box in the process of being converted into a home for a BitX-40! I haven't yet fully decided exactly how to position the unit in the box, but as shown in one of the potos, it fits with plenty of room for later mods. As for other decisions, I toyed with the idea of painting or covering the outer box, but I am leasing toward leaving the original cigar box labeling. Arguable adds a bit of "soul," plus who needs a clean panel and all that fancy stenciled lettering anyway.I'll know which knob is which! <g>

73, and as always, thanks to you (and Pete, of course) for your continued work on the SolderSmoke  podcast.

Bob Keller, KY3R




6 comments:

  1. Wonderful blog & good post.Its really helpful for me, awaiting for more new post. Keep Blogging!

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  2. Great idea! Please update how well it works. I have used copper shielding tape that is designed to decrease electric guitar hum, to cover the inside of a plastic case of an SDR receiver with good results. This metal repair tape is quite a bit less expensive, so could be a better choice.
    I love the blog, as well as the podcast! A great resource for a guy who is new to electronics.

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  3. sir..
    i need your layout for a smd bitx pcb.
    please.. send to my email shadhako(at)gmail.com
    many thanks

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  4. ola tudo bem muito bom bitx 40 7 watts 2017 voçe pode me enviar o lealte te agradeço muito leiderwanwer22@gmail.com

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  5. Hi, wondering if you can explain real quickly why the aluminum (or copper you talked about) is needed inside. How would the radio operate without the aluminium covering? Would it work poorly? I ask because I am considering using a cigar box too. Thanks,

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  6. Great post! Thank you so much. I really need these tips. The detailed explanation is really helpful. Seeing how you write was very inspiring. Custom Glitter Boxes . Thank you so much for sharing your articles with us.

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