#1

Hi all,

I build my grid kit a while ago without any difficulty at all (my first surface-mount soldering project – a great introduction; the grid completely worked first time) but the final step of attaching the baseplate seemed to defeat me. I couldn’t get the screws to hold down the plate at every hex standoff, so there’s a small amount (millimeters) of freedom for the plate on some of them, which makes a dissatisfying click when I press on the grid.

Upon investigation with the baseplate removed, it seems like the hex standoffs are maybe inconsistently threaded – different screws each reach the same depth on a given hex standoff.

Does this seem like a plausible problem? (It’s ironic that this seems to have been the hardest part to get right.) Any recommendations for getting the plate to be flat against the standoffs? I guess I’m hoping to hear that I did something wrong rather than that I should use glue or something else to get things level.

Thanks!

#2

Might it be that the set screws (little black ones you tighten with the tiny hex wrench) aren’t screwed into the plate fully? You don’t want to overtighten them (too much force can create a bump on the top surface of the faceplate!), but they should all go in to a similar depth. If they’re not all the way in, the screws might be bottoming out on the set screw?

Many grids and arcs were built with those hex standoffs and I don’t remember throwing a single one out for being incorrectly threaded. So hopefully it’s just a matter of needing to tighten a different part first.

#3

Many thanks for the quick reply. I took all the screws and hex standoffs out, but in the process of removing the last standoff, I accidentally tore off diode C11. :frowning:

Is that diode safe to reattach (in the right direction of course)? It seems like the diode is built with a thin contact running up the side. At one end, that has been preserved but at the other, it hasn’t, so I was thinking I might have to essentially over-solder the joint, up the side of the diode, to hopefully complete the contact there.

Thanks!

#4

You should be able to just reattach it with some solder. Make sure the metal is touching-- it’s really that simple.

#5

Thanks. My concern was that the metal contact on one side was torn off, but there was a tiny metal sliver still visible and I managed to make contact with that.

It looks like the grid is still working OK. I’ll go back to fixing up the baseplate later.

Thanks again.

#6

Just to close this thread, I think the set screw height was indeed the issue. I didn’t have any trouble reassembling it the second time.

Thanks again for your help.