Comments about ESR meter kit poll ======================== 1. Hi Bob. Built the meter on the weekend. Works fine. Great design. 2 issues. PCB not drilled for a 220uF cap. PCB claimed to be screened but is not. No biggie for me. Drilled my own holes. Bought from Karingal, VIC. Geoff gcondick@gbcsci.com 2. Hi Bob, I've been using it for more than 6 years! 0 problems. thank you. 3. Well I liked it as a kit and actually was suprised at the quality and that all those tiny parts were actually all there. Price was my main consideration. 4. I do like it. The kit form keeps the cost down. IF they cannot build the kit, they shouldn't need to use the meter. period. 5. As supplied, the kit was not that big a challenge to build, and has worked well since I built it. A great value! 6. I built two of them (blew up the first one...) and would do it as a kit again. It didn't take all that long, it was fun, and I saved some $ in the process. 7. I liked the kit. Grown-ups seldom get the opportunity to build a kit. It is a heck of an instrument too. Sneaky little devil. 8. I liked the kit. It wasn't too hard for even someone who doesn't get the chanc to build much anymore. Thanks. 9. This is the SECOND one I bought from you and assembled. The kit is one of the most fun kits I've built and that includes quite a few Heathkits. Glad to hear you are continuing to sell it. Why not sell it both as a kit and prebuilt? Tom, WA3REY 10. It seems that the target audience for this instrument would make the kit version the most appropriate. Great kit to build, from another former multiple Heathkit builder. 11. For minimum initial cost, the kit form works, but if time is money, it is expessive as it requires several hours to build and set up. I chose the kit because I'm retired and could spend the time to build the kit. If I were in business and had little "free" time, another $25-$30 to have a build kit would be a bargain. The meter quickly earned its keep for me by finding the cause of a problem that has irritated me for years, a bad coupling cap in a 40 year old Blaupunkt portable radio. 12. I use my ESR meter almost every day. It is a real life saver! 13. As a student, the cost difference of the kit form swayed me, and the unit was really fun to build. The ESR meter has helped me diagnose bad caps in numerous bad power-supplies / TVs which otherwise would not have been possible to repair in a sensibe amount of time. 14. Nice either way. But I like the kit $ savings, and have been building electronic kits since the 1950s. 15. I purchased the kit to save on cost. Instructions were great, kit was easy enough to build and worked the first time. 16. Good electronic kits are getting hard to find,please keep up the tradition! 17. Why not offer it both ways? 18. This meter is great!! It has cut many troubleshooting times from days to minutes. I built this kit in one night and used it right away. The instructions are very good and clear. 19. The kit wasn't that hard to put together for someone with soldering experience. I would still offer it both ways--and I don't mean in the kinky sense. 20. Worked like a charm -- great product and I enjoyed building it! 21. I really enjoy having this esr meter, cuts down on repair time, not that hard to assemble either. 22. I enjoyed assembling it. I bought it because it was a kit.... and of course to check caps. 23. I like kits, they give me the option to customise/modify the unit. 24. The cost benefit as a kit is the reason I bought it. Wouldn't have purchased if it was assembled only. Great product! 25. Kits are a good way to observe all aspects of design, build, package, and operation of your own meter. Great for students and budding engineers. 26. The cost benefit as a kit is the reason I bought it. 27. i agree with all the comments. I come from the Dynaco Kit buildig, do-it-yourself-everything era.I wonder if today's ready made generation will support kits. I still support kits and enjoyed yours emensly. It has saved me a lot of $$$.Much success with your endeavor. regards,W.krol 28. I appreciate the discounted price of a kit, but I love kits... and would build rather than buy even at the same price. 29. Putting the thing together and seeing it work was MORE than half the fun, and I saved a few bucks too. I'm sure there are folks who just want to buy an excellent tool like this to use in their work, but there are many of us who really enjoy the build-it-yourself aspect as well. 30. I'd like to see more kits with the design and quality of this one! 31. It's great as a kit, but does take a few hours to build. Ideally, I think you should offer it both ways. Market would increase.... jak 32. I love kits. The fact that I can build something that really works and is useful gives me great satiscation 33. it seems the possible demise of this kit has caused a run on them. folks on badcaps.net forums are grabbing them up. i own several that i use every day in my industrial electronics/cnc hardware/motherboard repair business. kc8adu 34. I rather spend the time using it to fix something and paid for the time. 35. This is a very well planed out kit. and anybody that has soldering skills should not have a problem. 36. I had a bunch of problems with Dick Smith's quality control on the kit product. There was no component silk screening on the circuit board and there were several through holes for the caps and the trimmer pots that were not even drilled. As a result, I made several mistakes putting the transistors in the wrong holes, and if Bob hadn't been so accomodating in trouble shooting with me, I'd never have gotten the kit working. I'd had a lot of experience building kits, and this is the first time I'd had something not work at all. Knowing what I know now, I'd prefer to have bought this meter pre-assembled, but I purchased it as a kit because of the cost savings. 37. Never got it working. Should have bought it pre-built. 38. If you couldn't get it working, you should have contacted me. Bob. 39. If it was only $5 or $10 more for it pre-assembled, sure. Otherwise I like to save some cash with building it myself. Maybe make it an option? 40. The kit appealed to my cheap side. I am a DIY hobbyist. Looking back, I found the kit very fun to build, which I suppose is why I have this hobby anyway. It was an easy build and I had no problems. I have plugged the meter's functionality on the Tube DIY forum several times -- it is a very useful tool. 41. good kit- It is fine as it is. works well - maybe add a power jack for external power. 42. works great; 2nd best piece of test gear I own. 43. The kit is great. Since I became intimite with the meter while building, I could add minor modifications that would be difficult with an assembled version. 44. I'd prefer a kit (I've got DSE MkI). Better choice would be using 5v LDO regulator in lieu of 78L05. Thanks for useful circuit. Peter 45. I would like to build it myself - cheaper!!! Unless there is no price difference. Why not have it build in China!! 46. I would like to build it myself ;-) 47. I would suggest if it was cheaper, a kit would be better, but if I was to buy the ready made unit, the advantage of one tested and guaranteed to work would obviously be important. Your kits rocks as building one is not even a worry, but previous kits were in the past. 48. The reason for an assembled ESR in the first place is to make sure I have good caps to build kits! ;) 49. Was easy to build, but I'd have preferred to pay a modest extra price & save the time (hadn't found the Portuguese supplier). Low drop regulator as standard makes sense. 50. I like it in a kit form but if the box is rugger and better looking, it will be a bonus 51. I have not gotten past the initial test so I wish I would have bought the assembled unit. Kit build wasn't so bad but the posibility of bad components makes it a pain. [from Bob]: Bad components are very rare. Construction faults are very common. You can ask me for help by going to my contact page. 52. Kits suck 53. Absolutely Great Product. I bought one of the MKII Meters. No bench should be without one (or two) - 73's W3OHM 54. Kits are fine but I was in a hurry this time so I ordered one already built to save time. 55. The EVB meter has the protection diodes installed. If I were to buy a meter I'd want the diodes either in a plug in module (between the jacks and the test probes) or on a switch (ON for protection; OFF for testing batteries and other things). An option for adding a hi-W resistor for discharging might be nice, too. But just as it is, it's FANTASTIC! 56. I built a mark one kit, it is a valuable test instrument 57. please let me know if a kit is available. Thank you. ustek ustek.nospam@hotmail.com 58. Regarding 'Fully Built' vs. 'Kits' it is a matter of how much $$$ is saved with the kit and how aggravating assembly (tools needed, complexity,etc.) is going to be. 59. if it is cheaper in the kit then I would like the kit 60. While not a "basic" kit, it is not hard for a reasonably experienced techie to build. The instructions are well written and are easy to follow. The kit is the best bang for the buck. 61. Audio included in the kit would be an improvement 62. This is not something a housewife would buy. A choice of a kit for enginners that have the ability to make it up or a fully made up version for those that need one up and running quickly is what is needed. 63. Personally, I'd go for just the programmed microcontroller + PCB, since the rest I already have or can get locally for next to nothing. I'd consider it a benefit to have the choice of display, housing, power supply etc.