Vectronics VEC-8218K User Manual

VEC-8218K Owner’s Manual Counter-Surveillance Monitor Kit

INTRODUCTION

General Information: Despite lurid tales of the FBI using electronic olives to spy on private citizens, most of us feel pretty safe from electronic surveillance in our homes and offices. But, perhaps we shouldn't! A quick scan of the electronic hobby magazines reveals an astonishing array of affordable microminiature VHF and UHF transmitters being sold for the sole purpose of "bugging" private conversations. And now, with the advent of low-cost microchip video cameras, even our most intimate and private acts are easily transmitted blocks away and committed to videotape! Who would do such a thing? Recent news reports suggest heavy-handed p rosecutors, angry spouses, personal or political enemies, dishonest business competitors, internet smut hucksters, hired sleuths, insurance investigators, criminal sex offenders, and even curious adolescent snoops--to name only a few! It's not a comforting thought, but manufacturers are selling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of inexpensive amateur surveillance products yearly, and somebody out there is buying this stuff!

The VEC-8218K can help you fight back and reclaim your personal space by detecting signals from low-power bugging transmitters over a wide frequency range. Sweep an area, and if a signal is there, you can find its source and "crunch" the offending bug quickly--before sensitive words and private acts wind up in the wrong hands! As an ad ded plus, your monitor also checks cel lphones, cordless phones, RC transmitters, and garage-door openers for operation.

Circuitry: The VEC-8218 Counter-Surveillance Monitor consists of a high- gain wide-band RF amplifier coupled to a RF detector. This drives a sensitive VCO (voltage-controlled oscillator) that changes in pitch whenever nearby signals are picked up. The closer you get, the greater the change in pitch from the speaker--enabling you to move in quickly for the "kill". Sensitivity is adjustable down to -60 dBm, which ensures detection of even very-low power or well-hidden bugs.

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES

Construction Area: Kit construction requires a clean, smooth, and well-lighted area where you can easily organize and handle small parts without losing them. An inexpensive sheet of white poster board makes an excellent construction surface, while providing protection for the underlying table or desk. Diffused overhead lighting is a plus, and a supplemental high-intensity desk lamp is especially helpful for close-up work. Safety is always important! Use a suitable high-temperature stand for your soldering iron, and keep the work area free of clutter.

VEC-8218K Owner’s Manual Counter-Surveillance Monitor Kit

Universal Kit-building Tools: No special tools are required to complete this kit beyond common items normally used for bench construction. We recommend the following:

! Soldering Iron (grounded-tip and temperature-controlled preferred) ! High-temperature Iron Holder with Cleaning Sponge ! Solder, 60/40 or 37/63 with rosin or "no-clean" flux (.031" dia. is good size). ! Needle Nose Pliers or Surgical Hemostats ! Diagonal Cutters or "Nippy Cutters" ! Solder Sucker (squeeze or vacuum pump type), or Desoldering Braid ! Bright Desk Lamp ! Magnifying Glass

BEFORE YOU START BUILDING

Experience shows there are four common mistakes builders make. Avoid these, and your kit will probably work on the first try! Here's what they are:

1. Installing the Wrong Part: It always pays to double-check each step. A 1K

and a 10K resistor may look almost the same, but they may act very differently in an electronic circuit! Same for capacitors--a device marked 102 (or .001 uF) may have very different operating characteristics from one marked 103 (or .01uF).

2. Installing Parts Backwards: Always check the polarity of electrolytic

capacitors to make sure the positive (+) lead goes in the (+) hole on the circuit board. ICs have a notch or dot at one end indicating the correct direction of insertion. Always double-check--especially before applying power to the circuit!

3. Faulty Solder Connections: Inspect for cold-solder joints and solder

bridges. Cold solder joints happen when you don't fully heat the connection-or when metallic corrosion and oxide contaminate a component lead or pad. Solder bridges form when a trail of excess solder shorts pads or tracks together (see solder tips below).

4. Omitting or Misreading a Part: This is easier to do than you might think!

Always double-check to make sure you completed each step in an assembly sequence.

Soldering Tips: Cleanliness and good heat distribution are the two secrets of professional soldering. Before you install and solder each part, inspect leads or

VEC-8218K Owner’s Manual Counter-Surveillance Monitor Kit

pins for oxidation. If the metal surface is dull, sand with fine emery paper until shiny. Allow the tip of your iron to contact both the lead and pad for about one second (count "one-thousand-one") before feeding solder to the connection. Surfaces must become hot enough for solder to flow smoothly. Feed solder to the opposite side of the lead from your iron tip--solder will wick around the lead toward the tip, wetting all exposed surfaces. Apply solder sparingly, and do not touch solder directly to the hot iron tip to promote rapid melting. Keep a damp sponge handy to wipe your so ldering tip on. This removes excess solde r, and keeps the tip properly tinned. If the iron is going to sit idling for long periods, wipe the tip, add some fresh solder, and unplug the iron.

Desoldering Tips: If you make a mistake and need to remove a part, follow these instructions carefully! First, grasp the component with hemostats, needlenose pliers, or your fingers. Heat the pad beneath the lead you intend to extract, and pull gently. The lead should come out. Repeat for the other lead. Solder may fill in behind the lead as you extract it--especially if you are working on a double-sided b o ar d with plat e-thr o ugh hol es. Sho uld this ha pp e n, tr y heat ing the pad again and inserting a common pin into the hole. Solder won't stick to the pin's chromium plating. When the pad cools, remove the pin and insert the correct component. For ICs or multiple-pin parts, use desoldering braid to remove excess solder before attempting to extract the part. Alternatively, a lowcost vacuum-bulb or spring-loaded solder sucker may be used. Parts damaged or severely overheated during extraction should be replaced rather than reinstalled.

Work Habits: Kit construction requires the ability to follow detailed instructions and, in many cases, to perform new and unfamiliar tasks. To avoid making needless mistakes, work for short periods when you're fresh and alert. Recreational construction projects are more informative and more fun when you take your time. Enjoy!

Sorting and Reading Resistors: The electrical value of resistors is indicated by a color code (shown below). You don't have to memorize this code to work with resistors, but you do need to understand how it works:

Resistor Color Code

1st Digit 2nd Digit Multiplier

Tolerence

(gold or silver)

Black = 0 (tens) Brown = 1 (hundreds) Red = 2 (K) Orange = 3 (10K) Yellow = 4 (100K) Green = 5 (1Meg)

Blue = 6

Violet = 7

Gray = 8

White = 9

Silver = 10%

Gold = 5%

When you look at a resistor, check its multiplier code first. Any resistor with a black multiplier band falls between 10 and 99 ohms in value. Brown designates

VEC-8218K Owner’s Manual Counter-Surveillance Monitor Kit

a value between 100 and 999 ohms. Red indicates a value from 1000 to 9999 ohms, which is also expressed as 1.0K to 9.9K. An orange multiplier band designates 10K to 99K, etc. To inventory resistors, first separate them into groups by multiplier band (make a pile of 10s, 100s, Ks, 10Ks, etc.). Next, sort each group by specific value (1K, 2.2K, 4.7K, etc). This procedure makes the inventory easier, and also makes locating specific parts more convenient later on during construction. Some builders find it especially helpful to arrange resistors in ascending order along a strip of double-sided tape.

Reading Capacitors: Unlike resistors, capacitors no longer use a color code for value identification. Instead, the value, or a 3-number code, is printed on the body.

Value Code 10 pF = 100

100 pF = 101 1000 pF = 102

.001 uF = 102*

.01 uF = 103 .1 uF = 104

Multilayer

(270 pF)

271

Ceramic Discs

(.001 uF) (.1 uF)

102

104

Electrolytic

1 uF

1uF

35V

As with resistors, it's helpful to sort capacitors by type, and then to arrange them in ascending order of value. Small-value capacitors are characterized in pF (or pico-Farads), while larger values are labeled in uF (or micro-Farads). The transition from pF to uF occurs at 1000 pF (or .001 uF)*. Today, most monolithic and disc-ceramic capacitors are marked with a three-number code. The first two digits indicate a numerical value, while the last digit indicates a multiplier (same as resistors).

Electrolytic capacitors are always marked in uF. Electrolytics are polarized devices and must be oriented correctly during installation. If you become confused by markings on the case, remember the uncut negative lead is slightly shorter than the positive lead.

Integrated Circuits: Proper IC positioning is indicated by a dot or square marking located on one end of the device. A corresponding mark will be silkscreened on the PC board and printed on the kit's parts-placement diagram. To identify specific IC pin numbers for testing purposes, see the diagram below. Pin numbers always begin at "1" at the keyed end of the case and progress along the device, as shown:

VEC-8218K Owner’s Manual Counter-Surveillance Monitor Kit

8 7 6 5

Installation

Key

Installation

Key

1 2 3 4

Pin Numbers

PARTS LIST

Your kit should contain all of the parts listed below. Please identify and inventory each item on the checklist before you start building. If any parts are missing or damaged, refer to the manual's warranty section for replacement instructions. If you can't positively identify an unfamiliar item on the basis of the information given, set it aside until all other items are checked off. You may then be able to identify it by process of elimination. Finally, your kit will go together more smoothly if parts are organized by type and arranged by value ahead of time. Use this inventory as an opportunity to sort and arrange parts so you can identify and find them quickly.

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Qty Part Description Designation VEC P/N

1 22 ohm resistor (red-red-black) R6 100-1220

1 100 ohm resistor (brown-black-brown) R16 100-2100

2 220 ohm resistor (red-red-brown) R1,R9 100-2220

2 470 ohm resistor (yellow-violet-brown) R4,R14 100-2470

1 560 ohm resistor(green-blue-brown) R5 100-2560

1 1K resistor (brown-black-red) R22 100-3100

1 1.5K resistor (brown-green-red) R8 100-3150

1 4.7K resistor (yellow-violet-red) R7 100-3470

4 10K resistor (brown-black-orange) R10,R11,R21

R23

""""

Qty Part Description Designation VEC P/N

2 15K resistor (brown-green-orange) R13,R17 100-4150

1 39K resistor (orange-white-orange) R3 100-4390

3 47K resistor (yellow-violet-orange) R15,R18,R19 100-4470

2 100K resistor (brown-black-yellow) R2,R20 100-5100

1 1M resistor (brown-black-green) R12 100-6100

1 10K potentiometer w/switch R24

1 .001 uF multilayer capacitor (102) C1 220-1100

1 .0047 uF multilater capacitor (472) C8 220-1470

100-4100

VEC-8218K Owner’s Manual Counter-Surveillance Monitor Kit

6 .01 uF multilayer capacitor (103) C2,C3,C4,C5

C6,C7

2 10 uF electrolytic capacitor C9,C10 270-5100-1

1 LM324 quad op-amp IC (14 pins) U1 324-0324

1 MRF901 transistor (4 leads) Q1 306-5901

2 PN2222 transistor Q2,Q3 305-2222-1

1 1N270 detector diode D1 300-0034

1 Sub-miniature speaker SPK1 410-0011

1 9V battery snap BAT1 730-3005

6 3” length of insulated wire 871-2444-0300

1 Telescoping antenna ANT 758-1120

1 Solder lug 720-1213

1 3.5 x .6 - 6mm screw 675-0006B

1 Printed circuit board 861-VEC8218

1 Owner’s Manual 925-VEC8218K

220-2100

PARTS PLACEMENT

STEP-BY-STEP ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

In these instructions, when you see the term install, this means to locate, identify, and insert the part into its mounting holes on the PC board. T his includes prebending or straightening leads as needed so force is not required to seat the part. Once a component is mounted, bend each lead over to hold it in place. Use sharp side-cutters to clip off excess lead length before soldering. Make sure trimmed leads don't touch other pads and tracks, or a short circuit may result:

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