Packaging the NorCal MiniBoots by N2HTT

I built this project from a kit sold by NorCal, the MiniBoots amplifier, and put it in a commercial enclosure. The amplifier is designed to take from 1 - 2 watts CW input up to a full "QRP Gallon", that is 5 watts out on 40 and 20 meters. It is actually capable of higher output with 2 - 3 watts in and a 13.5 supply voltage.

Unfortunately, this kit is no longer sold by NorCal, but full documentation is available online at the American QRP Club, and construction from scratch should be fairly straightforward. The kit was designed by Wayne McFee, NB6M.

In my implementation, I made a few minor changes to accomodate the packaging. The kit provides two 200 ohm PC board pots, switch selected by band, which allow you to set the output to exactly 5 watts for both bands independently. I wanted a single drive control on the front panel, so I hard wired the switch selection to the 20 meter pot, then ran wires from the 20 meter pot connections on the board to the pot on the front panel. This mod also results in one fewer connection to the 4-pole band switch, mounted on the front of the enclosure.

I also wanted the controls on the front, and all the cable connections on the back, so I placed the external components accordingly, and ran RF to and from the board using shielded RG 174.

Finally, I added an LED pilot light to the front panel, to indicate power applied to the amp. With the power off, the RF from the input goes directly to the output, so flipping the power switch allows one to quickly toggle between the amplified and unamplified signal.

I am using my MiniBoots with my Wilderness Sierra as the QRP rig of choice in my home shack. My Sierra puts out about 2.5 watts on 40 meters, I can get a max of about 8 watts from the MiniBoots on this band. On 20, my Sierra puts out just shy of 2 watts, with an amplified max of about 5.5 watts.

Description: Front View
Description: Back View
Description: Board Overhead
Description: Board Left Side
Description: Board Right Side
Description: Box Layout Template

To come up with the parts layout on the box, I used a drawing program to create rectangles that represented the box bottom, front and rear. Then I created "parts": rectangles that represented the amount of space needed by each box-mounted component. Using the drawing program, I moved these around until I found a layout I liked, that worked well.

If you wish to reproduce my packaging design, an exact size template file is available at the link below:

Download parts layout template here

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I built this project from a kit sold by NorCal, the MiniBoots amplifier, and put it in a commercial enclosure. The amplifier is designed to take from 1 - 2 watts CW input up to a full "QRP Gallon", that is 5 watts out on 40 and 20 meters. It is actually capable of higher output with 2 - 3 watts in and a 13.5 supply voltage. Unfortunately, this kit is no longer sold by NorCal, but full documentation is available online at the American QRP Club, and construction from scratch should be fairly straightforward. The kit was designed by Wayne McFee, NB6M. In my implementation, I made a few minor changes to accomodate the packaging. The kit provides two 200 ohm PC board pots, switch selected by band, which allow you to set the output to exactly 5 watts for both bands independently. I wanted a single drive control on the front panel, so I hard wired the switch selection to the 20 meter pot, then ran wires from the 20 meter pot connections on the board to the pot on the front panel. This mod also results in one fewer connection to the 4-pole band switch, mounted on the front of the enclosure. I also wanted the controls on the front, and all the cable connections on the back, so I placed the external components accordingly, and ran RF to and from the board using shielded RG 174. Finally, I added an LED pilot light to the front panel, to indicate power applied to the amp. With the power off, the RF from the input goes directly to the output, so flipping the power switch allows one to quickly toggle between the amplified and unamplified signal. I am using my MiniBoots with my Wilderness Sierra as the QRP rig of choice in my home shack. My Sierra puts out about 2.5 watts on 40 meters, I can get a max of about 8 watts from the MiniBoots on this band. On 20, my Sierra puts out just shy of 2 watts, with an amplified max of about 5.5 watts.
Description: Front View	Description: Back View	Description: Board Overhead	Description: Board Left Side	Description: Board Right Side	Description: Box Layout Template
To come up with the parts layout on the box, I used a drawing program to create rectangles that represented the box bottom, front and rear. Then I created "parts": rectangles that represented the amount of space needed by each box-mounted component. Using the drawing program, I moved these around until I found a layout I liked, that worked well. If you wish to reproduce my packaging design, an exact size template file is available at the link below:
Download parts layout template here
n2htt.net Home Page