Okay, so I lied. It's a Barkley's tin. Hey, they're "naturally better mints" so why not? Dimensions are identical to the Altoids tin. Nothing special about this build, other than it was my first mint tin radio. The kit is an Ebay pixie from China, three dollars each with free shipping. I bought two. The project's most challenging part? Drilling holes in the tin's thin metal. I cut a piece of hardwood trim to be a snug fit across the tin's interior. Then, drilling through the metal into the wood, I gradually widened the holes to their final diameter. It was slow going. But I think the result speaks for itself. I trimmed the plastic around the BNC connector to allow the board to slide into the tin without too much fiddling. It's not a drop in fit. But it goes in without having to move metal too far. Replaced the DC power connector with wires for a power switch. Foam tape with plastic film on one side separates the board from the tin. The tape is folded on itself to wedge the 9V battery off to one side. I didn't have any extra crystals handy so I installed the 7023 KHz crystal included with the kit. However, I mounted it in pin headers soldered to the board, so swapping crystals will be a snap. As you can see, getting the lid to close took a bit of rough metalwork. But I'm satisfied with the result. Haven't tested it outside yet. It puts ~300mW into the dummy load, so I'm hopeful I'll get a few QSOs with it before the battery dies. Thanks for looking.
I love it! Tuna-can (and in this case Mint-Can) rigs are always a lot of fun. I've never built one in a mint-tin, but can admire the good workmanship. Once you make a few QSOs, let us know how it does. I'll keep an ear out on 7023 for you.
Very nice work. This is the type of project that I had considered in the thread. What do I want? Joe KA9UCN
Great project! I've just ordered a Pixie kit from China. I'll have to think about a cool case for it now!
Once going I'd suggest doing some mods to make it more useful. Eg at least switched crystals and/or a VXO. You may need to move the battery to the outside of the case to create a bit more room. This video gives a few hints
