That only explains the apparent drain of several amperes Jim noticed. There is still a static drain of nearly 40 mA when the K3 is "off".
That was measured by at last two or three of us. I used a DMMs inserted in the power supply line. The 38 mA parasitic drain on mine is almost entirely to the KPA3 module. It is always connected to the dc input. Current to it does not flow through the dc control circuitry operated by the K3's Power switch. Disconnecting the KPA3 at the circuit breaker stopped the parasitic current flow. Wayne reported, "Every K3 we've tested drops to a very small number of milliamps of current drain when off." I'm not sure whether the 38 mA I measure fits in that "small number of milliamps" criteria, but it's never been an issue for me since I turn off the 13.8 V power supply when I leave the shack. 73 Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Ralph Parker Sent: Friday, October 18, 2013 12:41 PM To: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Current Drain When Off >>I would suspect a display problem with the Watts Up ... >I pulled out my Fluke and an adapter I had made years ago for a current >probe and measured both radios. Both are drawing 4 mA when off... I had a 'current drawn when off' incident a few years ago myself. K3 'current when off' was over 1 amp when measured with a Watts Up right at the back of the K3. The problem turned out to be an anomalous reading on the Watts Up, caused by an IC-756 ProIII that was running, mounted on the shelf above the K3. The HV from the display was affecting the reading of the Watts Up. I turned the Pro3 off, and the reading on the Watts Up dropped to around the 4ma mark. Ralph, VE7XF ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
