The loss-of-bias protector sounds like a great idea. I have a couple of
Original
AC-4s and one rebuilt with the kit, I also have a kit in inventory just
waiting
for the moment when another AC-4 starts going south.
If the proposed protector is very very inexpensive and very easy to install,
then the idea of if it isn't broken, then don't fix applies and the safety
would be worth it.
BUT, I think that the present kit to recap and all is not that expensive and
might not really take that much extra effort to install as long as the AC-4
box is opened.
If the proposed Gizmo were a coupling that would go between the powersupply
and the Xmiter - say a male and female Cinchblock, that would be a protector
w/o the effort of opening the Box. There the gizmo's LEDs could be seen.
Why not go whole hog - build an RS 232 connector into the gizmo with a total
diagnostic software that would tie into Ham Radio Delux Pardon
the reductio ad absurdum. I've been out of the box too long.
73,
Kris (KA2OIG)
htmlbody style=word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space;
-webkit-line-break:
after-white-space; Boys and girls.divbr/divdivas anyone with a drake
TR series rig knows, loose the bias and you cook your finals. It's a simple
as that./divdivbr/divdivI've been working on the problem for a while
and while I have yet to build the circuit, I have a conceptual design that
seems to solve the problem./divdivbr/divdivIf lost of bias is
observed,
the AC4 simply shuts off. There's no blown fuses, popped circuit breakers nor
arcs or sparks. There's no crowbar that's jammed into the
works./divdivbr/divdivThere's
that old saying about thinking outside the box, well at the end of the day,
everything still has to go back into the box. Herein lies the
problem./divdivbr/divdivIf
you used one of my AC4R rebuild kits, there's plenty of room left on the other
side of the transformer to a pcb to go. That being said, if you already have
the AC4R installed, your odds of a bias failure is rather
remote./divdivbr/divdivSo,
the problem right now is trying to shoehorn the circuit inside the original
AC4. /divdivbr/divdivI'll tighten the design, build a few to see
how they work./divdivbr/divdivRight
now:/divdivbr/divdivTotally
transparent to the user. You won't know the protection is
there./divdivTrying
to get it inside the original AC4 case/divdivShould lost of bias be
detected,
power supply simply shuts off./divdivSoft start on AC primary
side/divdivOnce
tripped, power supply will NOT turn back on till problem is
fixed/divdivbr/divdivThinking
about/divdivbr/divdivAlong with lost of bias, low bias
(adjustable
set point) would trigger shut down/divdivA few LEDS so you can peek inside
to see status of control circuit/divdivA sense wire could be run to the
transceiver to monitor the plug got loose on the
radio/divdivbr/divdivbr/divdivBoys
and girls, how about some input?/divdivbr/divdivMIke,
WB8VGE/divdivbrdiv
apple-content-edited=true span class=Apple-style-span
style=border-collapse:
separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;
font-style:
normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px;
text-transform:
none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing:
0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect:
none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; div
style=word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break:
after-white-space; span class=Apple-style-span style=border-collapse:
separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;
font-style:
normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal;
line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space:
normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect:
none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; div
style=word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break:
after-white-space; divdiv style=margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px;
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font face=Helvetica size=3
style=font:
normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 12px; Mike,
WB8VGE/font/divdiv
style=margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left:
0px; font face=Helvetica size=3 style=font: normal normal normal
12px/normal
Helvetica; font-size: 12px; SunLight Energy Systems/font/divdiv
style=margin-top:
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font
face=Helvetica
size=3 style=font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size:
12px; The Heathkit Shop/font/divdiv style=margin-top: 0px;
margin-right:
0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font face=Helvetica size=3