John I have a suspicion you do regular maintained on your rigs. Each year I
pull my high power rig out of the case and give it a visual, smell and
resistance check looking for signs of failure.
I have a GK 500A that I checked last year and it had a stain on the power
supply chassis that I had never noticed before. The stain originated under
a Low High Voltage transformer that was working fine. I pulled the
transformer and removed the end bells. Sure enough the insulation paper was
burned. Although still working, it needed replacement.
I use a shorting stick made with a 5K ohm, 25 watt resistor to check the HV
before even removing the connector from the power supply from the cabinet.
I don't want a direct short for the cap as Don stated.
Much of what I do is learned from elmers of long ago who have passed now,
but most of their wisdom lives on in others. One had a 10 uf, 15 kv oil cap
that he charged, then shorted with a screwdriver. You probably have seen
the fireworks that generated. It will give one pause around HV. He then
waited about 20 minutes and shorted the terminals again. Another bang but
not as brilliant as the first. The second was enough to seriously hurt you
or make you hurt yourself.
All the commercial shorting sticks I have seen use phenolic sticks about 36
inches long with a resistor in it, usually the higher the voltage, the
higher the resistor. They were supplied with broadcast transmitters. This
is something everyone who works with 600 volts or more of should be careful
when servicing.
73 Jim
W5JO
This is also true Jim. This is why I use a VTVM with a 1 meg resistor in
the probe. I make up a special resistor probe divider network in addition
to this to do measurements of HV with. I occasionally check the
voltmeters
on the front of the transmitter for calibration using this lash up. But it
also makes a very good pre-checker for voltage before trouble shooting.
Of
course if the transmitter is all working correctly and I just want to
check
something or make a modification which I do on a regular basis, then I
watch
the meters fall when I flip the plate switch off. After they have reached
Zero volts then I insert the shorting bar or stick to insure that the
plate
voltage can't be activated again with out tripping the breaker HIHI.
PS: the bleeder resistors had best be radiating heat after the plate
supply
is off or I suspect trouble.
John, WA5BXO
-----Original Message-----
True, but should something be wrong with the meter following a disaster,
it
might not show a charge. What an arc would be drawn if 3 KV remained
somewhere and you gave it a direct short.
I have always seen a high value resistor in these things.
73 Jim
W5JO
