Garey Barrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterence to the drakelist gang ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Keith -
Your supply is probably just fine.. I have several supplies that are considerably older than yours that still work as new. There are too many variables, time in service, storage in humid or dry conditions, electrical and/or physical abuse, etc. to make a definitive statement.
That being said, there are a few things you can do to protect your supply. First, and most important, be certain that the AC fuse is the correct size. More than a few power transformers have been fried because someone put in a 10A fuse or in at least one case I have seen, a piece of #10 copper wire!!
The most critical circuit in the supply is the bias supply. If this supply (-40 to -90V or so) fails, it can kill a transmitter faster than anything else, and it probably won't even blow the fuse. A good interim step is to replace the filter capacitor and diode for this supply. I'd also examine the two resistors visually and measure them with an ohmmeter.
Beyond that, replacing the diodes and caps for the two voltage doubler supplies and checking the resistors will make it good for another 30 years. For these, a shorted diode or shorted filter capacitor will blow the primary fuse pretty quickly. A dried out filter cap on the LV supply will introduce noticeable hum long before it fails catastrophically.
The AC-4R kit looks like a good alternative to the difficult to find Twist-Lok capacitors, and certainly makes a neat installation.
73, Garey - K4OAH Atlanta
Drake C-Line Service Manual <http://hr99.home.mindspring.com/R-4C_Servicez/>
Keith Hamilton wrote:
"Keith Hamilton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> made an utterence to the drakelist gang ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I have read about the AC-4R rebuild kit from the Heathkit Shop. This seems like an excellent kit but it brings a question to my mind. I have begun to be a bit paranoid about my current power supply!
Has anyone used this kit to rebuild their AC-4? Should I worry about my AC-4 quitting on me? It seems to be working just fine but like I say this kit has made me a bit paranoid about my supply! Should I rebuild it or wait until it quits? What criteria does one use to say when you should rebuild? My AC-4 has a relatively high serial number # 51464
Thanks for letting me ramble on for a bit!
73! Keith Hamilton, W8GX
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