Hi Gang, To those of you reading this who may still be in the "...contemplating" stages of somehow incorporating a cooling fan into their "C"-line rigs, allow me to share an experience that I just went through here this morning...
I am in the process (still!) of validating that my latest-and-greatest "fix" to the stability of my T-4X transmitter PTO is, indeed, still valid---and so I had the set on, warming-up in the basement, where I'd venture forth every hour, or so, to check the frequency. About a half hour ago, I noticed that the top & side of the T-4X enclosure was VERY hot around the final PA cage inside---and so, for giggles, I plugged-in the wall wart that powers the small cooling fan that I had mounted awhile ago atop the enclosure just above the final PA tubes... After feeling the blast of VERY warm air being driven upward from the rig by the fan, I got distracted with something in the receiver, and so focused upon that for a few minutes---and ONLY for a few minutes! I then felt the sides & top of the T-4X, and lo & behold, even I was surprised to note that it had now actually become almost COOL to the touch! My fan is a small one, & was "liberated" from an old computer: it runs on 12 VDC. I installed a series-dropping resistor in the "B+" wall wart lead to drop the voltage down to 10 VDC---and to quiet the thing down to a whisper. It blows the hot air up OUT of the cage, rather than down into it. Two small screws secure it to the top enclosure (they fit right through the conveniently pre-punched holes therein), and I used a plastic "chicken band" to secure the power lead from the wall wart onto the enclosure---a sort of "strain relief", if you will... If heat is the #1 culprit contributing to shortened life spans of electronics, a cooling fan will surely go a long way to adding years to the life expectancy of your rig's critical components! It's a no-brainer, IMHO... ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ _______________________________________________ Drakelist mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.zerobeat.net/mailman/listinfo/drakelist
