As Eric reported, my assumption was wrong; the Elecraft encoders have ball bearings in spite of their small size. IMX quality ball bearings make a big difference in their ability to handle weight without excessive wear in designs with significant side-loading (such as a heavy knob rotating a nominally horizontal encoder shaft).
Fred makes an excellent point about removing the heavy knob if the rig is shipped. Inertia is an amazing weight-multiplier. 73, Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Phil LaMarche Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 6:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Elecraft] FW: HEAVY KNOBS?? I questioned the problems possible caused by heavy knobs. N8BX's response.... Philip LaMarche K3 # 1605 KPA500 # 029 P3 #1480 W9DVM -----Original Message----- From: Fred Freeman [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 8:41 PM To: Phil LaMarche Subject: Re: [Elecraft] HEAVY KNOBS?? Hi Phil, with regard to premature wear caused to the K3 encoders by weighted knobs, I do not feel there is anything to be concerned about. Elecraft uses the best encoders I have experienced in over 20 years in ham radio. They are on par with encoders I have seen in industrial applications where they receive much more use and abuse than anything likely to be seen in an amateur radio application. I have had a weighted knob on my K3 for 3 years and it gets used frequently. It is also my demo radio at shows and it gets a lot of use there. To date, I can not tell it from a brand new radio. The reason it stays nice is partly due to the quality of the encoder and partly because of the nature in which bearing material works. Obviously a ball bearing is preferred but it is an expensive luxury for hams. We a lucky to have a USA manufacture (Elecraft) that chooses to use premium components. Many Japanese made radios now use a quality made encoder with a full metal shell and a bronze bushing for the bearing. Icom uses the same exact encoders the Icom 746 thru the 7800 radios, and Yaesu does the same on the FT-950 thru FTdx9000, etc. There were radios made in the 80's and 90's that had plastic encoder housings and less robust bearing materials, yet these encoders continue to hold up over time. Once in a while you will find an old Icom 735, Kenwood 440, or a Yaesu 757GX with a worn, loose and sloppy feeling encoder. Often these radios have equal wear on the face, buttons and the rest of the enclosure. They literally got the heck ran out of them for 20 years and all without any maintenance (lubrication, etc). There are a great many radios on the used market from the 80's-90's that have nice smooth and wear free encoders and the best feeling are often from radios with heavier knobs (Icom 781, 765, 751A, Kenwood 930, 940, 950, Yaesu FT-990, FT-1000D, FT-1000MP, etc). As an experienced tool maker, I will not design a product that I feel will compromise the life of a customers radio. One measure that I do recommend is removing the weighted knob from your radio if ever you ship it. Shipping companies today are known for dropping boxes from great heights. When I bought my Icom 7700 and 7800 radios, they both came with the Icom weighted knob not installed on the radio. You have to put the knob on after you remove it from the box. So it is a worthwhile consideration to remove the knob if shipping your radio via UPS, Fed-Ex or US Mail. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to email me. Thanks & 73, N8BX Fred ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
