You will never win! Many years ago we designed a military unit that had many I/O ports, so we chose a selection of MIL STD connectors with different shell sizes, numbers of pins, plugs/ sockets, orientations etc. to make it soldier proof. What we didn't realise until later was that if you used enough force you could get a 14 pin plug to mate with a 19 pin plug with the same shell size!
Danny, G3XVR -----Original Message----- From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of RIchard Williams via Elecraft Sent: 23 August 2015 17:50 To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: [Elecraft] If it plugs in, then it should work I would agree with Ted in many instances (especially where safety is paramount), standardization is a necessity (excellent examples are given by Ted). That said, I would have to disagree with him if we try and apply that rational across the board. For instance, I do think applying the "if it fits, it should work" is practical for ALL electronic devices. Using a fully loaded K3S as an example, there are (not counting the ground lug) twenty four jacks on the back, and 2 on the front; requiring 13 different types of connectors (SO-239, BNC, Anderson Power Pole, RCA/Phone, 1/4" mono jack, 1/4" stereo jack , SMA connector, 1/8" mono jack, 1/8" stereo jack, USB, RJ45, DB15, and last but not least, an eight pin mic connector). If you were to apply the "if it fits, it should work" rule to the K3S, it would now require twenty six different types of connectors (double what we now have). O yes, even the ANT 1 and ANT 2 need to be different (maybe ANT 2 should be a N connector). WIth Radio Shack going tits up, it is hard enough finding the 13 types of connectors we need today; can you imagine trying to find twenty six different types just for the K3? And if you happen to have a VHF/UHF radio, it should have different connectors than any on the K3 or (for that matter) power amp; God forbid you inadvertently connect the output of your 1.5 KW amp to the ANT jack on your VHF radio!! Anybody who plugs a cable into a socket just because it happens to fit is a fool; especially amatuer radio operators, we all passed tests on radio theory and should know what all the inputs and outputs on our radios are for and how they are used. As for the DB15, it is marked ACC, it is not labeled VGA; why anyone would think it should be connected to a VGA monitor is beyond me?? Do you assume all radio manufactures use the same pinouts for their RJ45 or 8 pin mic connectors, and connect any mic to any radio? And yes, Bob (K4TAX) said it all; "it is very important to read and understand the manual before plugging or inserting any connector into any hole on any radio today". Dick, K8ZTT From: "Dauer, Edward" <eda...@law.du.edu> To: "elecraft@mailman.qth.net" <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2015 7:32 AM Subject: [Elecraft] If it plugs in, then it should work Indeed it should work if it plugs in AND if it looks the same, or at least it shouldn¹t cause any serious harm. In other industries where safety is at issue that is a firmly enforced rule. Examples, from two industries with which I have worked: Many lives have been saved since general aviation airframe manufacturers sized fuel filler ports, or required retrofit port restrictors, so that turbine fuel physically could not be loaded into tanks feeding a gasoline engine. Line boys, as they¹re called, are no more or less cautious than the rest of us, but the theme is that people make mistakes so the systems in which they work should be engineered to prevent those mistakes or to prevent them from doing any harm. Ditto in medicine. Patient safety was significantly advanced when the oxygen and the anesthetic gas fittings were made different enough that oxygen couldn¹t come from anything but the oxygen supply (e.g. noninterchangeable screw threads). Patient safety gurus have also insisted that wrist bands used in every hospital everywhere not only have standard language, but also standard colors so that, in a rush, a band announcing an allergy (red) couldn¹t be confused for a DNR (purple) even though the words on each are clear. And crash carts should be in exactly the same place in every hospital ward. Until very recently some surgeons marked an X on a limb to mean cut this side, while others marked it to mean don¹t cut this side. You can guess about the injuries which that lack of a standard system caused. I¹ll wager the same is true in other industries where the consequences of human error can be significant. I don¹t know enough about electrical engineering to offer any specific suggestions; but as a starting point, IMHO: if it fits, it should work. Ted, KN1CBR >Message: 6 >Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2015 19:31:44 -0500 >From: Bob McGraw - K4TAX <rmcg...@blomand.net> >To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net >Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K2 - KPA100 RS232 interface repair >Message-ID: <55d91470.2070...@blomand.net> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed > >The K3S has a RJ-45 connector for the RS-232 communications. Now >that's different! Of course they supply a cable with a RJ-45 on one >end and a DB-9F on the other. And then to keep everybody happy, there >is what appears to be a 15 pin VGA connector that is the ACC connector >to provide band data and such. The manual clearly states "This is not >a VGA video connector". > >Yes it is very important to read and understand the manual before >plugging or inserting any connector into any hole on any radio today. >It seems most hams think if it plugs in, then it should work. > >73 >Bob, K4TAX >K3S s/n 10,163 > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to richarddw1...@yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to danny.higg...@keme.co.uk ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
