Re: [Elecraft] K3 - PA Temp Unstable
To validate Wayne's suggestion . . . K3 serial numbers 008 and 021 both exhibited this problem within two years of their 2007 manufacture, and both were cured with the gold-pin replacement fix. Neither have exhibited any further misbehavior in the intervening years. 73, Kent Trimble, K9ZTV Jefferson City, MO On 1/20/2014 6:06 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote: If you put a DMM (voltmeter) on the associated pin, you should see the voltage changing (a few mV, probably). You can easily get at these pins by taking the bottom covers (A and B) off the radio. Chances are that the old, non-gold pins on the front panel module are the cause. 73, Wayne N6KR On Jan 20, 2014, at 7:16 AM, Mike Cox m...@ab9v.us wrote: I'd like to see how this is resolved. I note the silence about it after your post. My early K3 (sub s/n 500) started doing this same thing intermittently several months ago. The problem occasionally got bad enough that the rig would cut back to low power mode and report the PA over temperature. The problem would manifest itself upon power up after the radio had been off overnight. Usually within and hour after power-up the PA temperature report would stabilize and all was well. I pulled the PA board off and did the gold pin replacement but this did not resolve the issue. A month or so later, the temperature report stabilized. I have not yet pulled the front panel to change out to gold pins in that area. As the radio has not exhibited this behavior for the past month, I'm holding off until I can tell that I've fixed it (or not) when I work on it. I love repairing intermittant issues (not!). Anyway Paul, your problem is not unique. 73, Mike, AB9V On 1/18/2014 3:41 PM, paulb wrote: Hi folks K3 here owned for about 4 years. Latest firmware. Last couple of days at power up the PA Temp is unstable. LCD flicks between 27 and 40 degs C. TX and RX same reading. Noticed the rear fans starting and stopping Reloaded firmware no change. Before lifting the hood anyone got a pointer what to check ? thanks cheers Paul b zl1ajy -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-PA-Temp-Unstable-tp7583051.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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 __ 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 __ 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 - No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4259 / Virus Database: 3681/7022 - Release Date: 01/21/14 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 - PA Temp Unstable
Hmmm ... I don't have a PA Temp problem, but ... Occasionally, a tap or hold on a switch will cause some other action other than the desired one. During NAQP SSB, I was running KPA500 off but with the KAT500 [KAT3 bypassed]. The 500 was having some problems on 160, so I bypassed it and was going to try the KAT3. When I held the ATU switch to turn it on, the AGC shut off. First time that's ever happened. My hearing is very bad [disappeared one night on a mountain on the other side of the planet in my 20's], but believe me, it was LOUD in the phones. Took about an hour for my ears to recover. Is this symptomatic of the Gold Pins Problem? K3 S/N 642, I built it and basically, it works perfectly except for this anomaly. Next time I decide to use the KAT3, I'll take the cans off first. 73, Fred K6DGW - Northern California Contest Club - CU in the 2014 Cal QSO Party 4-5 Oct 2014 - www.cqp.org Anomaly [ah-NOM-ah-lee] n. A term used by NASA to indicate anything from a burned out light bulb to the rocket landing pointy end down outside Phoenix. On 1/21/2014 9:36 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote: To validate Wayne's suggestion . . . K3 serial numbers 008 and 021 both exhibited this problem within two years of their 2007 manufacture, and both were cured with the gold-pin replacement fix. Neither have exhibited any further misbehavior in the intervening years. __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 - PA Temp Unstable
I'd like to see how this is resolved. I note the silence about it after your post. My early K3 (sub s/n 500) started doing this same thing intermittently several months ago. The problem occasionally got bad enough that the rig would cut back to low power mode and report the PA over temperature. The problem would manifest itself upon power up after the radio had been off overnight. Usually within and hour after power-up the PA temperature report would stabilize and all was well. I pulled the PA board off and did the gold pin replacement but this did not resolve the issue. A month or so later, the temperature report stabilized. I have not yet pulled the front panel to change out to gold pins in that area. As the radio has not exhibited this behavior for the past month, I'm holding off until I can tell that I've fixed it (or not) when I work on it. I love repairing intermittant issues (not!). Anyway Paul, your problem is not unique. 73, Mike, AB9V On 1/18/2014 3:41 PM, paulb wrote: Hi folks K3 here owned for about 4 years. Latest firmware. Last couple of days at power up the PA Temp is unstable. LCD flicks between 27 and 40 degs C. TX and RX same reading. Noticed the rear fans starting and stopping Reloaded firmware no change. Before lifting the hood anyone got a pointer what to check ? thanks cheers Paul b zl1ajy -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-PA-Temp-Unstable-tp7583051.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 - PA Temp Unstable
If you put a DMM (voltmeter) on the associated pin, you should see the voltage changing (a few mV, probably). You can easily get at these pins by taking the bottom covers (A and B) off the radio. Chances are that the old, non-gold pins on the front panel module are the cause. 73, Wayne N6KR On Jan 20, 2014, at 7:16 AM, Mike Cox m...@ab9v.us wrote: I'd like to see how this is resolved. I note the silence about it after your post. My early K3 (sub s/n 500) started doing this same thing intermittently several months ago. The problem occasionally got bad enough that the rig would cut back to low power mode and report the PA over temperature. The problem would manifest itself upon power up after the radio had been off overnight. Usually within and hour after power-up the PA temperature report would stabilize and all was well. I pulled the PA board off and did the gold pin replacement but this did not resolve the issue. A month or so later, the temperature report stabilized. I have not yet pulled the front panel to change out to gold pins in that area. As the radio has not exhibited this behavior for the past month, I'm holding off until I can tell that I've fixed it (or not) when I work on it. I love repairing intermittant issues (not!). Anyway Paul, your problem is not unique. 73, Mike, AB9V On 1/18/2014 3:41 PM, paulb wrote: Hi folks K3 here owned for about 4 years. Latest firmware. Last couple of days at power up the PA Temp is unstable. LCD flicks between 27 and 40 degs C. TX and RX same reading. Noticed the rear fans starting and stopping Reloaded firmware no change. Before lifting the hood anyone got a pointer what to check ? thanks cheers Paul b zl1ajy -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-PA-Temp-Unstable-tp7583051.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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 __ 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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] K3 - PA Temp Unstable
Thanks Wayne. I suspect that you are right. I'll collect the parts and have them ready to go if the problem starts up again. Replacing header pins like these is something I've done many times before so I anticipate no problems with the repair. This radio has performed extremely well in almost daily use for many years now. The fan speed/temperature indication issue has been only a minor annoyance that I would have fixed already if it weren't so intermittent. 73, Mike On 1/20/2014 19:06 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote: If you put a DMM (voltmeter) on the associated pin, you should see the voltage changing (a few mV, probably). You can easily get at these pins by taking the bottom covers (A and B) off the radio. Chances are that the old, non-gold pins on the front panel module are the cause. 73, Wayne N6KR On Jan 20, 2014, at 7:16 AM, Mike Cox m...@ab9v.us wrote: I'd like to see how this is resolved. I note the silence about it after your post. My early K3 (sub s/n 500) started doing this same thing intermittently several months ago. The problem occasionally got bad enough that the rig would cut back to low power mode and report the PA over temperature. The problem would manifest itself upon power up after the radio had been off overnight. Usually within and hour after power-up the PA temperature report would stabilize and all was well. I pulled the PA board off and did the gold pin replacement but this did not resolve the issue. A month or so later, the temperature report stabilized. I have not yet pulled the front panel to change out to gold pins in that area. As the radio has not exhibited this behavior for the past month, I'm holding off until I can tell that I've fixed it (or not) when I work on it. I love repairing intermittant issues (not!). Anyway Paul, your problem is not unique. 73, Mike, AB9V On 1/18/2014 3:41 PM, paulb wrote: Hi folks K3 here owned for about 4 years. Latest firmware. Last couple of days at power up the PA Temp is unstable. LCD flicks between 27 and 40 degs C. TX and RX same reading. Noticed the rear fans starting and stopping Reloaded firmware no change. Before lifting the hood anyone got a pointer what to check ? thanks cheers Paul b zl1ajy -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-PA-Temp-Unstable-tp7583051.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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 __ 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 __ 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
[Elecraft] K3 - PA Temp Unstable
Hi folks K3 here owned for about 4 years. Latest firmware. Last couple of days at power up the PA Temp is unstable. LCD flicks between 27 and 40 degs C. TX and RX same reading. Noticed the rear fans starting and stopping Reloaded firmware no change. Before lifting the hood anyone got a pointer what to check ? thanks cheers Paul b zl1ajy -- View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-PA-Temp-Unstable-tp7583051.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.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
