[Elecraft] Another K2 lightning story

[Bill Phillips]

    My K2 (s/n 0892) got zapped when the metal roof of my house was struck. 
The surge suppressor serving the shack computer failed with an ear-splitting 
pop, emblazoning it's outline into the floor as a permanent memorial. At the 
time the K2 was connected to the station ground, to a 100AH battery supply, 
and to the computer sound card via a fixed audio output mod.  The audio 
cable provided the path that did the damage to the K2. The connector at the 
computer end was toast, as was the fixed audio output board in the K2. 
Amazingly, the only other damage in the K2 was to muting FETs on the control 
board and KDSP2 board. It was easy to find the problem because they are 
directly in the signal path to the fixed audio board. Once they were 
replaced all was well again. Naturally the computer was a goner, as were two 
others and attendant routers and modems.
   I was incredibly lucky that the fixed audio board, an add-on attached to 
the inside of the case, took the brunt of the damage. If that energy had 
been dissipated on the RF or control boards, repairs would have been much 
more difficult or impossible.
  72
Bill   AD6JV