[Elecraft] KX-1 dead :(

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Tod, look for a short in the +12 circuit to ground. The swollen batteries
suggests they were feeding lots of current into a dead short for a long
time. 

Open the unit and do the resistance checks at the top right column on page
54 of your manual. If those checks disclose a short, follow the PCB traces
back to the power switch. You may find that one carrying +12 has burned open
from the heat of the batteries. 

After you repair the short, a burned trace can be repaired by cleaning the
ends on opposite sides of the break and soldering a short thin wire across
the gap. Often batteries cannot supply enough current to actually burn a
trace open, but an external supply can. Do the resistance checks to see if
the +12 V line is shorted before leaving power applied!

There are additional troubleshooting hints in Appendix E1 of your manual.
The first section deals with the symptoms you describe. If there's no short
on the +12V line, do  the voltage checks on page E5 and E6 to see where
power is missing.

Ron AC7AC