[Elecraft] K3 #4407 - dead

[Pete Smith]

Ouch, and such a young one too!  There's a message here - when Ma Nature 
visits with lightning, unless you're an electrical engineer with a 
perfect station configuration, the only relatively secure way to do 
things is to disconnect everything.  Even a relatively short length of 
cable (RS-232, network, whatever) can pick up enough induced voltage 
from a nearby strike to do damage.


73, Pete N4ZR

The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at www.conteststations.com
The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com,
spots at telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000


On 8/12/2010 7:13 AM, Gary Dezern wrote:
> 4 grounding rods and two of those alpha delta gas discharge surge protectors couldn't stop mother nature.  It appears my K3 has met a very early death by electrocution (from lightning.)
>
> It turns on, but even after an EE INIT, I'm still getting a KP3IO error.  There's a god awful noise coming from the speaker when its turned on even with no antenna attached.  Sounds like wind howling or something.  The autotuner sounds like marbles rattling around instead of relays clicking.  The KPA100 tests are all whacked out:  PAIO TST turns on the fans.  FN1 turns them both on at full speed.  FN2 turns them both off.  FN3 turns them back on again.  FN4 drops the fans back off again.
>
> I opened the top, but there's no obvious damage inside... nothing is burned that I can see.
>
> I also lost the computer that was attached to the K3... as a matter of fact, the USB/serial adapter actually blew apart.  The shell of the DB9 was scattered on the floor under my desk and the little circuit board inside is scorched.  That computer won't turn on.  No visible damage I can see inside.
>
> Another machine, a NAS, that wasn't connected to the radio or even on the same power circuit also died.
>
> I haven't seen any other obvious damage yet.
>
> I hope my insurance covers this... if so, Elecraft can be expecting to see another order from me soon.  (Strange way to get a repeat customer, eh?)
>
> Gary / k3wow (formally k3 4407)
>
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