[Elecraft] KPA500 finals blown

[ab2tc]

Hi,

I had thought the use of beryllium oxide had been discontinued as the
insulator for RF power transistors, but no such luck: Here is the safety
note from Microsemi's data sheet:

"HAZARDOUS MATERIAL WARNING: The ceramic portion of the device below the
lead plane is beryllium oxide. Beryllium oxide dust is highly toxic when
inhaled. Care must be taken during handling and mounting to avoid damage to
this area. These devices must never be thrown away with general industrial
or domestic waste. BeO substrate weight: 0.703g. Percentage of total module
weight which is BeO: 9%."

AB2TC - Knut


alorona wrote
> Holy smokes. If the ceramic was actually blown off of the transistor
> packages (!), be careful not to inhale any ceramic dust that may be
> present. That's beryllium oxide which is quite toxic in dust form.
> Al  W6LX
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