[Elecraft] circuit breaker

[Richard Fjeld]

I have seen breakers let go for no apparent reason.  It seemed like it 
was a mechanical failure in the breaker.

Dick, n0ce


On 5/16/2016 5:27 PM, Rick Bates (WA6NHC) wrote:
> Is it possible that it 'belched' and the power reset is what really fixed it?
>
> 73,
> Rick WA6NHC
>
> Tiny iPhone keypad, spell check happens
>
>> On May 16, 2016, at 1:40 PM, Todd Ruby <todd at ruby-wine.com> wrote:
>>
>> Well Ron, I guess there's a first time for everything. Although the radio was deaf and dumb, I had display function and it looked as it normally does after turning on the power. There was just no receive nor output power.
>>
>> I turned it off, pressed the 20 amp circuit breaker on the rear panel and sigs were coming through the headphones and I had full power.
>>
>> Today it's also operating perfectly.
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Todd
>>
>>> On May 16, 2016, at 3:30 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <ron at cobi.biz> wrote:
>>>
>>> Todd responded to me off the reflector that he lost all power to the K3 so it wasn’t the 20A breaker. That only controls power to the KPA3. The front panel is still powered and the receiver continues to work.
>>>
>>> I suggested it might be the self-resetting breaker inside the K3. That will turn it off completely. Actually power will still be on the KPA3 module and anything plugged into the 12V external power connector on the K3 rear panel, but the K3 itself will look dead with no front panel lights, receive or other functions until it cools and resets itself.
>>>
>>> I’ve never had an issue with either breaker opening unexpectedly.
>>>
>>> 73, Ron AC7AC
>>>
>>> From: ac5p at sbcglobal.net [mailto:ac5p at sbcglobal.net]
>>> Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 12:18 PM
>>> To: Ron D'Eau Claire; 'todd ruby'; 'Elecraft Reflector Reflector'
>>> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] circuit breaker
>>>
>>> I believe Todd is referring to the breaker on the K3, not his house panel circuit?
>>> Ron has some good advice, but I wonder how common this circuit breaker operates?
>>>
>>> I looked thru my manual for more info on it.  The block diagram shows it as a 25A fuse,
>>> text and device indicate 20A circuit breaker, but NO  info on the type operating curve, or current vs. time for minimum trip?
>>>
>>> I have a 10A circuit breaker on my 40Ahr battery supply and it has never tripped.  It is a thermal time delay like most house breakers.
>>>
>>> Anyone out there have any clue?   Wayne?
>>>
>>> Mike  AC5P
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Monday, May 16, 2016 12:28 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire <ron at cobi.biz> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> The normal underlying cause for the breaker to open is over-current. That's
>>> a 20A breaker that protects only the KPA3 100 watt amplifier module. The
>>> first thing I'd do is check the current drain from your power supply on the
>>> band where you experienced the problem. First set the power to 10 watts so
>>> the KPA3 is bypassed and note the total current drain key down. Now crank up
>>> the power and see if the part used by the KPA3 is pushing 20A. For example,
>>> if your total current at 10 W was 3A, does the total at 100 watts approach
>>> 23A? IF so, the breaker was simply doing its job. Note that circuit breakers
>>> are not precision devices so it may trip a couple of amperes one way or the
>>> other from 20A.
>>>
>>> A primary reason for excessive KPA3 current is a high SWR on your antenna
>>> system. The higher the SWR, the less efficient the KPA3 becomes and the more
>>> current it has to draw to produce the power.
>>>
>>> A defective breaker can also start tripping at lower currents.
>>>
>>> 73, Ron AC7AC
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of todd
>>> ruby
>>> Sent: Monday, May 16, 2016 9:08 AM
>>> To: Elecraft Reflector Reflector
>>> Subject: [Elecraft] circuit breaker
>>>
>>> Would anyone venture to guess what would cause the circuit breaker to trip
>>> on a K3? Mine did all of a sudden yesterday. Fortunately, my friend
>>> suggested the reset and voila, I am back on the air. But if there is an
>>> underlying cause, I think it would be wise to be aware of it so as to
>>> preclude this episode from repeating. Any thoughts are welcome.
>>>
>>> 73
>>>
>>> todd
>>>
>>> WB2ZAB
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________________________
>>> Elecraft mailing list
>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>>
>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net/
>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>>> Message delivered to ac5p at sbcglobal.net
>>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to wa6nhc at gmail.com
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to rpfjeld at outlook.com