[Elecraft] Big Knob Fail

[K9ZTV]

K3 serial number 21 (kit no. 1) has carried the 73cnc weighted knobs on both the main and sub VFOs for more than 13 years of nearly nightly use.  It has been the primary CW rig for 11 Field Days, numerous special events, and upwards of a dozen Boy Scout outings.  The knobs have been twirled by club members with heavy fists and kids with youthful exuberance.  Yet they continue to provide the smooth and silky feel characteristic of those weighted knobs used in high end receivers for nearly 100 years.

If the tuning shafts and encoders are in imminent danger of “angular momentum and torque” leading to premature wear, my K3 didn’t get the memo.

Such concerns about non-Elecraft accessories are usually conjectural in my opinion, if not plain nonsense.

73,

Kent  K9ZTV



> On Feb 17, 2021, at 3:37 PM, someone wrote:
> 
> One of the problems with the knobs is that sometimes people change out the stock injected molded knob for a HEAVY machined knob. The mechanism inside the radio is not built for this type of installation. A rapid spin with the angular momentum and torque of the heavy knob will wear out the device.  This will require taking the front panel off and replacing the component.