[ICOM] Non-OEM Power Cords

[Bill Archer]

Same problem with a flea market cable and a 706Mk2G.

Julio Peralta wrote:

>I wanted to pass this information along to the group.
>
>I've been having problems with my PROII shutting off or not starting up
>when I pushed the front panel power button. I was pretty sure It wasn't
>a bad power button so I wiggled the cable at the back of the radio and
>was able to determine that there was something wrong with the Molex
>power connector. I took the rig and cable off the operating position to
>the workbench and using a my bench supply I was able to reproduce the
>fault at will just by wiggling the Molex connector. I disconnected the
>Molex connector and examined both sides. I noticed that the white
>plastic around one of the female pins on the cable side was a brownish
>black in color a sign of overheating and a bad connection. The radio
>side of the connector showed no discoloration.
>
>I disassembled the Molex connector on the cable end to check for what I
>thought would be a bad crimp of the pin, however this was not the case.
>So I disassembled the PRO to check the radio side of the plug. I removed
>the male pin from the radio connector which mated up with the pin on the
>cable side that had the discoloration thinking surely it had a bad
>crimp, but there was nothing wrong with that crimp!
>
>I then inserted the male Molex pin from the PRO into the female pin from
>the cable and guess what they aren't the same size. The male pin from
>the PROII is so much smaller then the female pin  it just flops around
>inside. As I was examining the pins I remembered that the cable on this
>radio wasn't an Icom factory cable but one I had purchased at a hamfest.
>I like to use these after market cables so I can cut them to the correct
>length for the radios position on the operating table and still have the
>original factory cable for possible resale. I checked 2 of my Icom
>cables and the pins fit as they should.
>
>So it would seem that Icom uses a smaller version of the standard Molex
>pins then are being used with the after market cables. I was able to
>re-form the female pins using a small pair of needle nose pliers. If you
>have to do this be aware that I had to actually fold one side of the pin
>shell over the other to squeeze the pin down to where it makes a snug
>fit for the male Icom pin.
>
>BTW I checked 3 more of these after market Molex plugs and each one had
>the same problem and they were not purchased from the flea market
>dealer.
>
>Anyone else had this problem?
>
>Julio, W4HY
>
>
>
>----
>Your Moderator: Dick Flanagan K7VC, icom-owner at mailman.qth.net
>Icom Users Net: Sundays, 1700Z, 14.316 MHz
>Icom FAQ: http://www.qsl.net/icom/
>
>  
>