[Milsurplus] "Pico-Fuses" at High Voltage- Prelim. Report

[Mike Hanz]

That's outstanding work, Dave!  Thinking about the problem a bit, I 
suspect that GE designed the original fuses per the contract, which 
required the BC-375 and its predecessors to work at high altitude.  
That, along with GE's very conservative engineering approach to 
everything they built, may have been the basis for the ultra-safe design 
with the long plasma extinguishing gap.  On the other hand, they may 
have just grabbed a 10kV fuse from another transmitter and called it 
good...heh, heh...

Since you're several thousand feet below sea level (isn't most of 
Texas?:-) ), the atmospheric pressure is considerably higher than at 
30,000 feet MSL over Germany in the winter of 1944.  That increased 
ambient air pressure should have a positive effect with the use of the 
pico fuses.  Anyway, I sincerely applaud your empirical testing program, 
and thank you for providing yet *another* valuable workaround for 
operating these grand old sets!  Keep it up, young man!  There seem to 
be few others who brave the pragmatic limits of our avocation like you do.

Very 73,
Mike

On 9/27/2011 11:04 AM, David Stinson wrote:
> I went to Tanners and got a few 1/4 amp Picos to try.
> 39 cents each.
>
> There was no arcing.
> The fuse did not explode.
> It looks just like it did when I bought it.
> I put it back in after other tests and it did not arc.
> It just sat there looking new and being dead.