[Yaesu] YS-60 problems

[mikea]

On Thu, Jul 09, 2009 at 03:12:49PM -0400, David  Thompson wrote:
> I have two YS-60 watt meters and both are operational but have problems. The 
> first one has the pilot lights burned out but still works with the 12V
> supplied.  Its almost impossible to replace the small bulbs with my poor 
> eyesight.  Can a small led or whatever be added.  I will just add to the 12V
> coming in.
> 
> The second YS-60 lights up Ok but the meter movement with DC applied (needed 
> to read watts out) is stuck on 1/3 scale on high power or off scale on the 
> low power position.  It still reads high power Ok as well as peak.  There is 
> nothing stuck in the meter and we decided it was magnatized.  Any way to 
> demagnatize the meter?  The SWR part is OK with the meter reading zero 
> correctly.

If it reads correctly all the way to full scale in any position, then
it's not magnetized. I suspect that there's something stuck in the air
gap between the meter armature (the rotor) and the magnet, in such a way 
that it interferes with the rotation of the armature past a certain
point. It may be a tiny flake of magnetic material, in a position where
it catches on the meter coil but not on anything else. 

If it _is_ a tiny flake of metal, you may be able to move it out by
sliding a narrow strip of paper through the air gap and very carefully
moving it around. If your eyesight is getting bad, as mine is, you may
want to ask someone with better vision to do this, or you may want to do
it under a magnifier or low-power microscope. It is pretty finicky. 

Yes, you have to take the meter apart to do this. 

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin