Re: PTO makes scraping sound
OK. I should have that power supply tonight and I will make sure it puts out exactly 10 volts. I will also check where it got hooked up to the rig and make sure I have the +10 volts there as well and I will make sure that where it got connected to ground is actually ground. I will also check to make sure the inject line is not shorted and same for the RIT wire.
I plan on connecting voltage tonight and looking with my frequency counter and I might try to connect it to my RTL-SDR device using Cubic SDR.
Mark
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Re: T-4XC no output on 40M
Yep. Just noticed that. I¡¯ll keep going¡
On Tue, Apr 1, 2025 at 11:10 AM, Gary WB6OGD via groups.io < winbladgary@...> wrote:
Sorry, that's not it.
C137 has one end grounded and the other end connects to ground through T11 and T5.
73,
Gary
WB6OGD
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Re: T-4XC no output on 40M
Sorry, that's not it.
C137 has one end grounded and the other end connects to ground through T11 and T5.
73,
Gary
WB6OGD
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Re: T-4XC no output on 40M
Update. ?It appears C137, 3.3pF tubular ceramic capacitor, is shorted. ?I have continuity to ground on either side of the capacitor. ?This capacitor is in the 40 meter band oscillator around T11. ?Anyone feel like looking at a T-4XC schematic and giving me a sanity check? ?Now to hunt down a replacement.
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Re: Using Kenwood MC-50 with Drake Equipment
Oops. I was thinking mine is an MC-50 but it's an MC-60 - hence the 8-pin connector.
Barry - N4BUQ
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I have a Kenwood MC-50 that I'm thinking of using with my TR-4. First off, is
this a decent mic for the rig? It has switchable impedance so that shouldn't
be a problem but thought I'd ask before going any further.
If this will work, then anyone know where I could get one of the 8-pin sockets?
I see a set of five on eBay but thought I'd try to find a single before going
for those.
Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ
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Using Kenwood MC-50 with Drake Equipment
I have a Kenwood MC-50 that I'm thinking of using with my TR-4. First off, is this a decent mic for the rig? It has switchable impedance so that shouldn't be a problem but thought I'd ask before going any further.
If this will work, then anyone know where I could get one of the 8-pin sockets? I see a set of five on eBay but thought I'd try to find a single before going for those.
Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ
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Re: T-4XC no output on 40M
>I¡¯m sorry you think this is painful. I¡¯ve read this group for several years and decided to jump in with a ¡°project¡±.
?
I am sorry Larry, that didn't come out right, didn't mean to be snarky and didn't realize you only started this yesterday.
I just wanted to say, with a scope, it should be so easy to find.
Good luck with the repair.
73,
Gary
WB6OGD
?
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Re: PTO makes scraping sound
Gary,
Thanks for that clarification.? I wondered if the RTTY connection was what Drake decided to use for RIT.? Good to know.
Barry - N4BUQ
Don't apply much more than 10V, the zener is (I am not positive for a C line) inside the PTO unless you use a series current limiting resistor,
or you might over heat the zener.
?
The RIT is the wire on the side of the PTO.? All Drake PTOs have had a terminal there to be used for optional RTTY FSK use, RIT uses the same
capability.
73,
Gary
WB6OGD
?
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Re: PTO makes scraping sound
Don't apply much more than 10V, the zener is (I am not positive for a C line) inside the PTO unless you use a series current limiting resistor,
or you might over heat the zener.
?
The RIT is the wire on the side of the PTO.? All Drake PTOs have had a terminal there to be used for optional RTTY FSK use, RIT uses the same
capability.
73,
Gary
WB6OGD
?
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Re: Inductance of MN-2000/L-4B Coils?
I thought about that but I've already reassembled it.? So many screws...
Thanks, Barry - N4BUQ
From: "Jim VE7RF via groups.io" <jim.thom@...>
To: "DRAKE-RADIO" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 6:18:30 AM
Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Inductance of MN-2000/L-4B Coils?
Measure it with a digital? LCR meter.?
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Re: getting the AC mains out of the TR7
Great idea. Ordering the connector today as I hate having to drag both cables up and over the bench when I work on this, and I'm still tempting fate by using the volume control on/off. I have my whole house set up on those remote switches by Gosund so it's a simple task to add another.?
?
If anyone finds an appropriate 12V muffin fan, let me know. I was going to replace this anyway as it's turbine-like loud. Perhaps something like unit would work.?
?
It's currently blowing OUT of the unit; is this the latest best practice??
--
Craig/W8CS
Greenville, SC
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Re: getting the AC mains out of the TR7
If they¡¯re built anything like the single remote plus switch, they should handle substantial loads. I have one in my woodshop that I use to turn on my 1 hp dust collector. Works like a charm.?
I don¡¯t need that in my shack, as I have a C-4¡
73,
Steve Wedge, W1ES
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
On Tue, Apr 1, 2025 at 00:06, Jim Shorney via groups.io < jimNU0C@...> wrote:
That will work! I have also seen PS7s modified with an ugly toggle switch on the front panel there but that's a road I did not really want to go down. An idea I have considered is adding a small vampire circuit with a relay inside the PS7 and just run a DC control voltage to the rig, but then that does not solve the power switch wear issue. So I just use a power strip. It works well enough for me.
However, if you don't like unsightly power strips hanging around here is another idea sort of related. Recently I was pondering a way to easily kill my RFI generating satellite receiver when I want to hear stuff on HF. Around the holidays I found these in the Christmas lighting supplies section of my local Home Depot. Cheap.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-Wireless-Indoor-Remote-Control-AC-DC-Adapter-White-3-Pack-LA-YK08/329046003
Supposedly capable of switching 15A and it sounds like they can handle moderately inductive loads. Problem solved. Although I did have to think about what to use the other two in the three-pack for. There was nothing in the shack that I "need" to turn on and off wirelessly but I found something to use the second one for. They have been working well for several months. We'll see if they survive our thunderstorm season. Ironically, I did put the third one in the shack last week so I could remotely reboot my LAN connected SDR receiver when it drops off the network. I suppose you could use one to turn the PS7 and a FA7 on the rig on at the same time, saving having to rig up a DC fan. It would take just a short extension cord from the FA7 to the 2nd receptacle on the box.
73
-Jim
NU0C
On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:21:31 -0700
"Glenn Hetchler WB0DKT via groups.io" <ghetch@...> wrote:
> I never liked the fact that there was the AC for the PS7 routed through the TR7. I have used a good power strip for years and tried to not switch the volume control to OFF since I read about them being unobtainable, and failing both electrically and mechanically.
>
> Working on a project TR7 and PS7 with a younger ham, I decided that I should finally figure out how to keep the AC out of his and my TR7s. As we were checking out the PS7 I looked at the circuit board that has the voltage switching and all that (mounted by the switches being pop-riveted in place, seriously???) and decided there had to be a better way that to mess with that wiring.
>
> And then an idea came to me that should have 40+ yrs ago when I got the rig. Surplus Sales has the Jones connectors (for a cable, but we did not connect any cable) that are the same configuration as on the back of the rig. Part Number: (CNE) P310CCT
> https://www.surplussales.com/items/107904/vintage-cinch-jones-metal-backshell-clamp/
>
> With it we just jumpered pins 1-2 and 3-4 inside the connector (check your PS7 and TR7 manuals to see) and then plugged it on to the cable from the PS7 and it works just like the PS7 was plugged into a turned-on radio. If you need ALC or VOX, you'll need to get another connector to plug-in to the back of the TR7, but we have not needed either yet.
>
> Then we leave the PS7 cable that has the AC and wires for the ALC and VOX coiled up behind the PS7 and turn things on with the power strip. Now only the 12V cable is plugged into the TR7. Of course the fan will need to be changed to 12 VDC on the radio. That will be our next upgrade.
>
> Before recommending the Jones connector from Surplus Sales to the group, I called them to make sure there were more available. They checked stock and said that they should have at least several hundred.
>
> Thought I'd share this idea with the group. I am sure others may have done something similar, but it is nice to know where we can still get Jones connectors at a reasonable price.
>
> 73,
> -Glenn/ WB0DKT
>
>
>
>
>
--
73
-Jim
NU0C
|
Re: Inductance of MN-2000/L-4B Coils?
Measure it with a digital? LCR meter.?
|
Re: PTO makes scraping sound
I just bought a small variable power supply that can easily do 10 volts at 3 amps. I expect that delivery to be today so I will try that instead of the 9 volt battery.
Mark
|
Re: PTO makes scraping sound
Mark:
No harm in trying the battery.? Good chance it will be close enough to fire it up for a test, though maybe not as stable as the?+ 10V supply, as it may not fire the zener in the PTO.??
73 PS
On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 9:10?PM Mark N2DMI via <markkiziuk1= [email protected]> wrote: Hi Peter I took many pictures of where everything went. Can I just use a simple 9 volt battery instead of trying to find a 10 volt power source? I don't have a variable power
supply.
Mark
?
|
Re: PTO makes scraping sound
Hi Peter I took many pictures of where everything went. Can I just use a simple 9 volt battery instead of trying to find a 10 volt power source? I don't have a variable power
supply.
Mark
?
|
Re: getting the AC mains out of the TR7
That will work! I have also seen PS7s modified with an ugly toggle switch on the front panel there but that's a road I did not really want to go down. An idea I have considered is adding a small vampire circuit with a relay inside the PS7 and just run a DC control voltage to the rig, but then that does not solve the power switch wear issue. So I just use a power strip. It works well enough for me. However, if you don't like unsightly power strips hanging around here is another idea sort of related. Recently I was pondering a way to easily kill my RFI generating satellite receiver when I want to hear stuff on HF. Around the holidays I found these in the Christmas lighting supplies section of my local Home Depot. Cheap. Supposedly capable of switching 15A and it sounds like they can handle moderately inductive loads. Problem solved. Although I did have to think about what to use the other two in the three-pack for. There was nothing in the shack that I "need" to turn on and off wirelessly but I found something to use the second one for. They have been working well for several months. We'll see if they survive our thunderstorm season. Ironically, I did put the third one in the shack last week so I could remotely reboot my LAN connected SDR receiver when it drops off the network. I suppose you could use one to turn the PS7 and a FA7 on the rig on at the same time, saving having to rig up a DC fan. It would take just a short extension cord from the FA7 to the 2nd receptacle on the box. 73 -Jim NU0C On Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:21:31 -0700 "Glenn Hetchler WB0DKT via groups.io" <ghetch@...> wrote: I never liked the fact that there was the AC for the PS7 routed through the TR7. I have used a good power strip for years and tried to not switch the volume control to OFF since I read about them being unobtainable, and failing both electrically and mechanically.
Working on a project TR7 and PS7 with a younger ham, I decided that I should finally figure out how to keep the AC out of his and my TR7s. As we were checking out the PS7 I looked at the circuit board that has the voltage switching and all that (mounted by the switches being pop-riveted in place, seriously???) and decided there had to be a better way that to mess with that wiring.
And then an idea came to me that should have 40+ yrs ago when I got the rig. Surplus Sales has the Jones connectors (for a cable, but we did not connect any cable) that are the same configuration as on the back of the rig. Part Number: (CNE) P310CCT
With it we just jumpered pins 1-2 and 3-4 inside the connector (check your PS7 and TR7 manuals to see) and then plugged it on to the cable from the PS7 and it works just like the PS7 was plugged into a turned-on radio. If you need ALC or VOX, you'll need to get another connector to plug-in to the back of the TR7, but we have not needed either yet.
Then we leave the PS7 cable that has the AC and wires for the ALC and VOX coiled up behind the PS7 and turn things on with the power strip. Now only the 12V cable is plugged into the TR7. Of course the fan will need to be changed to 12 VDC on the radio. That will be our next upgrade.
Before recommending the Jones connector from Surplus Sales to the group, I called them to make sure there were more available. They checked stock and said that they should have at least several hundred.
Thought I'd share this idea with the group. I am sure others may have done something similar, but it is nice to know where we can still get Jones connectors at a reasonable price.
73,
-Glenn/ WB0DKT
-- 73 -Jim NU0C
|
getting the AC mains out of the TR7
I never liked the fact that there was the AC for the PS7 routed through the TR7. I have used a good power strip for years and tried to not switch the volume control to OFF since I read about them being unobtainable, and failing both electrically and mechanically.
?
Working on a project TR7 and PS7 with a younger ham, I decided that I should finally figure out how to keep the AC out of his and my TR7s. As we were checking out the PS7 I looked at the circuit board that has the voltage switching and all that (mounted by the switches being pop-riveted in place, seriously???) and decided there had to be a better way that to mess with that wiring.
?
And then an idea came to me that should have 40+ yrs ago when I got the rig. Surplus Sales has the Jones connectors (for a cable, but we did not connect any cable) that are the same configuration as on the back of the rig. Part Number: (CNE) P310CCT
?
With it we just jumpered pins 1-2 and 3-4 inside the connector (check your PS7 and TR7 manuals to see) and then plugged it on to the cable from the PS7 and it works just like the PS7 was plugged into a turned-on radio. If you need ALC or VOX, you'll need to get another connector to plug-in to the back of the TR7, but we have not needed either yet.
?
Then we leave the PS7 cable that has the AC and wires for the ALC and VOX coiled up behind the PS7 and turn things on with the power strip. Now only the 12V cable is plugged into the TR7. Of course the fan will need to be changed to 12 VDC on the radio. That will be our next upgrade.
?
Before recommending the Jones connector from Surplus Sales to the group, I called them to make sure there were more available. They checked stock and said that they should have at least several hundred.
?
Thought I'd share this idea with the group. I am sure others may have done something similar, but it is nice to know where we can still get Jones connectors at a reasonable price.
?
73,
-Glenn/ WB0DKT
|
Re: PTO makes scraping sound
Mark:
Aha....I may have steered you awry a bit...yes there should be FOUR wires from the TR-4CW/rit PTO, and am pretty sure you have the coloring correct.? See pic attached below of that TR-4CW/rit PTO. Note the ground wire is NOT shown.? Should be easy to verify it is the black one as you suspect.
I often test PTO's out of the radio after a cleaning and set them mid-scale to make recalibration of the dials easier after it goes back?into the?radio.? Apply?+ 10 VDC to the red wire and connect a ground/-ve. Connect a frequency?counter on the output line, likely the green wire as you suggest.? That will tell you if it's working.?
You did take pics of where the wires are connected BEFORE you removed them....right?? The RIT control line from the PTO goes to pins 9 and 10 of U1 on the PTO control board.? If you do not know where that goes, get back to me and I'll open my 4CW/rit up....but it will have to be a week from now.
73 Peter VE7PS
On Mon, Mar 31, 2025 at 5:05?PM Mark N2DMI via <markkiziuk1= [email protected]> wrote: I got around to pulling out my PTO from my TR-4CW/RIT and it went well. I cleaned everything very nicely and relubed the places that I was told to do by everyone who tried to help me. I believe I found the grinding noise. There is a plastic gear that is engaged/disengaged by a lever. That plastic gear was not lining up correctly with another gear, so I had to re-bend the linkage slightly so that it would line up correctly. The whole dial assembly is now as smooth as silk!
But there is a problem!
The PTO doesn't electrically work after reinstalling. I do RF electronics for a living and I'm almost positive that the connections were correct! But there is always human error.
and error in general. Possibly there is a strand of wire shorting or my wires weren't exactly bonded correctly inside of the heatshrink tubing?
Since it is a PTO for the TR-4CW/RIT there are 4 wires NOT 3 as on my TR-4CW. There are your usual 3 wires on the bottom (I think they were RED, BLACK and GREEN?
There is also an additional wire coming from the side of the PTO. I think it is white? Not sure what that's for yet?
I believe the bottom R,B,G wires are +10, Ground and PTO output (Probably a voltage? Not sure yet?) Or maybe they call it an injection signal?
Is there a way to test out the PTO?
Can I just hook up a 9 volt battery to Red and Black and monitor the green wire to see if I get anything out?
I have one of those RTL-SDR devices and maybe I can connect to CUBICSDR to see the PTO signal?
Also not sure about that white wire on the PTO side? Probably goes to the RIT circuit?
When I turn on the unit I get some noise but I can't pick up any stations.
I finally have a (B&K 747B tube tester) and those tubes are very good! I even took all the tubes and put them into my TR-4CW and I receive stations loud and clear so my tubes are fine.
I then put all the tubes back in the TR-4CW/RIT and hooked up my DD-103 (I just got it over the weekend too) and I'm showing garbage, actually it's 9Mhz that doesn't move so I believe there is nothing coming out of my PTO and the 9 Mhz is just a number it wants to display. The DD-103 definitely works perfectly on the TR-4CW.
I pulled the entire PTO back out and I have it well padded in a box until I know what to do?
Any ideas?
Mark
|
Re: PTO makes scraping sound
I got around to pulling out my PTO from my TR-4CW/RIT and it went well. I cleaned everything very nicely and relubed the places that I was told to do by everyone who tried to help me. I believe I found the grinding noise. There is a plastic gear that is engaged/disengaged by a lever. That plastic gear was not lining up correctly with another gear, so I had to re-bend the linkage slightly so that it would line up correctly. The whole dial assembly is now as smooth as silk!
But there is a problem!
The PTO doesn't electrically work after reinstalling. I do RF electronics for a living and I'm almost positive that the connections were correct! But there is always human error.
and error in general. Possibly there is a strand of wire shorting or my wires weren't exactly bonded correctly inside of the heatshrink tubing?
Since it is a PTO for the TR-4CW/RIT there are 4 wires NOT 3 as on my TR-4CW. There are your usual 3 wires on the bottom (I think they were RED, BLACK and GREEN?
There is also an additional wire coming from the side of the PTO. I think it is white? Not sure what that's for yet?
I believe the bottom R,B,G wires are +10, Ground and PTO output (Probably a voltage? Not sure yet?) Or maybe they call it an injection signal?
Is there a way to test out the PTO?
Can I just hook up a 9 volt battery to Red and Black and monitor the green wire to see if I get anything out?
I have one of those RTL-SDR devices and maybe I can connect to CUBICSDR to see the PTO signal?
Also not sure about that white wire on the PTO side? Probably goes to the RIT circuit?
When I turn on the unit I get some noise but I can't pick up any stations.
I finally have a (B&K 747B tube tester) and those tubes are very good! I even took all the tubes and put them into my TR-4CW and I receive stations loud and clear so my tubes are fine.
I then put all the tubes back in the TR-4CW/RIT and hooked up my DD-103 (I just got it over the weekend too) and I'm showing garbage, actually it's 9Mhz that doesn't move so I believe there is nothing coming out of my PTO and the 9 Mhz is just a number it wants to display. The DD-103 definitely works perfectly on the TR-4CW.
I pulled the entire PTO back out and I have it well padded in a box until I know what to do?
Any ideas?
Mark
|
Mark N2DMI
Gary WB6OGD
Craig W8CS
Jim Shorney