Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
I prefer copper on stainless parts, but aluminum is OK too.? The thing to remember is you want to use an anti-size with particles that are NOT the same as either of the surfaces that are in contact.? Heat resistance is the other variable, but not applicable here. ? ? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? --- Jeff WN3A ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Dan Schroeder via groups.io
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2025 10:34 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [repeater-builder] Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643? In reference to the Never-Seez recommendation, I have two needs, Invar threaded duplexer tuning rods, and stainless steel on stainless steel nut/bolts for tower leg clamps on towers.? I have used some Permatex Antiseize from NAPA in the past for both. Amazon shows 20 different versions of Never-Seez.? Looking at just versions that come with a brush for applying, I see: 1.? NGBT-8 Silver Gray Nuclear Grade Nickel Special Anti-Seize ? 2.? Never-Seez NSBT-8 Silver Gray Regular Grade Anti-Seize ? 3.? Never-Seez NSBT-8N Silver Pure Nickel Special Anti-Seize ? 4.? Never-Seez NMCBT-8 Black Gray Mariners Choice Anti-Seize ? 5.? Never-Seez NSBT-16N Silver Pure Nickel Special Anti-Seize ? 6.? Never-Seez 535-30803832 8 oz Mariners Choice Anti-Seize, Black & Gray ? 7.? Never-Seez NSSBT-16 Silver 16 High-Temperature Stainless Anti-Seize Pretty sure I don't need a 2000+ degree material.? But I have no idea what Nuclear, Mariners Choice, Pure Nickel, or Regular, means. Just want to know which of the 7 items above is best and if I need to use a different material for tuning rods vs. stainless on stainless bolts/nuts.
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Re: Placing Two Identical Regulated DC supplies in Parallel
John,
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What load are we trying to supply?? How much total current?
?
--
73,
Marlo
KA2IRQ
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Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
I would definitely look for a brand name like Loctite,
It's never failed me - I liked the copper base,
too many copy cats these days ready to take your money, Dan.
Tell the man behind the counter what the application is for,
Stainless steel hardware will gall. Kerosene was an old trick.
73 John
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On 20/04/2025 12:33 pm, Dan Schroeder via groups.io wrote: In reference to the Never-Seez recommendation, I have two needs, Invar threaded duplexer tuning rods, and stainless steel on stainless steel nut/bolts for tower leg clamps on towers.? I have used some Permatex Antiseize from NAPA in the past for both.
Amazon shows 20 different versions of Never-Seez.? Looking at just versions that come with a brush for applying, I see:
1.NGBT-8 Silver Gray Nuclear Grade Nickel Special Anti-Seize
2.Never-Seez NSBT-8 Silver Gray Regular Grade Anti-Seize
3.Never-Seez NSBT-8N Silver Pure Nickel Special Anti-Seize
4.Never-Seez NMCBT-8 Black Gray Mariners Choice Anti-Seize
5.Never-Seez NSBT-16N Silver Pure Nickel Special Anti-Seize
6.Never-Seez 535-30803832 8 oz Mariners Choice Anti-Seize, Black & Gray
7.Never-Seez NSSBT-16 Silver 16 High-Temperature Stainless Anti-Seize
***
Pretty sure I don't need a 2000+ degree material.? But I have no idea what Nuclear, Mariners Choice, Pure Nickel, or Regular, means.
Just want to know which of the 7 items above is best and if I need to use a different material for tuning rods vs. stainless on stainless bolts/nuts.
Dan K5FVL
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Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
In reference to the Never-Seez recommendation, I have two needs, Invar threaded duplexer tuning rods, and stainless steel on stainless steel nut/bolts for tower leg clamps on towers.? I have used some Permatex Antiseize from NAPA in the past for both.
?
Amazon shows 20 different versions of Never-Seez.? Looking at just versions that come with a brush for applying, I see:
?
1.? NGBT-8 Silver Gray Nuclear Grade Nickel Special Anti-Seize
?
2.? Never-Seez NSBT-8 Silver Gray Regular Grade Anti-Seize
?
3.? Never-Seez NSBT-8N Silver Pure Nickel Special Anti-Seize
?
4.? Never-Seez NMCBT-8 Black Gray Mariners Choice Anti-Seize
?
5.? Never-Seez NSBT-16N Silver Pure Nickel Special Anti-Seize
?
6.? Never-Seez 535-30803832 8 oz Mariners Choice Anti-Seize, Black & Gray
?
7.? Never-Seez NSSBT-16 Silver 16 High-Temperature Stainless Anti-Seize
***
Pretty sure I don't need a 2000+ degree material.? But I have no idea what Nuclear, Mariners Choice, Pure Nickel, or Regular, means.
Just want to know which of the 7 items above is best and if I need to use a different material for tuning rods vs. stainless on stainless bolts/nuts.
?
Dan K5FVL
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Re: In search of dB4060 -005 coupling loops or assemblies
I had access to machines like that before I retired about 11 years ago.? Really hated to give up access to a fully equipped machine shop and scrap aluminum and stainless steel. If I could not make it someone that actually worked in that area could.
Ralph ku4pt
On Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 08:54:21 PM EDT, John via groups.io <gielisj@...> wrote:
I had my money ready to buy this tool a few years ago. BAUMR-AG 200mm Sheet Metal Shear & Brake Combination Manual Bending Guillotine 73 John
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Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
Thanks Jeff... that sounds like really good advice.
Mike
WM4B
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-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Jeff DePolo WN3A via groups.io Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2025 9:42 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [repeater-builder] Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643 I did, but then decided that discretion was the better part of valor and resisted the temptation.
I did put some lateral pressure on it and it just didn¡¯t feel right; probably because it¡¯s Invar.
If I ever get it back in the shop again, I¡¯ll give it a try. I've bent them back when I've had no other choice and, probably 8 times out of 10, was successful. I'd suggest that after you bend it back into what seems to be right that you run the rod out (not in) and put some Never-Seez on the threads in the area where it had been bent just in case it starts to bind on the way back in; you'll have a better chance of backing it out for further tweaking without it galling up. --- Jeff WN3A
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Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
I did, but then decided that discretion was the better part of valor and resisted the temptation.
I did put some lateral pressure on it and it just didn¡¯t feel right; probably because it¡¯s Invar.
If I ever get it back in the shop again, I¡¯ll give it a try. I've bent them back when I've had no other choice and, probably 8 times out of 10, was successful. I'd suggest that after you bend it back into what seems to be right that you run the rod out (not in) and put some Never-Seez on the threads in the area where it had been bent just in case it starts to bind on the way back in; you'll have a better chance of backing it out for further tweaking without it galling up. --- Jeff WN3A
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Re: In search of dB4060 -005 coupling loops or assemblies
- And possibly building a die set to make multiple sets.? The copper is standard grounding strap
- which I have a supply of.? Needing to figure out shearing the strips to the correct width.?
? The stock for the loops is ?¡± wide, 32 mils thick (20 gauge).? I prefer using 40 mil (18 gauge), it holds its shape better.? The loops are simple to form using hand tools.? Suggest using a 1/8¡± Whitney punch for the holes; drilling such thin/narrow stock often results in a lot of four-letter words being uttered. ? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? --- Jeff WN3A
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Re: DB4060 Series Dfor a 4-cuplexer Cans
Jeff DePolo,
Right on Jeff. Screw size you supplied is correct. Happy to find that I have a "B" range DB 4062!
Also a big thanks to Jeff and others who have assisted me with my questions.
Happy Easter.
Tim
AE7TH
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On 04/19/2025 5:44 PM PDT Jeff DePolo WN3A via groups.io <jd0@...> wrote:
I checked the loops on my 4062 cavities to verify the range of the duplexer.
The HIGH pass cavities used loop "005", LOW pass used loop "004"
Am I correct to assume this duplexer is a "B" range? Yep, you're good with those loops.
I'm pretty sure the screws are #6-32 x 1/4", stainless. I can measure one if you can't verify.
--- Jeff WN3A
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Re: In search of dB4060 -005 coupling loops or assemblies
I had my money ready to buy this tool a few years ago.
BAUMR-AG 200mm Sheet Metal Shear & Brake Combination Manual Bending Guillotine
73 John
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On 20/04/2025 2:12 am, Keith via groups.io wrote: I have a set of those too.? Same issue.? I was able to procure the engineering drawings for the loops and I am looking at making a set for myself. And possibly building a die set to make multiple sets.? The copper is standard grounding strap which I have a supply of.? Needing to figure out shearing the strips to the correct width.? If I can figure that out I may move forward with making a couple dozen sets up.? More to follow
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Re: DB4060 Series Dfor a 4-cuplexer Cans
Why not just take its mates down to the Bolt shop,
while there buy a set metric thread gauges,
they may even have a A4 card with all the metric threads listed, for free?
Just thinking outside the square ..
John VK4JKL
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On 20/04/2025 10:44 am, Jeff DePolo WN3A via groups.io wrote: I checked the loops on my 4062 cavities to verify the range of the duplexer.
The HIGH pass cavities used loop "005", LOW pass used loop "004"
Am I correct to assume this duplexer is a "B" range? Yep, you're good with those loops.
I'm pretty sure the screws are #6-32 x 1/4", stainless. I can measure one if you can't verify.
--- Jeff WN3A
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Re: DB4060 Series Dfor a 4-cuplexer Cans
I checked the loops on my 4062 cavities to verify the range of the duplexer.
The HIGH pass cavities used loop "005", LOW pass used loop "004"
Am I correct to assume this duplexer is a "B" range? Yep, you're good with those loops. I'm pretty sure the screws are #6-32 x 1/4", stainless. I can measure one if you can't verify. --- Jeff WN3A
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Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
I did, but then decided that discretion was the better part of valor and resisted the temptation.? I did put some lateral pressure on it and it just didn¡¯t feel right; probably because it¡¯s Invar. ? If I ever get it back in the shop again, I¡¯ll give it a try. ? Thanks ? Mike WM4B ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Kevin Custer
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2025 8:18 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [repeater-builder] Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643? Mike,
Have you considered straightening the rod?? I've successfully done it several times on other threaded rod duplexers.
Kevin W3KKC
On 4/19/2025 7:31 PM, Mike Besemer - WM4B via groups.io wrote: Good evening, I was recently asked to tune a Wacom WP-643 duplexer.? I was having a hard time getting the pass set on one side; I couldn¡¯t seem to manage to tighten the locknut without the tuning rod turning.? None of the other cavities gave me any unusual problems.? I finally figured out that the Invar tuning rod had been bent slightly and it was making the threads bind.? I finally managed to get it tightened to the sweet spot and all is right with the world.? But it got me wondering about replacement rods.? I know Wacom is gone, but has anyone sourced tuning rods for Wacom duplexers?? I assume the rod attaches to a plunger similar to the DB4060 (I¡¯ve never had a Wacom duplexer apart), so even if a new rod was available, the old rod would have to unscrew down through the top of the cavity rather than out the top.? That would probably be difficult given the bend in the rod, but I assume I could screw the rod up beyond the bend, cut it, and then screw it back down and out the bottom. At any rate, this is mostly an academic exercise since I did manage to get the pass set properly. Thanks for your thoughts. 73, Mike WM4B
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Re: Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
Mike,
Have you considered straightening the rod?? I've successfully done
it several times on other threaded rod duplexers.
Kevin W3KKC
On 4/19/2025 7:31 PM, Mike Besemer - WM4B via groups.io wrote:
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Good evening,
I was
recently asked to tune a Wacom WP-643
duplexer.? I was having a hard time getting the pass set on
one side; I couldn¡¯t seem to manage to tighten the locknut
without the tuning rod turning.? None of the other cavities
gave me any unusual problems.?
I finally
figured out that the Invar tuning rod
had been bent slightly and it was making the threads bind.?
I finally managed to get it tightened to the sweet spot and
all is right with the world.?
But it got me
wondering about replacement rods.? I know Wacom is gone, but
has anyone sourced tuning rods for Wacom
duplexers?? I assume the rod attaches
to a plunger similar
to the DB4060 (I¡¯ve never had a Wacom
duplexer apart), so even if a new rod was
available, the old rod would have to unscrew down through
the top of the cavity rather than out the top.? That would
probably be difficult given the bend in the rod,
but I assume I could
screw the rod up beyond the bend,
cut it, and then screw it back down and out the bottom.
At any rate,
this is mostly an academic exercise since I did manage to
get the pass set properly.
Thanks for
your thoughts.
73,
Mike
WM4B
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I procured a Kenwood KSG-4500 repeater. I think it may have a narrowband kit installed. What should I look for internally to check?
I see references online to the Z-kit but not to the installation instructions.? This unit seems to use some common componment to the TKR-820.
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Tuning Rod for Wacom WP-643
Good evening,
I was recently asked to tune a Wacom WP-643 duplexer.? I was having a hard time getting the pass set on one side; I couldn¡¯t seem to manage to tighten the locknut without the tuning rod turning.? None of the other cavities gave me any unusual problems.?
I finally figured out that the Invar tuning rod had been bent slightly and it was making the threads bind.? I finally managed to get it tightened to the sweet spot and all is right with the world.?
But it got me wondering about replacement rods.? I know Wacom is gone, but has anyone sourced tuning rods for Wacom duplexers?? I assume the rod attaches to a plunger similar to the DB4060 (I¡¯ve never had a Wacom duplexer apart), so even if a new rod was available, the old rod would have to unscrew down through the top of the cavity rather than out the top.? That would probably be difficult given the bend in the rod, but I assume I could screw the rod up beyond the bend, cut it, and then screw it back down and out the bottom.
At any rate, this is mostly an academic exercise since I did manage to get the pass set properly.
Thanks for your thoughts.
73,
Mike
WM4B
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Thanks, Larry I like this information. I have to look into this. Chad Nelson WI9HF/WRPL979 Janesville Wisconsin 608-754-8671 Send from my spectrum iPhone 16.
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On Apr 19, 2025, at 12:40?PM, Larry Macionski via groups.io <am_fm_radio@...> wrote:
? On Sat, Apr 12, 2025 at 07:06 PM, Chad Nelson wrote:
. Should maybe find tiny surveillance camera and connect it up so I have monitoring capability visually. Just need to figure out how to get it to transmit over the Internet to my location 60 miles away.
Chad,
Some of those under $20 miniature surveillance cameras have SD card slots and will capture 2 weeks of video. There is no reason to stream live video to see if the paint is drying. You can also set it only to capture video upon motion detection. I have installed them for a coupl eof grandma's who have no internet or computers. If they get broken into we've got video on the SD card I can pull for the police.?
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Now- regarding if you need to actually get video 60 miles.. if you have internet at the site, My camera "called" my smart phone. and posted on the phone, it had detected motion and I watched someone turn around in my driveway from 1000 miles away..
?I surmise? the video clip was only streamed when upon demand I viewed it on my phone. I viewed the video that following day as the video was under night vision- black and white only. Daytime is full color.? That video came from my house internet connection. But no internet at the site?
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Now I have a 4G wifi hot spot.
I have not set it up, for video.. But I use it for ALLSTAR audio. a Video movie (90 minutes approximate) at 1080i is about 2.5 to 3 gigs.. and about 5Mbps speed...
4G speeds I get 25-34 Mbps speed all the time I test for speed. So I could watch 1 HD movie on 4G.. maybe stream 2 at the same time.
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On Ebay, I bought a T-mobile, new in the box 4G hot spot..surplus Here's one for an example:
$13.99 free shipping.... unlocked!
When I ordered it I ordered a SIM card from Tello.com They have a? 1Gb ($5/mo) 2Gb plan for $6 a month
Tello.com has a "bring your own phone" plan "DATA ONLY" 5Gb per month for $10 a month- Select 1-2-5-10 GB data- NO Minutes (no phone calls)
Tello uses AT&T and T-mobile towers..
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You plug in the SIM card and activate per the instruction on the Tello.com website. If you go over data, you can add or just get throttled at peak times till your month renews.
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I have the hotspot in my car... I have a RF shark openspot 2 for digital Fusion and DMR as well as a SHARI for Allstar VOIP. My ford radio I can connect to I heart Radio and Amazon Music. So I can listen to WOR NYC in Kansas..
3 months ago I checked my usage and had 3 days left and only used 3 Gb data.. That month I drove Wichita KS to Washington DC for the inauguration. Had wifi all the way....
That T-mobile will allow you to connect up to 10 devices and you can select 2.4 and5Ghz wifi..? Well worth the $14 cash layout..
It you want the hotspot on all the time, you connect it to USB power ( 5V DC) and pull the battery..?
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I only have 21 miles to my repeater site.. Not 60, but this is very viable as you could throw up a Raspberry PI there and control all kinds of things..
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Perhaps this is the solution for plenty of us. I like having my HT and connection to the car, then world wide. Finally, i have not played with it, but the T-mo hot spot does have port UDP & TCP forwarding.? i don't know if they are implemented but that surprised me as a AT&T hotspot does not.
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Larry W8LM
Old Goat Ranch
Mulvane, KANSAS
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Re: Placing Two Identical Regulated DC supplies in Parallel
John,
In retrospect, .1 ohm may be too high of a value.?? You might would rather have a .02 Ohm, that way 30A only drops .6V
Thanks
Andy
Thanks for the 0.1 ohm with 30 A fuse suggestion Andy, as regulation is not critical.
?
I was thinking about using the SS-30s for a repeater power amp. One could be a Micor 75W amp that could be set back, if needed, to draw? 25A at 13.8V. The other could be a 270W 6M Henry amp that draws 33A at 13.8V.?
?
I had tried an Astron SS-50 on the Henry amp, but it went into overtemp shutdown on somewhat? long repeater use time. I replaced it with a MeanWell HRP-600-12 with no overtemp problems, however the MeanWell required over 5 ferrites on the A+ A- leads with the A- grounded for RF emissions to the case. The AC input was? already RF suppressed at the factory, apparently allowing MeanWell to say the supply meets FCC Class B emissions. The MeanWell switcher with the small fan running at at high RPM when full speed during transmitting, very? slow speed with no current draw, is apparently the reliability weak spot with that supply if the fan is forced to run long times at high speed. That is why I was favoring the idea of using the large, slower, quieter intermittent running fan on Astron SS-30.
?
Years ago the Astron SS-12 and the Astron SS-18 were tried to power radios on the bench about 75 ft away from our 6M repeater antenna. Both caused 6M repeater receiver intermod desense when the 6M TX came on, but a replacement SS-30 did not. Also recent spectrum analyzer sweeps showed the Astron SS-30 to be clean, the HRP600-12 without ferrites, spikes actually worse around 130 MHz than 6M with the pick up antenna about 4 ft away from the supplies and exposed power leads. The HRP-600 with ferrites and especially when enclosed in a repeater cabinet was then also clean when transmitting.
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Another switcher that in the past that appeared clean without much filtering for repeater use was the Diamond GZV4000, RATED 40A continuous, so that might
be a possibility, but I forget if it has overvoltage, overtemp, and overcurrent protection.
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So I am extra cautious about switchers, especially outside a shielded enclosure, particularly on a commercial site, as don't want to degrade the site and lose the privilege!?
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John
?
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John,
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I think to give an intelligent answer, we also need to know the application.?? If this were a repeater, I would recommend that you just have one on the PA and one on everything else.
?
Marlo gave you a lot of good information.
?
I have paralleled supplies before.?? The issue with the ASTRON SS-30 is that it is not temperature stable.?? I have had most of mine drop voltage slightly when they warm up.?? But they drop at different rates.? Some would drop by as little as .1V with no load after becoming warm.?? If you were to parallel, I would recommend using some .1 ohm resistors in series with each (high wattage), and also a fuse 30A on each leg. ? This would help balance them better (it wouldn't be perfect, but much better).?? This is similar to what linear supplies do when they parallel series pass transistors.?? They each have emitter resistors to help balance the shared load.?? But then you will lose a little of your regulation (if that matters).
?
I still wouldn't recommend doing it, as there are much better options and even cheaper.? Like a modified Astec DS-550 which can deliver 50A.
?
Andy
WJ9J
On Sat, Apr 19, 2025 at 8:13?AM Marlo Montanaro - KA2IRQ via <ka2irq= [email protected]> wrote:
I work for an industrial power supply manufacturer, in the engineering dept.? This is not a recommended configuration unless the power supplies are both designed for it.
?
You risk uneven load sharing which can overload one supply while the other does almost nothing.? The more heavily loaded supply could overheat or go into current limit.? This can happen with even very small voltage differences.... i.e., 12.00 vs. 12.05 volts.??
Despite the seemingly identical nature on paper, you can have large circulating currents between the supplies since there is almost no chance they will be perfectly voltage matched.? This wastes power and can damage internal components, especially if one supply is not designed to sink current.
?
If they are switching supplies, you can create feedback loops where the supplies may interact in strange ways, potentially causing oscillations or unstable behavior... there is nothing syncing the switching frequencies.
?
The supplies may have slightly different protection thresholds for overcurrent or overvoltage.? If one supply trips in a fault condition, that leaves the other supply to suddenly take the full load.? If you design things so one supply can take the full load to avoid this, then you really don't need two supplies.
?
Supplies may power up at slightly different rates which can cause temporary overcurrent conditions.
?
The supplies we manufacture are designed for parallel operation but to do this they have several sophisticated control boards, data communication between them, and very heavy duty buss bars connected between them to handle high current conditions and provide a very low resistance path between the outputs.
?
--
73,
Marlo
KA2IRQ
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Re: Difficulty Programming a Maxtrac 300, 32 Channel
I think it¡¯s com 1 or com 2. ?Don¡¯t believe there are any other options.?
This is from the days long before USB.?
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Difficulty Programming a Maxtrac 300, 32 Channel
New to the group and hope you guys can help out in this.
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I had a real old laptop an Inpiron 3200 that took a crap and it had the RSS software on it.
?
Fortunately, I had made a copy of the RSS on my other computer and I am able to run it in DOSBox but cannot communicate with the rig.
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The computer I am using only has a USB connector to which I plugged in a USB to serial cable, this went to my RIB box and from there onto the rig.
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However, communicating with the rig fails.
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I was wondering if the 300 has a specific Com port and baud rate settings that I could change on this computer to get communication moving along.
?
Thanks,
?Bill
K2WH
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Marlo Montanaro - KA2IRQ
Mike Besemer - WM4B
Kevin Custer
Bill