Having been bit by the home-brew 3D printing bug I've been considering
designing and printing my own cooling chimney for a GS-35B HF linear amplifier
I built a few years ago. Currently the chimney is an off-the-shelf Coleman
lantern globe that loosely sits over the heatsink, so I'd rather use something
that's more of an exact fit to ensure all my cooling air is forced up through
the heatsink rather than around it.
I've read that styrenes like ABS make pretty good RF insulators, better in fact
than Delrin or acrylics, so I'm curious to know if anyone has any input on the
feasibility of using a 3D printed ABS chimney for high-voltage HF use? I use
high quality pure ABS filaments so I suspect it should be fine. Does this
sound like a safe bet or would I be best to avoid trying it. Obviously the amp
has copious mounts of protection built-in, but I'd rather avoid any potential
for fireworks if possible.
This particular amp and runs about 4KV on the plate and is capable of 1500W+ so
obviously the ABS chimney would be exposed to extremely high voltages. For
specifics on the amp itself, I documented my build a little bit here:
http://www.w3drk.com/wordpress/?p=208
Thanks and Cheers!
W3DRK
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