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Re: [TenTec] Orion II A9 Board Failure...Again!

To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II A9 Board Failure...Again!
From: "Ron Castro" <ronc@sonic.net>
Reply-to: Ron Castro <ronc@sonic.net>, Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment <tentec@contesting.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:53:16 -0700
List-post: <mailto:tentec@contesting.com>
Hopefully we have made enough noise here that TT heard us and is aware of the problem! They should re-evaluate the specs for these capacitors and immediately upgrade their unsold stock and future runs. Any Orion/Orion II sent back to the factory for any reason should have these caps upgraded, especially the ones shipped back due to them failing. The ones they replaced in mine 10 months ago just didn't cut it. TT's cost to upgrade to the better units is probably on the order of $1.50 per radio since the cost to by the upgrade units from Mouser in one-up quantities is only $4.05 for all three caps total plus shipping.

Other than the three capacitors we have been discussing in this thread (C6, C7, C9 on the A9 board) and an occasional small encoder failure, I haven't heard of any other trouble spots. The radio is still a top-line value and otherwise very reliable.

        Ron  N6IE
     www.N6IE.com


----- Original Message ----- From: "Speer, Doug" <Doug.Speer@FairbanksMorse.com>
To: <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:21 AM
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II A9 Board Failure...Again!


Message: 1
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:08:49 +0300
From: "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II A9 Board Failure...Again!
To: geraldj@storm.weather.net, Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
<tentec@contesting.com>
Message-ID: <20080625160849.GA15020@cable.mendelson.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

If the low quality Chinese electrolytic capacitors are a well known
problem in the electronics industry, my question is has Ten-Tec done
anything about it for late s/n production?  I purchased a new Orion 2
within the past couple of months which represents a significant
expenditure for my ham radio hobby budget.  I would hate to think I
purchased anything less than top shelf quality.  So maybe my question is
one for Ten-Tec directly but has Ten-Tec procurement changed how they
specify and buy components for production and / or service parts to
insure they (we) are getting top quality components?


Doug, W9PN



-----Original Message-----


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:08:49 +0300
From: "Geoffrey S. Mendelson" <gsm@mendelson.com>
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion II A9 Board Failure...Again!
To: geraldj@storm.weather.net, Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
<tentec@contesting.com>
Message-ID: <20080625160849.GA15020@cable.mendelson.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 09:23:01AM -0600, Dr. Gerald N. Johnson wrote:
Lots of lowest bid Chinese electrolytics are poorer when new than I
find
acceptable, so they age poorly. A few years ago there was a large
batch
of capacitors often applied to computer motherboards that exploded
when
power was applied for the first time. My guess is that the factory
didn't understand the formation process and hadn't finishing making
the
electrolytics.

This was very well documented in the press. A Tiwanese engineer worked
for a Japanese manufacturer of electrolytics. He stole the formula for
the electrolyte (the liquid inside the capacitors). His employers knew
what he was doing and gave him access to an incomplete formula.

It worked perfectly in new capacitors but as it aged the capacitors
failed.

His Tiawanese employers underbid everyone on the market and the world
was flooded with products that eventually failed when their capacitors
exploded.

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com  N3OWJ/4X1GM


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