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Re: [Amps] Plate chokes

To: <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Plate chokes
From: "Jim Thomson" <Jim.thom@telus.net>
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:00:20 -0800
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>


>
>
> Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:17:21 -0800 (PST)
> From: Radio WC6W <wc6w_amps@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [Amps] (Perhaps) A plate choke too far ...
> To: Jim Thomson <Jim.thom@telus.net>, amps@contesting.com
>>
> Hi Jim,
>  To my knowledge, rods are not made (as standard parts) in 43...  a few 
> cable cores could be stacked.

## Type 43  rods  are  readily available  from SSON.   [ 1/2" diam x  8" 
long. ]      I use em all the time for bifilars.
I also discovered something a while back.   The  large Type  43 /77 
beads... [ 1" OD  x  1/2" ID  x 1" long]   will  slide over the  1/2"  rods 
like a glove !    I slid  8 x type  43  beads over the 8" long rod.
I ended up with a solid  mass of type 43.... 1" solid  x  8"  long.    The 
weight is now quadruple.  [ double the diam of anything, and  cross 
sectional surface area =  4 x  as much.  Turns out those beads are a hair
bigger than .5" ID.   So for those of you who have an application for a 1" 
od rod, that's a cheap and dirty way to achieve it.

>
>  Rod cores don't have anywhere near the effective mu of a toroid.  Because 
> of the open magnetic structure they're less susceptible to DC saturation. 
> I haven't looked at the DC flux in a rod core since they can't match the 
> performance of the toroid in my original post.
>
>  Looking at the Harris RF-110A, for instance, which uses a 115uH choke...
>
>  Figuring the free air value of the coil dimensions results in a value 
> around 20uH therefore, the core has an effective mu of around 6.
>
>   This is a relatively low stress application for the choke as the plate 
> load impedance is only in the vicinity of 1000 ohms.  Significant RF 
> current will flow in this part down on 160.

### partially agreed.   When  Doug de Maw  did his qst article on that 
gapped choke u see in the old  handbooks,  he used  a HP  vector Z  meter... 
and stated the Z  was  " > 100 K ohms, on ALL bands".
Now the XL, of course, increases, as freq increases.    Here's the big 
question.    Do we calculate  RF current flowing through the choke on band 
XXX,  based on  XL.... OR   Z  ????????
Put another way, a B+W  800 choke has aprx  12.1k  of  XL  on  21.45 mhz. 
However, it's series resonant.. and Z  is through the floor.

##  With lower values of  uh,  [esp low bands]  the C1  tune cap has to be 
increased somewhat.   The  lower  XL  ....."eats  pf"   from the tune cap. 
I found with the test set up, [ mfj on output of PI net,
and  resistor = plate load Z  between anode and chassis]  that   with a typ 
180 uh plate choke,   C1  had to be increased  by 40 pf  on 160m.   With 
choke removed,  C1  value  dropped by 40 pf.

##  On my hb gg amps.... we used  2 x chokes , at right angles.   Big one is 
135-180 uh, small one is  45-70 uh.   3 x 500 pf  doorknobs in parallel, 
wired between  junction of chokes and  input of a SPST
vac relay.  Output of vac relay goes to chassis.    Also,  3-5 x 1 meg, 3 
watt mof resistors in series, are wired between junction point of chokes... 
and  chassis.   3 x 4700 pf  disc ceramics  used for bypass
at base of big choke. [ ceramite brand, 10/15 kv, available from both Henry 
radio  + mouser].

##  Both  chokes used on 160m only.   Small  choke used on 80-10m. 
IF both chokes used on 80m,  then all hell breaks loose.   vac relay just 
grnds the cold ends of the 3 x 500 pf caps. [80-10m]
The resistor's just ensure the 3 x 500 pf caps are chassis grnded, for DC. 
This set up works very well.  Both chokes wound with  22 ga wire.

## Now here's the kicker.  One night,  my buddy had the big choke removed, 
and on the bench.    The amp ran flawlessly on 160M... with just the 45 uh 
small choke in the circuit.   The only difference was,
the C1  tune cap had to be increased  a whole bunch.     No big deal, since 
the vac Tune cap had plenty of excess pf.   The  3 x 500 pf  doorknobs 
didn't cook, or any thing else amiss.
This is on a large metal GG triode,  [1350 ohm plate load Z] .    So what 
gives here ?    One  'theory'  is the  Tune cap +  45 uh choke  form a 
parallel resonant  circuit, making
 the choke look like a high Z circuit.   We have  been trying ridiculous 
amounts  of low uh/ XL  plate chokes on the low bands [ C1 had to be 
increased of course].. and in no case, did the bypass caps at the
base of the plate choke ever cook.  [ 4700 pf   6-15 kv discs]

##  After all this... I'm not about to go on a quest to use a  1-  2.5 Mh 
plate choke  for the low bands.    Simpler to use a  180-250 uh  choke,  and 
simply  increase C1 by 40 pf.
 Besides, the various metal  GG triode's  have between 33-52 pf  of stray C, 
between anode and grid, which is  directly in parallel  with the Tune cap.

later......... Jim  VE7RF



>
>   The task would be more difficult using a 4-1000A with 5KV on the plate & 
> 5K ohms plate impedance!  :-)
>
> 73 & Good morning,
>  Marv WC6W
>
> http://wc6w.50webs.com/
>
>>
>> ##? OK... why wouldn't just plane? 16-24 ga?
>> magnet wire,? wound like a solenoid, on say type 43 rod
>> work ????[ like polyimide /kapton magnet
>> wire..? with the 10-15 kv insulation]? ? Why
>> would .5 to 2 amps of dc plate current? saturate the
>> type 43 material ??
>> It's a RF plate choke.. so should present a high Z.
>>
>> ##? I have see pix of the harris? plate chokes...
>> and they used a HUGE? chunk of ferrite inside a form..
>> with the usual magnet wire [ with way less turns than a typ
>> ham choke]? wound on top of the same form.? It
>> worked down to 1.6 mhz.. and no series resonances from?
>> 1.6 to? 32 mhz.?
>>
>> Jim? VE7RF
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:35:39 -0600
> From: Rob Atkinson <ranchorobbo@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Amps] which HV connector to use?
> To: Alex Eban <alexeban@gmail.com>
> Cc: amps@contesting.com
> Message-ID:
> <d2bb1cb81001151035ifde61anb30c9f4706cc07fd@mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> okay guys thanks vy much.  I'm getting a better picture now on how to 
> proceed.
>
> 73
>
> Rob
> K5UJ
>
> On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 9:46 AM, Alex Eban <alexeban@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Guys, we played around with this a while ago!
>> Use ignition wire - copper, NOT carbon core- and wire it point to point 
>> if
>> you're afraid of connectors. It's rated to about 20 kV and easily handles 
>> 1
>> or 2 Amps.
>> Alex ? ?4Z5KS
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: amps-bounces@contesting.com [mailto:amps-bounces@contesting.com] On
>> Behalf Of Rob Atkinson
>> Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 11:32 PM
>> To: amps@contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [Amps] which HV connector to use?
>>
>> I'm trying to get my head wrapped around all this.
>>
>> I am planning a h.v. supply homebrew project and have most of the parts 
>> (but
>> every time I think that something like this comes up).
>>
>> I want to build a separate B+ supply for my Ten Tec Centurion amp.
>> The idea is to have a supply that does not increase the voltage but
>> increases the current capability and goes from ICAS to CCS. ?It's partly
>> unnecessary I admit, but it started with good intention and also as a
>> learning exercise (which it still is). ?The idea is to make the Centurion
>> capable of handing high duty cycle modes and AM, but the power supply 
>> will
>> also be useful for other future projects, supplying
>> 3.2 KV at 1.5 A CCS.
>>
>> I bought some h.v. wire and those millen plug/jack pairs from RF Parts
>> a few months ago. ?Now it seems they're inadvisable. ? I admit the
>> h.v. wire seems hard to work with, brittle and hard to strip. ? RG213
>> by comparison is a lot easier to work with. ? I'm getting the
>> impression I should go with that, hardwired into the amp cabinet with
>> SHV connectors on the power supply cabinet. ? Or is this overkill for
>> 3.2 KV?
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Rob
>> K5UJ
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>
>
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> End of Amps Digest, Vol 85, Issue 29
> ************************************
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