Amps
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [Amps] high voltage fuses

To: Jim Thomson <jim.thom@telus.net>, "amps@contesting.com" <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] high voltage fuses
From: "Fuqua, Bill L" <wlfuqu00@uky.edu>
Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2013 16:24:51 +0000
List-post: <amps@contesting.com">mailto:amps@contesting.com>
  I would recommend a fuse wire between two post surrounded by grounded 
conductive tubing.
Why? When the fuse blows the plasma will conduct the rest of the current 
straight to ground acting
as a self sacrificial crowbar. The metallic tubing would also protect the 
nearby parts from the plasma 
flame. 
  When I was teenager, I had built an amplifier connected to a power supply 
with a very high
current capacity. I, being a young kid, did not fuse it on either the primary 
or HV side except I did 
have an adjustable latching current limiting relay. I turned the shunting 
resistor to zero resistance so
that even the relay  was bypassed. My pi-wound RF choke melted and flames shot 
out the top of the amplifier
with a loud "zonnk". And continued until I unplugged the power supply from the 
wall. 
  
  73
Bill wa4lav

________________________________________
From: Amps [amps-bounces@contesting.com] on behalf of Jim Thomson 
[jim.thom@telus.net]
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2013 11:49 AM
To: amps@contesting.com
Subject: [Amps]  high voltage fuses

Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2013 10:53:36 -0400
From: "Carl" <km1h@jeremy.mv.com>
To: "Pete Smith N4ZR" <n4zr@contesting.com>, <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] high voltage fuses


###  say what ?   If you want any HV fuse to blow asap,  fuse it for no more 
than 5-10%
higher than the amps steady state, key down current.  Just make sure to put the 
HV fuse BEFORE the
glitch resistor.   The glitch resistor can go in the RF deck, or in the HV 
supply.  IMO, for max safety,
put it in the HV supply, or as close as you can to the B+  of the filter cap.

##  A small ga wire, suspended between stand offs  works just fine for a HV 
fuse, with the provisio
that you 1st slide some heat shrink over the wire, use anything as long as it 
barely slides over the
fusing wire.  You don’t apply heat and shrink it to the wire either, just slide 
it over.  Or  use some
88/33 tape, etc,  and wrap the wire. Then when it blows open, you don’t get any 
vapor deposits.
Those glass BUSS  HV fuses can be refurbished too,  Take the end off, and pour 
out the sand.
Remove other end, clean it up and solder in a new fuse wire, and pour the sand 
back in.
Re-assemble the mess.

##  The 5 kv, .75 – 1.0 amp  microwave oven  HV fuses work just fine.
I also install  a 2nd HV fuse, between one leg of the plate xfmr sec and the
FWD... or  FWB..   Either leg, only one fuse required.

##  Drake used a .82 ohm @ 1/2 watt CC  resistor for a HV fuse in the B+ line.
That works too, and blow cleanly in half.

later... Jim   VE7RF







Thats a bit too close for even a 1200W amp. Might be fine for something in
the SB-200/AL-80 size amp.

Size the fuse at 2 to 2.5 times the actual peak current, not steady state
key down.

Carl
KM1H



----- Original Message -----
From: "Pete Smith N4ZR" <n4zr@contesting.com>
To: <amps@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2013 10:30 AM
Subject: [Amps] high voltage fuses


> For what it's worth, I see that there are a lot of inexpensive 5KV
> 0.75-1.0 amp glass fuses listed on ebay for microwave oven use.  I assume
> these would also work in a legal ham amp?
>
> --
> 73, Pete N4ZR
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>