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[Amps] Glitch resistor + fuse?

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Subject: [Amps] Glitch resistor + fuse?
From: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2017 10:37:43 -0800
List-post: <mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2017 06:05:16 -0600
From: "Jim W7RY" <jimw7ry@gmail.com>
To: "AMPS" <amps@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [Amps] Glitch resistor + fuse?


<I've never had a wire wound glitch resistor "fail" during normal operation.

<10 watt or 25 watt, HV or 120/240 VAC.

<73
<Jim W7RY

##  I have not had any of my  50 ohm at 50 watt wire wounds let go in any of the
drake amps, but they also have that .82 ohm  quasi HV fuse in series with the 
50 ohm.
I just looked at 2 of my L4PS supplies a few mins ago.  They are def a .5 watt 
CC  resistor. 
A 2 watt CC is huge by comparison.   The .82 ohm R opens up, end of event. 

##  Having said that, a buddy has a 7900 vdc supply, with a 160 uf filter in 
it, and the big dahl xfmr.
Glitch R assy  consisted of  2 x 100 ohm wire wounds in parallel, and each was 
225 watt.   He used 
a Buss HVU-3  HV fuse in series, and inboard of the glitch assy.   While trbl 
shooting the new amp,
the B+  arced to chassis, and metal that was too close, and other misc mishaps. 
   All that ever happened
was the HV fuse opened up.  He only had a few Buss fuses to begin with, so 
started rebuilding the blown ones,
but used too big a gauge of fusing wire.  He used a single strand from the 
braid of  213 U, and also a single strand
from the belden  18 gauge  HV test prod wire.  Both, although they look tiny, 
were still too big for this application. 

##    Something went wrong, and B+ arced to the 160m padding assy aluminum 
support sandwich.  HV fuse did not open in time. 
The pair  of 225 watt  WW resistors  were burnt to a crisp, with flakes all 
over them, both went open.     The 4992 joules stored 
in the filter caps, + any follow on current  was too much for the 225 watt wire 
wounds.... at least with the oversized  HV fuse. 

##  The fast.... fix, was to install  4 x 200 ohm wire wounds, also 225 watt 
each, fan cooled, and a new Buss  HVU-3  fuse. 
4 in parallel = 50 ohms,  which was the target value. 
Problem solved, correct sized  HV fuse always opens up 1st.   A better  glitch 
R of course would be a Globar, type AS.
2nd choice would be a Globar, type SP.   Wire wounds are the 3rd choice. 

##  Either way, the  HV fuse, IF sized correctly,  takes a huge load off the 
glitch assy.   Later, another buddy tested various
wire gauges in his lab at work, to determine melt characteristics.   Small, 
tiny wire gauges are deceiving. 
Increase the diam by just 41%,  and the cross sectional area of the  wire is 
now  double.   He eventually nailed it, and came
up with the correct sized gauge for his specific application.  

Jim  VE7RF 


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