[AMPS] Step Starts

[John T. M. Lyles]

As elegant as having a special DC step start relay with charging circuit, etc., remember that electrolytic caps are notoriously variable as far as long term capacitance tolerence goes. Design so that over the long term, your ciruit doesn't eat resistors or rectifiers due to changing time constants with age. 

On my SB220, I used a relatively cheap and simple scheme, maybe it was AG6K's idea - I cannot remember now. I used the same 115 VDC coil relay that Heathkit had used for RF, which now is done with real RF relays (vacuum and reed). Connected it to the DC bias supply through a series 1.25K resistor, a composite of parallel 8.2K, 5.6K and 2K, all power resistors. This was a trial and error design; hence the gob of parallel resistors under the chassis. It ain't pretty. With the 20 uF capacitor in the bias, and the series R to the relay coil, the time constant is really provided by the bias transformer impedance, the capacitor being charged up, and the fact that the series R limits the voltage turnon risetime at the primary of the transformer, since the big HV iron is also switched in at the same time - and has inrush which causes the voltage to come up slowly through 20 Ohms x 2 . The R to the coil keeps heat down, from being overdriven by the bias supply. 

On the relay contacts, both poles of the 220 VAC power line are fed through a 20 Ohm 10 watt wirewound resistor, before it gets shorted out once the bias is up to the level required to pull in the relay. Simple, works, has about a 0.5  second delay if I remember correctly. My lights don't flicker when I hit the AC switch now. The HV starts around 1500 and then kicks up to full voltage. 

K5PRO

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