Ref: [Amps] AL-1200 Pop (Will Matney)

[R.Measures]

On Jul 8, 2004, at 10:48 AM, Thomas Hix wrote:

> I know this may sound stupid, but one time I had an amp that ran a=20
> pair of 3-500z tubes. It had been working fine, and suddenly when I=20
> was not transmitting, just listening, but had the amp in the operate=20=

> mode, I also heard a loud POP!.....I tried the amp, and it worked as=20=

> it always had, but I decided I had better see what had caused the=20
> pop.....I took of the top cover on looked down inside the amp, and=20
> there to my surprise was a large moth that was blown to=20
> smithereens....evidently it had flown inside the amp and made contact=20=

> with the high voltage, and blew it's self to pieces.....I had all the=20=

> lights off in the shack at the time, and I guess the glow of the=20
> 3-500z tubes was just more than the moth could resist.....The amp=20
> never did give me a problem as long as I owned it other than that one=20=

> large BANG!
> Maybe you had something like this to happen to your AL-1200.

=F0  Excellent point, Tom. Good engineering practice is to place screen=20=

or perforated sheet metal at the air inlet to keep insects out.  For=20
instance, nothing much larger than a fruit fly can get into a SB-220,=20
provided that the perf-metal cabinet is in place.

cheers.

> 73
> Tom.....W4TH
>
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> Tom's Tubes: Specializing in Amateur Radio Amplifier Tubes/Sockets &=20=

> G3SEK Tetrode/Triode Boards & Kits http://www.tomstubes.com
>
>
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Richard L. Measures, AG6K, 805.386.3734.  www.somis.org