[TenTec] Titan 425 D&C

Robert & Linda McGraw K4TAX RMcGraw at Blomand.Net
Tue Mar 11 17:15:17 EST 2003


Now this is a person that knows how to treat a piece of electronic
equipment.  His results clearly conclude that fact.

73
Bob, K4TAX


----- Original Message -----
From: "Chester" <calderman at cox.net>
To: <tentec at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 5:16 AM
Subject: [TenTec] Titan 425 D&C


> I have an 11 year old Titan 425 amp that has thousands of
> operational hours contesting and chasing DX. Over these 11 years I have
> had one final tube failure (first year!) and changed the (very abused
> with high speed CW) vacuum relay at least half a dozen times. When I
> first got the amp, I noted in the users manual that TT recommended an
> annual Dust and Clean. So I do it! Does it help? I really don't know,
> but it sure doesn't hurt...if your careful.
>
> To help keep dust out of the amp, I cut up a cheap air
> conditioner air filter, just large enough to cover the air vents on each
> side of the cabinet. (Make sure it's NOT too air restrictive.) I used
> plain black sewing thread to loosely tie the air filter to the air vents
> on each side. This will not keep all of the dust out, but it sure helps.
>
> Simple tools needed: home vacuum cleaner with a 'blind's
> attachment', small/stiff shop-type brush, one-inch wide paint brush,
> alcohol, shop rag, sewing machine oil, a rainy day in late summer, one
> hour of 'free' time.
>
> The cleaning process is just plain intuitive requiring only
> patience and a handful of 'CAREFUL'.
>
> Remove the tubes and clean the tube and the rubber sleeve's,
> using the shop rag and alcohol, making sure to remove the alcohol
> residue. Set the (expensive) tubes away from your work area. (I do not
> mark which socket each tube was removed from?) Remove the small chassis
> cover on the bottom of the chassis. Using the small paint brush and
> vacuum, carefully brush and vacuum that entire cavity, including the
> tube sockets and the fan output duct. I also use the shop rag and
> alcohol to clean the aluminum housing inside the amp where the tubes
> mount, and the small paint brush to clean all of the high voltage
> components near the tubes. Be very careful when dusting the HV wire
> wound choke.
>
> Using the vacuum/paint brush/shop-type brush, I clean as much of
> the bottom of the chassis as I can reach with those tools. Next I use
> the brushes and vacuum to clean as much of both capacitor plates as I
> can reach, the same for the three pc boards near the power output
> connector. Next clean the HV components near the HV connector on the
> back/inside of the chassis. Clean the HV connector itself. Inspect the
> band switch and if needed, put a SMALL dab of silicon grease on the
> switch detents (of course NOT on the switch contacts). Next to last,
> clean as much as reachable in the front panel wiring section. Then
> firmly, but not hard, press each wiring connector in the amp to ensure
> they have not wiggled loose.
>
> Then using the small shop type stiff brush, brush clean the fan
> vanes, using your finger to hold it in place while your brushing. I
> reach into the fan through it's opening behind the tuning cap (be
> somewhat careful of the large dropping resistor sitting right in front
> of this fan opening). I then brush as much of the fan vanes by reaching
> into its output funnel, inside the bottom compartment. Then use the
> vacuum to remove the dust residue you have cleaned off the fan vanes.
> Add one drop of (Singer) sewing machine oil on shaft at it's back
> bearing and clean any left over oil from the shaft.
>
> Replace the tubes and reassemble the chassis, being very careful
> to set the aluminum HV crowbar bracket back to it's correct position.
> D&C the back and front panel.
>
> Since I wear headphones almost always, I can not hear the amp's
> fan. To semi-solve this problem, I tie two white strand's of sewing
> thread to the air outlet on the chassis top cover. Since I habitually
> glance at all of my operating equipment during operations, I am always
> assured the amp's fan is doing it's job. During contesting I place a
> small fan on the floor, pointed into the louver vents of the power
> supply and one fan blowing into the air intake louver on the right side
> of the cabinet cover. My amp sits on it's own small table with nothing
> within 6" of the air intake vents and nothing within 12" of the air
> exhaust louvers on the top of the cover. I cut two 8" long pieces of 2x4
> and set the power supply (on the floor) on top of these pieces of wood
> for air circulation purposes.
>
> OVERKILL? Heck no! Just one ham's way of providing a little TLC
> to his ham gear. Do you D&C your ham gear?
>
>
>
> Tom/W4BQF
> calderman AT cox.net
>
>
>
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