[BULK] - Re: [TowerTalk] New antenna system

[Steve Katz]

> Hi Steve -
> I think I can answer your comment above.  Last Thursday I got my 
> new 3 element SteppIR up, actually for the second time and I was 
> using my 3rd control box.  The other two boxes failed, however, not 
> because of their design but because of my own stupidity.  
> I had added a 15pin plug and socket on the control cable up near the 
> beam -- the idea being to simplify installation and troubleshooting.  
> The control boxes failed because I had an intermittent pin to pin short 
> in the plug.  It was so small that even after I discovered it with the 
> ohmmeter, I could not visually find it with bright light and high 
> powered magnifier........... yet it truly was there.  The short took out 
> two boxes.
> 
> //Only problem is, this changes "component failure problem" to "design
> problem," but it's still a problem.  When a user interface is subject to
> field connectivity solutions, it's incumbent upon the product designer to
> appropriately fuse all I-Os to prevent cockpit error damage.  A perfect
> example of this: Every I-O port on your common home PC uses a resettable
> fuse in series with it.  This includes the keyboard and mouse ports.  They
> have 5vdc on them, but you can short them out all day to your heart's
> content, and that won't make anything in the PC fail, because in series
> with the bus (in each case) is a resettable fuse.  You short the line, it
> trips the fuse.  Turn off the power, and the fuse resets, so you can goof
> and do it over again.  -WB2WIK/6
> 
> 
> 
> The company quickly sent me two replacements at no cost, even 
> though it was (finally) obvious that the fault was all mine.  
> Tremendous customer service.
> 
> 
>