Lou,

I remember reading something like this a number of years ago.  The guy 
who had the problem claimed it was related to the fact that it is a 
lighted switch, but who knows.

Nice to have a spare supply on hand.

73, Steve KW3A

On 3/7/2011 8:58 PM, Lou Kolb wrote:
> As long as we're discussing power supply issues, i've just had an experience
> I never expected.  My RM-35 from Astron failed and, oddly, the problem
> seemed to be in the switch.  You'd think it would be somewhere farther along
> in the circuit.  I was on cw and started to hear an odd sound every time the
> transmitter in the k3 keyed.  Like an arcing but different in that it wasn't
> a snappy sound.  At first, I thought it was the rig but then the transformer
> in the supply started to jump occasionally, as it does when you first turn
> the supply on.  When I started to smell smoke right after that, I hastily
> signed and reached up to turn off the supply but the switch wouldn't throw.
> it moved a bit but was actually fused in place.  Later, when I came back
> down to the shack it had cooled down and was very firmly fused in place.  I
> had another, older Astron on the shelf so I hooked it up and was back on the
> air the next night.  I haven't taken the cover off of the stricken supply
> yet but it oughta be interesting.  It's not a complicated device so I expect
> to be able to fix it.  Anyone else have a similar experience?  Lou  WA3MIX
>