Hi, John. I blew up a Radio Shack talking voltmeter by reversing the
polarity on the batteries I inserted into it. No tactile way of
knowing which way they should go in, and I forgot the order in
putting them in. Didn't even realize it until it didn't work, and I
smelled a little smoke coming out of it when I picked it
up. Unfortunately, Radio shack had stopped making them by the time I
blew that one up.--Matt, N1IBB.
At 01:03 PM 1/6/2013, John Miller wrote:
>Kind of disappointing too, the least they can do is go spectacularly with
>much noise, a good show, and a horrific smell like my TS-930 did when the
>power supply let go or the TS-530 I got from someone in trade for something
>a few years ago. I wasn't going to even keep the 530 I just wanted to test
>it and make sure it worked before I turned around and sold it, I got just as
>much for it blown up as I would have working so it wasn't a huge loss but it
>took a week to get rid of the smell, the 930 was even worse.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Matthew Chao" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Sunday, January 06, 2013 12:27 PM
>Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
>
>
> > Absolutely agree. Many electronics die quietly - no sparks, noise,
> > or zaps. They just don't work when you want them to.--Matthew Chao,
> > N1IBB.
> >
> > At 11:18 AM 1/6/2013, you wrote:
> >>Jim,
> >>
> >>All kidding aside, one of the worst nightmares for anyone dealing with
> >>solid-state equipment today is the lightning hit. I don't mean the kind
> >>where smoke and flame comes out of the equipment and sets the building on
> >>fire, but the kind where apparently nothing happens. A friend of mine
> >>who's
> >>the chief engineer at a TV station in Connecticut used to complain
> >>constantly that about two weeks after even the most minor electrical storm
> >>some piece of equipment would fail, usually in a manner that was difficult
> >>to troubleshoot and fix. While I can't say for certain that your speech
> >>chip is that kind of failure, my point is that it doesn't take much to
> >>send
> >>a chip south, and it may have been something as simple as a static pulse,
> >>or
> >>a voltage spike. One nice thing about tube-type equipment was that you
> >>could beat on it all day and it wouldn't fail. Unfortunately, solid-state
> >>stuff is much less forgiving.
> >>
> >>Steve
> >>
> >>----- Original Message -----
> >>From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]>
> >>To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >>Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2013 03:26
> >>Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >>
> >>
> >> > Hi Steve, of course you are right. It's just plain weird when
> >> > something like that happens so unexpectedly. I thought it could
> >> > be because my rig had been subjected to some more temperature
> >> > extremes than earlier but who knows. I think it has to do with
> >> > the lunar cycle as others have intimated here. Smile, Jim WA6EKS
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: Steve Dresser <[log in to unmask]
> >> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >> > Date sent: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 22:22:09 -0500
> >> > Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >> >
> >> > Of course. We're so used to almost perfectly working electronic
> >> > components
> >> > that rarely, if ever, fail. In the days of discrete components,
> >> > things
> >> > failed all the time, usually stuff like capacitors (which,
> >> > incidentally, are
> >> > still the weakest link in any electronic device), or resistors
> >> > which had
> >> > this nasty habit of changing value. And don't forget good old
> >> > tubes, which
> >> > had to be replaced on a regular basis. Listen to some of the
> >> > guys on AM,
> >> > and you'll know all about component failure.
> >> >
> >> > Steve
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]
> >> > To: <[log in to unmask]
> >> > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 15:16
> >> > Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Hi Steve, right you are, but it's pretty disconcerting when it
> >> > happens.
> >> > 73,
> >> > Jim WA6EKS
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: Steve Dresser
> >> > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 12:05 PM
> >> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >> > Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >> >
> >> > Jim,
> >> >
> >> > Maybe some stray voltage hit the chip and destroyed it, or maybe
> >> > it was
> >> > just
> >> > defective and failed for some other unexplained reason. We're
> >> > not used to
> >> > seeing component failure much these days, but it certainly can
> >> > still
> >> > happen,
> >> > as you discovered.
> >> >
> >> > Steve
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: "Jim Gammon" <[log in to unmask]
> >> > To: <[log in to unmask]
> >> > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 14:54
> >> > Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Hi Darren, I called Kenwood this morning and got ahold of Leo
> >> > who
> >> > does amateur tech support. He had no idea why the original chip
> >> > quit after working fine for over two years, and wasn't
> >> > interested
> >> > in checking out the old chip to see what might have happened to
> >> > it. I'm just relieved that the chip fixed the problem and that
> >> > I
> >> > didn't have to send the rig in for a check up. At $75 per hour,
> >> > that could get very eenxpensive in a hurry. Jim WA6EKS
> >> >
> >> > ----- Original Message -----
> >> > From: KK4AHX Darren Duff <[log in to unmask]
> >> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >> > Date sent: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 13:30:44 -0500
> >> > Subject: Re: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >> >
> >> > Hi.
> >> >
> >> > Great to hear you got your rig up and talking again. I would
> >> > like to know
> >> > what the folks over at kenwood tell you. I am really enjoying
> >> > my
> >> > tmv71a as
> >> > well.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > 73.
> >> > Darren Duff.
> >> > amateur radio station KK4AHX.
> >> >
> >> > Vice President,
> >> > Cherokee Amateur Radio Society.
> >> > http://www.cherokeehams.com
> >> >
> >> > Cherokee County ARES.
> >> > http://www.cherokee-ares.org
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: For blind ham radio operators
> >> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> >> > On Behalf Of Jim Gammon
> >> > Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 12:38 PM
> >> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >> > Subject: New Vgs-1 chip installed and working
> >> >
> >> > Hi list, just wanted to give you a foblow up about the Vgs-1
> >> > chip. I got a
> >> > new one from HRO yesterday, installed it and the rig started
> >> > talking again.
> >> > Now I think I will take the old chip, dip it some salsa and eat
> >> > it. No, on
> >> > second thought if I did that, I may stop talking just like it
> >> > did! Sorry to
> >> > Bob who I sent a similar message to last night thinking it would
> >> > go to the
> >> > list. I plan to call Kenwood and ask them there thoughts about
> >> > why a chip
> >> > would just quit after working fine for more than two years. Jim
> >> > WA6EKS
> >> >
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