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 > >> >