The crowbar is one of the greatest equipment safety circuits there is, right next to the fuse. And this has them both!!! Great Video. Eutectic solder too. Good man. Been my go to for about 40 years! And remember "don't flux up, use flux."

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

I haven't used much flux in my soldering career. Usually I reserve it for the stubborn jobs or surface mount jobs.

Cool kit, Steve. For those larger lugs, I would have used a larger/wider iron tip. I am not sure if you have one for your particular iron. Next time instead of going higher in temp I would just increase the heating surface area by orienting the tip sideways and place it right against the lug and the trace at the same time. If that makes sense?

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Makes perfect sense. Great tip!

The crowbar could have been put in radios as standard decades ago. The fact that none of them do makes me wonder why. One thing is for certain, because they don't put them in more radios break and they therefore sell, more radios. Because they do not put them in when they could, they get to invalidate warranties even after the repair too which is disgusting. Icom even put a note that your serial number is no longer in warranty. Even though you have done nothing wrong, if anything they have, by deciding not to install a crowbar. Thanks to the kit maker and you for highlighting the problem.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

You bet! Thanks for watching!

Put a crowbar on my linear power supply 40 years ago, if the output transistor fails, poof goes your radio. Thanks for the video.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

I've had it happen twice!

Everyone needs this kit so they aren't Temporarily Offline. But actually if you get this you will be like Temporarily Offline LOL :)

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Life is a series of Temporarily Offline moments.

Informative as always, thanks!

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

Great job, sir!! You like soldering dangerously. 😉

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Always!

Another great kit I'll need to pick up.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Sure is. Tom is a good guy!

Thank You @Temporarily Offline Ham Radio GREAT VIDEO!!!

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Thanks FreddieMac!

Awesome, thanks Steve. I have a home brew linear PSU that has both over and under volt protection. Younger me must have been slightly paranoid.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

You mean you're not paranoid now?

Nice work, nice soldering iron, good to know, tnx man!

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Any time!

Now I have another thing to be paranoid about 😂 I don't think I ever considered over voltage given I use batteries and purpose built power supplies.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Belts and Braces Brother!

There was a nice grounding presentation a couple of years ago on the Ham Radio Today (COVID) hamfest in which he showed a scenario in which a blown negative (ground) lead fuse could leave your car's starter current could attempt to find chassis ground via your antenna coax's connection to the car's frame, going by way of your radio's electronics. There are always more combinations of connector failures/insulation failures than one tends to consider when you're what if-ing. One thing I'll point out is that breaker (or in my day, fuse) box in your home interrupts live, but not neutral, neutral being the equivalent of negative in a 12V negative ground electrical system. (I remember 6V positive ground cars, but that's a long time ago.) Anyway, there are lots of arguments to be mode over whether to fuse the negative.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Exactly!

@NickFrom1228

6 ай бұрын

Good summary. There are a lot of one off situations. Cars in particular have a bunch of potential issues and todays cars are even worse.

Cool piece of gear. I could smell this video.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Right on!

Great little kit to save the day. I only fuse +12v but each to their own.👌

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Its like pineapple on pizza brother

@GraymanPOTA

6 ай бұрын

@@temporarilyoffline it is more like current flows negative to positive so it is completely appropriate to fuse the negative leg. 🌮🌮🌮

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

@GraymanPOTA holy wars!

@NickFrom1228

6 ай бұрын

@@GraymanPOTA I think this is a common thing due to a couple things. First circuit tracing is typically done in reverse so its a mental thing and second automotive circuits are always done (after 1950 or I believe) as fused positive and common grounds which set a defect standard. But I've seen worse. I remember an old tractor we had that had a metal fuel tank and battery directly below the tank. This means the two battery terminals were directly below a dead short that happened to be full of gasoline. With a strong enough bump the battery could jump up and hit the tank. The battery holder was essentially the cables were barely long enough to fit so they held it down. If you were taking the battery out/in you were verrrrry careful when you lifted the batter out of its holder. We completely rebuilt the tractor and that situation was resolved purposefully.

I have a couple of Tom's kits. I have a plan to add a monitor as part of it. 73

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

That would be neat!

You listened you really really listened. BTW just a observation but I think your solder iron works best when you are in high speed.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Somethings still make through the iron dome! And you're right about the speed too.

@user-zk2yd6xm8s

5 ай бұрын

@@temporarilyoffline hihi you need to have the iron dome laminated like a transformers core, this will eliminate eddy currents and make it more efficient. But you will have to learn to live with the AC hum

That great to have. just a simple circuit can save your radio. I have been budling them many years now. with portable this is handy. if you use solar with a charge controller and that goes bad . the battery BMS will disconnect to save battery but that over voltage still needs a place to go. that crowbar keeps it from getting to radio. uses a SCR to shunt power from radio or what ever connected to. maybe a 12V laptop . nice off grid soldering. 73's

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info!

You dont have to tell us your callsign, we see it there on your hat 😂

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Good Point!

Hmmm Maybe Jeem could use one next time he moves his radio?

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Yes, probably would help... And he has one anyway

How should a battery "run away" and produce a higher voltage? I only know of failure modes where the battery will fail with a lower voltage. The only way I can think of a battery outputting a higher than normal voltage would be if it has been heavily overcharged and even then, you might only get a couple more volts before it catches fire.

@JohnZonneveld

6 ай бұрын

In my brother's old Datsun the ground wire from his voltage regulator corroded and broke, resulting in an unregulated 19V that cooked his battery and killed his FM radio.

@pcfreak1992

6 ай бұрын

@@JohnZonneveld Sure, but that’s from a voltage regulator, not just the plain battery. If I’m in the field with just the radio and a battery, I don’t see how there can be an over-voltage situation.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Batteries are chemical in nature. So "anything is possible". Its more likely that your solar system (which routinely outputs more than 12v) had some kind of failure which makes it to/past the battery to your radio. This also works for bench power supplies. I've had two power supplies with failed voltage regulators and both times they output more than 13.8v.

@JohnZonneveld

6 ай бұрын

@@temporarilyoffline in my old car I had some voltage spike that killed my Baofeng APRS setup and a Leixen VV-898e since then I also have a simple diode voltage limiter that 'should' short at 15V. So should be enough to protect my radios as it is within the 13.8V +-15%.

@JohnJohnson-ls4zw

6 ай бұрын

I just repaired a 13.8v 12A linear pwr supply outputting 24 volts. Driver transistor failed. Thankfully not connected to my radio. I need this protection.

Hi Steve, again a very good video covering off small gear that will help prevent damage to our equipment or worse. Be safe David VK) Nowra Nsw

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Thanks David!

@davidm.wilson3736

6 ай бұрын

Cheers, have fun at quartz festival 🎉 be safe. D

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Will do!

Did you know before the Crowbar was invented... Crows had to drink at home?😏

@temporarilyoffline

4 ай бұрын

Imagine the horror!

Be sure not to reverse I put and output. Crowbar will short out power supply not blowing fuse.

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the heads up!

Not available to order yet, says Coming Soon

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

He probably sold out today from the video. Give him an email and see what he says.

Please . . . please . . . please . . . stop finding stuff that makes me spend money. I need to buy food! :)

@temporarilyoffline

6 ай бұрын

ham is food. Not that you can eat it...

@brianhendrix

6 ай бұрын

@@temporarilyoffline They don't appear to be in stock so I'll have to wait!