Elecraft KPA500 Kit Assembly Manual User Manual

ELECRAFT KPA500 HIGH-PERFORMANCE 160 – 6 METER AMPLIFIER KIT ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS Rev F4, August 25, 2013 Copyright © 2013, Elecraft, Inc

9Install the two rear feet as shown in Figure 5. Note that no lock washers are used and the screws thread into bushings permanently mounted in the

10 Oriented so the widest shoulder is always toward the side of the bottom cover. (Whenever you install a 2D fastener, the widest shoulder goes

11Power Supply Module Locate the Power Supply Module shown in Figure 7. Note the three metal-tabbed TO220 size I.C.s mounted at one end. Figure

12Locate the heat spreader (see Figure 9). Note that it has six threaded holes; three are larger than the others and the holes are spaced to match

13Use your DMM to verify the tab of U3 is insulated from the heat spreader and the mounting screw. The resistance is typically greater than 5,000

14Interlock Switch and Left Side Panel Feet Locate the left side panel and remove any masking tape found on the inside (partially painted) surface

15Mount the left side panel on the bottom cover as shown in Figure 14. Note that two different screw sizes are used. Loosely start all the screws

16 Rear Panel Locate the rear panel and remove any masking tape found on the inside (partially painted) surface. Peel the serial number provide

17On the rear panel, place two screws through the holes just below the word CAUTION near the top of the panel with the screw heads on the outside.

18 Install the RF INPUT and RF OUTPUT connectors as shown in Figure 20. Be sure you put the connectors in the correct holes as indicated. Also, no

1Contents Introduction ...

19Install the mains power entry module as shown in Figure 22. Figure 22. Installing the Power Entry Module. Connect the ground wire you installed

20Locate the I/O module, the 10 wire ribbon cable and the 40 wire ribbon cable. Mount the ribbon cables on the I/O module as shown in Figure 24.

21RF Power Amplifier/Low Pass Filter (PA/LPF) Module Unwrap the PA/LPF module. This module consists of two boards that have been pre-assembled, te

22Attach the Z-bracket to the heat sink on the PA/LPF as shown in Figure 27. Be sure the bracket is oriented exactly as shown in the figure. Fig

23Mount the rectifier board on the Z-bracket as shown in Figure 29. The three holes in the pc board mount on the three standoffs on the Z-bracket.

24Reposition the bottom cover assembly and attach it to the transformer support plate and Z-bracket as shown in Figure 31. Figure 31. Installing

25Set the KPA500 on its bottom feet and install a 2D fastener in the holes near the top and front and back of the right side panel as shown in Fig

26Connect the cable from the interlock switch on the left side panel to the power supply module as shown in Figure 35. Figure 35. Connecting the

27 Connect the red/black twisted wire pair from the fan to the power supply module as shown in Figure 37. Note that although this is a three-pin c

28Mount the rear panel assembly on the back of the KPA500 as shown in Figure 39. It may be easier to set the KPA500 on a side panel so you can adj

2 WARNING Dangerous Voltages Inside the KPA500 After It Has Been Connected to Mains Power When you have completed assembling your kit, turn to

29Power Supply Wiring In this section you will connect all the wires emanating from the power supply module, and even add a few more by installing

30There are five wires remaining connected to the power supply module: two red, two black, and one white. One red and one black wire are longer th

31Check your wiring against the overview in Figure 45. Note that the TAP spade connector on the rectifier board is not yet used, and there are fiv

32Insert the transformer mounting bolt through the bottom cover as shown in Figure 46. If the fit is very tight, temporarily loosen the screws hol

33Place the self-adhesive rubber bumpers on either side of the center PEM nut in the lip of the bottom cover as shown in Figure 48. Be sure the s

34Move the transformer onto the edge of the bottom cover but do not place it over the bolt (see Figure 49). Lay the transformer flat with the lea

35 Orient the transformer as shown in Figure 51, taking care not to dislodge the bumpers. Add the second rubber disk and metal disk as shown. Orie

36The transformer primary winding connections exit the transformer in a white sleeve. Connect them to the power supply module board as shown in Fi

37Two cable ties are provided to dress the long wires that pass over the transformer. These ties are supplied to produce a neat arrangement of the

38 Front Panel Assembly Locate the front panel and remove any masking tape found on the inside (partially painted) surface. Install the standoff

3Introduction This manual covers the assembly of your KPA500 160 through 6 meter amplifier kit. Only a few basic hand tools are needed (see page 5

39Place the front panel sheet metal over the front panel pc board so that all the key caps and LEDs pass through the openings and the pc board res

40Place the front panel assembly in front of the KPA500 and connect the ribbon cables as shown in Figure 59. The wide cable may be longer than sho

41Mount the front panel assembly on the KPA500 as shown in Figure 60. If the wide ribbon cable is longer than necessary loop it back and forth beh

42 Top Cover and Side Handle Install the handle on the right side of the KPA500 as shown in Figure 62. Be sure the spacer passes through the openi

43 You will install the top cover in the following step. If you are going to immediately set up your KPA500 for operation, turn to Mains Voltage

A1 Appendix A - Illustrated Parts List Your kit contains a number of envelopes, boxes and packages of parts. Check the contents of each one careful

A2 KPA500 Core Assembly – E850455 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. PA Key Cable 1 E100416 Z bracket 1 E100385 KPA500 Front Pane

A3 KPA500 Bottom Cover Assembly – E850472 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Bottom Cover 1 E100382 KPA500 Top Cover Assembly – E85

A4 KPA500 Rear Panel Bag – E850454 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Power Entry Module (Corcom) 1 E620184 10 Wire Ribbon Cable 1

A5 KPA500 Misc. Bag. – E850452 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Heat Spreader 1 E100386 Hex Nut, 4-40, Zinc 1 E700011 Hex Nut,

4Anti Static Protection Required We strongly recommend you take the following anti-static precautions (listed in order of importance) to avoid ESD

A6 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Nut, 2-56, Zinc 2 E700206 Screw, 4-40, 3/8” (9.5 mm) Pan Head, Black 3 E700008 Screw, 4-40, 1

A7 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Interlock Switch Assy 1 E850417 KPA500 Front Panel Envelope – E850477 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTIO

A8 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Screw, 4-40, 5/16 (7.9 mm) ”, Black, Flat Head 2 E700027 Wing Nut, 8-32, Stainless Steel 1 E7

A9 KPA500 PCB Set – E850464 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. I/O Module ESD Sensitive 1 E850394 Front Panel Module Assembly ESD S

A10 KPA500 Transformer Assembly – E850466 ILLUSTRATION DESCRIPTION QTY. ELECRAFT PART NO. Power Transformer Rubber Disks Metal Disk Transform

5Preparing for Assembly Tools Required 1. #0, #1 and #2 size Phillips screwdrivers. To avoid damaging screws and nuts, a power screwdriver is n

6 Figure 1. Measuring Screw Lengths Standoffs A number of threaded standoffs are used. As with the screws and washers, be sure you use the correc

7Overview of the Kit Figure 4 is a top view of the KPA500 with the top cover removed. The chassis is divided into two major areas by a bracket (ca

8Assembly IMPORTANT ASSEMBLY INFORMATION A variety of screws and fasteners are used to assemble your KPA500:  Use your rule to check the lengt