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[K3] Disappearing VCO error

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gm3sek

[K3] Disappearing VCO error

After the K3 had been running for a few hours yesterday evening, just
listening to the bands, it stopped working with ERR PL1 (and PL2). These
were genuine hardware errors - neither of the two VFOs would tune and
both receivers were dead. Attempts to re-calibrate the VCOs ended with
ERR VCO and ERR VC4.

I switched off and left the problem overnight, and this morning both
VCOs calibrated successfully with no further errors so far. (A notable
difference was the successful calibrations took much longer over some of
the steps. The failed attempts had rattled through all the steps at the
same high speed.)

The firmware was MCU 4.12 / DSP 2.60 / FPF 1.13. After everything was
working correctly again, I have updated to MCU 4.14.

Hardware is K3/100 #724, with KAT3, KRX3, KXV3 and all modifications to
date.

The question is: why did this happen? And with CQWW SSB coming up, could
it happen again?

--

73 from Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek
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Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ

Re: [K3] Disappearing VCO error

Administrator

Hi Ian,

Make sure you are running the latest release of K3 firmware. We recently
released MCU 4.14 / DSP 2.60 / FPF 1.13

See: http://www.elecraft.com/K3/k3_software.htm

73, Eric WA6HHQ
www.elecraft.com
----
Go Giants!
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=sf
----

On 10/27/2010 5:34 AM, Ian White GM3SEK wrote:

> After the K3 had been running for a few hours yesterday evening, just
> listening to the bands, it stopped working with ERR PL1 (and PL2). These
> were genuine hardware errors - neither of the two VFOs would tune and
> both receivers were dead. Attempts to re-calibrate the VCOs ended with
> ERR VCO and ERR VC4.
>
> I switched off and left the problem overnight, and this morning both
> VCOs calibrated successfully with no further errors so far. (A notable
> difference was the successful calibrations took much longer over some of
> the steps. The failed attempts had rattled through all the steps at the
> same high speed.)
>
> The firmware was MCU 4.12 / DSP 2.60 / FPF 1.13. After everything was
> working correctly again, I have updated to MCU 4.14.
>
> Hardware is K3/100 #724, with KAT3, KRX3, KXV3 and all modifications to
> date.
>
> The question is: why did this happen? And with CQWW SSB coming up, could
> it happen again?
>
>

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Gary, W7TEA

Re: [K3] Disappearing VCO error

In reply to this post by gm3sek

I experienced a very similar problem this morning. ERR PL1 and PL2 starting popping up. Then some other errors. It happened intermittently. I was running 4.12 and then loaded the latest firmware. The errors have continued. I have an email into Elecraft support and hope for a quick solution.

A new TS 590S is sitting in the K-3 position for the time. It's an interesting rig.

73, Gary W7TEA
K3 #1001

73,

Gary W7TEA K3 #1001, #5763

gm3sek

Re: [K3] Disappearing VCO error

In reply to this post by gm3sek

Yesterday morning, I wrote:

>
>After the K3 had been running for a few hours yesterday evening, just
>listening to the bands, it stopped working with ERR PL1 (and PL2). These
>were genuine hardware errors - neither of the two VFOs would tune and
>both receivers were dead. Attempts to re-calibrate the VCOs ended with
>ERR VCO and ERR VC4.
>
>I switched off and left the problem overnight, and this morning both
>VCOs calibrated successfully with no further errors so far. (A notable
>difference was the successful calibrations took much longer over some of
>the steps. The failed attempts had rattled through all the steps at the
>same high speed.)
>
>The firmware was MCU 4.12 / DSP 2.60 / FPF 1.13. After everything was
>working correctly again, I have updated to MCU 4.14.
>
>Hardware is K3/100 #724, with KAT3, KRX3, KXV3 and all modifications to
>date.
>
>The question is: why did this happen? And with CQWW SSB coming up, could
>it happen again?
>

By 10am Aptos time, answers from Elecraft were in my inbox!

Dale confirmed that the faults as described were almost certainly due to
loss of signal from the 48MHz reference oscillator on the KREF3 board.
Since I had been doing some unrelated mods that required the removal and
replacement of the KRX3 (several times over) it is very possible that
the oscillator module had been knocked, and that contact in the socket
had become marginal.

Eric added that the Clock to Data timing on the internal serial bus is
critical to proper operation, and that recent firmware releases include
an additional timing margin.

On opening up the K3 again, there wasn't any obvious problem with the
seating of the oscillator module, but I removed and re-inserted it
anyway. Instead of the single tie-wrap that was provided in the kit to
secure the module in its socket, I tried using two slightly thinner ones
which ensure that the module is pulled firmly downward at *both* ends of
the package.

Grateful thanks to Dale and Eric for such a rapid and accurate response!

Cross fingers for the weekend... and good luck in the contest to all K3
users.

--

73 from Ian GM3SEK / GM3Whisky
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek
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Frank R. Oppedijk-3

Re: [K3] Disappearing VCO error

Hi group,

For some months now, I had the same intermittent problems as Ian: after the K3 has been running for a few hours, it stops working with ERR PL1 (and PL2). The next morning, after cooling off, things are back to normal. Up to yesterday, I was always able to make this issue go away instantly by opening up the K3 and giving all cables going to the KREF3 board a twist. But not yesterday...

Thanks to Ians email, I tried removing the KREF3 board, and removing and reseating the oscillator. I also gave all connectors (they were a bit oxidized) a very light scrub with fine sandpaper and then wiped them with a cloth with some anti-corrosive spray. After building things together again and doing the synthesizer re-calibration, my K3 now is back in working order.

73 de Frank PA4N

On 28 okt. 2010, at 14:41, Ian White GM3SEK wrote:

> Yesterday morning, I wrote:
>>
>> After the K3 had been running for a few hours yesterday evening, just
>> listening to the bands, it stopped working with ERR PL1 (and PL2). These
>> were genuine hardware errors - neither of the two VFOs would tune and
>> both receivers were dead. Attempts to re-calibrate the VCOs ended with
>> ERR VCO and ERR VC4.
>>
>> I switched off and left the problem overnight, and this morning both
>> VCOs calibrated successfully with no further errors so far. (A notable
>> difference was the successful calibrations took much longer over some of
>> the steps. The failed attempts had rattled through all the steps at the
>> same high speed.)
>>
>> The firmware was MCU 4.12 / DSP 2.60 / FPF 1.13. After everything was
>> working correctly again, I have updated to MCU 4.14.
>>
>> Hardware is K3/100 #724, with KAT3, KRX3, KXV3 and all modifications to
>> date.
>>
>> The question is: why did this happen? And with CQWW SSB coming up, could
>> it happen again?
>>
>
> By 10am Aptos time, answers from Elecraft were in my inbox!
>
> Dale confirmed that the faults as described were almost certainly due to
> loss of signal from the 48MHz reference oscillator on the KREF3 board.
> Since I had been doing some unrelated mods that required the removal and
> replacement of the KRX3 (several times over) it is very possible that
> the oscillator module had been knocked, and that contact in the socket
> had become marginal.
>
> Eric added that the Clock to Data timing on the internal serial bus is
> critical to proper operation, and that recent firmware releases include
> an additional timing margin.
>
> On opening up the K3 again, there wasn't any obvious problem with the
> seating of the oscillator module, but I removed and re-inserted it
> anyway. Instead of the single tie-wrap that was provided in the kit to
> secure the module in its socket, I tried using two slightly thinner ones
> which ensure that the module is pulled firmly downward at *both* ends of
> the package.
>
> Grateful thanks to Dale and Eric for such a rapid and accurate response!
>
> Cross fingers for the weekend... and good luck in the contest to all K3
> users.