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Gates BC-5B Control question

S

scappy

It has been quite a few years since I've seen an operating Gates BC-5B, long gone from the premesis, and I have some questions about the control panel.

The panel had, left to right, the following green indicator lights: XTAL 1, CONTROL, AIR, FIL., DOOR, LOW PWR, followed by big chrome rocker switches: FILAMENTS, LOW VOLTAGE, HIGH VOLTAGE, AUTO RESET. Then came the low/high power switch, and the following red lights: HIGH PWR., L.V., H.V., AUTO., and XTAL 2.

Here are my questions: When I last operated a BC-5B, the rocher switches were labelled with dymo labels. How did they come labeled from the factory, or were they not labeled?

Did operating the filament control turn on the blower and control circuits as well? What circuits did the low voltage switch control?

Are there any scans of the transmitter manual or schematics floating around in the Gates community?
 
Thanks for the links.

I can see that the photo of the BC-5B and BC-10B shows no labels on the chrome rocker switches. The photo at oldraio.com shows a black plate behind the rocker switches that appears to match the black plate behind the indicator lights. Looking at an early photo of the WENE transmitter in the Gates catalog, I see that it did not have any labels then either.

Perhaps Gates offered the black label plate for the switches later in production or as a modification?
 
Jon Scaptura said:
It has been quite a few years since I've seen an operating Gates BC-5B, long gone from the premesis, and I have some questions about the control panel.

The panel had, left to right, the following green indicator lights: XTAL 1, CONTROL, AIR, FIL., DOOR, LOW PWR, followed by big chrome rocker switches: FILAMENTS, LOW VOLTAGE, HIGH VOLTAGE, AUTO RESET. Then came the low/high power switch, and the following red lights: HIGH PWR., L.V., H.V., AUTO., and XTAL 2.

Here are my questions: When I last operated a BC-5B, the rocher switches were labelled with dymo labels. How did they come labeled from the factory, or were they not labeled?

Did operating the filament control turn on the blower and control circuits as well? What circuits did the low voltage switch control?

Are there any scans of the transmitter manual or schematics floating around in the Gates community?
Click to expand...

I would guess that Gates labeled the function behind the lower (off) part of the rocker switches.
Of course, if the lamps behind the switches were burned out, nobody would know what the switch was designed to do.
The Filament switch certainly powered-up the blower as well as the filament and the other control systems.
The Low Voltage rocker switch probably powered-up the bias supply and the RF driver.
The High Voltage switch applied voltage to the PA tube(s) and Modulator.
The Auto Reset probably restarted the transmitter in the event of a PA overload.

These are merely wild-ass guesses ... based on forty years of experience. I could very well be wrong.
 
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