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Harris Z Power Modules

S

spinjector

Anyone have an after-market source (aka cheaper than Harris) for the non-HD Harris Z power modules..? I have a pile of dead ones here that have been stacking up and I need to get them fixed. I'm looking for either a full-service repair, or just the two circuit cards in each module.

The Harris guys have told me repeatedly that you can't just slap in new transistors, because you need a special test/measurement rig to balance the two transistors on each card, and then match the two cards on each module so they don't smoke the reject load behind each slot.

Thanks.
 
I have a few laying around with the same problem. Inherited it.

Friends don't let friends buy Harris. Decent product, horrible support. And who knows what the support will be like now.

Sell it and buy a Nautel ;D
 
WNTIRadio said:
I have a few laying around with the same problem. Inherited it.

Friends don't let friends buy Harris. Decent product, horrible support. And who knows what the support will be like now.

Sell it and buy a Nautel ;D
Click to expand...

I have a local guy here that can repair those modules for a decent price. I've had several repaired. Offline me for details. [email protected]
 
I have a theory that's backed with some circumstantial evidence : A Z series in a closed loop air conditioned room almost never loses a module (5 years with no lost pallets seems common--that's how far out my theory has been tested). Ones in dirty non a/c rooms lose about 1 or 2 pallets a year. I never replace the whole module. The pallets are about $700 from Harris and take 15-20 minutes to replace. From my experience, having a closed loop a/c system will pay for itself if there's a Z series involved. Somewhere I heard that in non a/c situations, the temperature swings cause the screws that hold the pallet to the heat sink to get loose and tightening them all every 6 months supposedly improves the life of the pallets. In that my only remaining non a/c Z is about to get a/c, I have not tried that. But the screws on the failed modules are rarely what I'd call tight, so there may be something to that.
 
Interesting theory...both of the Z boxes I take care of are in sealed, clean, A/C environments...never lost a module...going on 9 years with one box...a little less with the other.
 
I don't have A/C, but keep the air moving with positive pressure - 800 cfm intake, 550 cfm xmtr blower, 200 cfm exhaust - and my Z5 hasn't lost a module in 15 years. Actually it has never gone down for any reason in its 15 years. I'm sure our northern climate helps, or maybe I'm just lucky.
 
Thanks for all the info. I'll drop a line to all those mentioned that repair them.

Does anyone know what's involved in repairing them? I've repaired DX-10 & DX-50 modules, and those are easy, just a MOSFET, a fuse, and a small coil.

The Z-modules use a BLF177. Can they simply be replaced? And any related components? Is there any tuning or other adjustments needed?
 
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