Thursday, November 11, 2010

Curse Yaesu

... for making the power connector for the FT-817 a nonstandard and apparently unique size. I sacrificed the power cable of a multi-voltage wall-wart which had a set of interchangeable tips to make a cable I could use to run the '817 from my lab bench supply for an experiment. One of the tips looked to my eyes exactly the same as the one on the Yaesu charger, even down to having a yellow plastic insulator at the tip. But stupid me I didn't think to check it would actually go in before severing the cable from the wall-wart and now I find that it doesn't. So not only did the wall-wart lose its cable in vain but I now can't do my experiement, since it would have taken longer than the '817's woefully inadequate batteries would permit. Grrr!!

I can't even find an FT-817 power cable on eBay.

9 comments:

  1. Try contacting Andy MM0FMF, he had a load at one time. I had a couple off him one for using with the shack PSU and another for fitting with Anderson power poles to connect to my slabs when portable. I still use the cigar socket on the one that came with it from the car. He may just have a couple left.

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  2. Why not take (cut) the cable from the charger? You could make that one with some clips or connectors so you can reconnect to the charger when needed. 73, Bas

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  3. Hi, try this http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260676560336&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT


    73 Ondra OK1CDJ

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  4. If that's the same as the Yaesu VR-500, then the plug is available from CPC, code CN05722. (That's actually a pack of five, and I only have one VR-500, so I have some spares; drop me some email at ats@offog.org if you'd like me to stick a couple in the post...)

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  5. The connector you need is 4.0mm O.D., 1.7mm I.D. Julian.

    Should help if you're ordering online....

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  6. Hi Julian,

    I fussed for some time over the power connector for my FT-817. I am not a big fan of these sorts of coaxial power connectors but I managed as I needed to.

    Fenris passed on the correct size.

    After I had found a correct size connecter/cable ordered two. Shortly afterwards I stumbled across this web site and what is referred to as the FT-817 power conditioner:

    http://www.1strecon.org/TheShoppe/ft817/index.shtml

    you can download the manual which contains details on this device.

    As nice as this power conditioner was I took the basic idea and made my own. Mine is very similar in that it plugs in and plastic case is held in place with a small screw but instead of having the Power Pole connectors a part of the plastic module, I extended the power connection with a short pig tail with the Power Pole connecters on the end of the short cable. Inside the plastic box I put a generic torroid and bypass capacitor as an attempt to help reduce any possbile RFI ingress via the power connection.

    Have a look at that site the documentation for the power conditioner and it should all make sense.

    Personally, I would have much preferred Yaseu offering the radio with a power pigtail instead of the plug which they did.

    I can post a photo if you like.

    cheers, Graham ve3gtc

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  7. I picked up some of these Roco connectors at a Sandown Park Radio Fair a couple of years back.
    I can now move my FT817 from car to battery portable, to office, to shack without problem as there's a PSU ready in each place.
    Maplin have had the right one too. The dims are i.d. 1.7mm, o.d. 4mm.

    73 de Peter, LB0K

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  8. DC power connector for the FT-817

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260767055910&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_500wt_1068

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