ELECRAFT KPA500 Owner'S Manual Download Page 21

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Firmware Updates

From time to time updated and improved firmware may become available for the KPA500.

To update firmware you will need:



The KPA Utility Program available free from Elecraft at

www.elecraft.com



An RS-232 cable.



A computer with an RS232 port or a USB interface and a USB to RS232 converter such as the KUSB
Universal Serial Bus adapter available from Elecraft.

Connect your KPA500 RS232 (PC) port to your computer and launch the KPA Utility program.

Use the KPA500 RS232 (PC) connector: Do not use the RS232 (XCVR)

connector. Your PC must be connected directly to the RS232/PC port. You
cannot ‘daisy chain’ the KPA500 with the K3 through the RS232 XCVR port.

Updated firmware may be obtained in two ways.

Click on

Firmware

tab and then the Click on

Copy Firmware Files from Elecraft

to download the latest

production released firmware or,

Download the new file from the Elecraft web site manually and place it in a local folder, then click on

Browse…

to locate the folder on your computer. This is the way to access the latest Beta firmware

available from Elecraft.

To install new firmware in your KPA500, click on the utility

Send Firmware to the KPA500

button to start the

transfer. Follow any on-screen instructions. During download the LCD will display

MCU LOAD

and the

STBY

LED will flash rapidly. The KPA500 will return to its normal power on state when the transfer is completed.

Be sure to check the notes supplied with the new firmware. They may include changes that affect the
instructions in this manual.

If you don’t have Internet access, you can obtain a firmware upgrade on CD. If you don't have a computer, you
can send your KPA500 to Elecraft to be upgraded. See Customer Service, pg.24.

Checking your Firmware Revision

Use the MENU entry

FW Rev

to determine your firmware revision.

Summary of Contents for KPA500

Page 2: ...peration 18 Fault Conditions 19 Menu 20 Firmware Updates 21 Checking your Firmware Revision 21 Wattmeter Calibration Procedure 22 Specifications 23 Customer Service and Support 24 Theory of Operation 25 AUX Connector Interface 26 KPA500 AUX Connector Pinout DE 15 Male 26 Elecraft KPAK3AUX K3 Cable 27 Icom Cable 27 Yaesu Cable 28 BCD Interface 28 Elecraft manuals with color images may be downloaded...

Page 3: ...ns power from the rear panel Key to Symbols Abbreviations and Text Styles Important read carefully Operating tip TEMP Tap switch function labeled above a switch press for less than 1 2 second PK HOLD Hold switch function labeled below a switch press for at least1 2 sec to activate LED Light Emitting Diode LCD Liquid Crystal Display CAUTION Follow the instructions under a Caution to avoid damage to...

Page 4: ...y popular transceivers T R is completely noise free thanks to the use of PIN diode switching Of course the KPA500 is an ideal companion for the Elecraft K3 transceiver both physically and electrically The K3 can sense whether the amp is in standby or operate mode then select the appropriate per band power settings This allows you to set up the K3 for barefoot operation at one power level on each b...

Page 5: ...age 6 AUX connector used for connecting the KPA500 to an Elecraft K3 transceiver using the optional KPAK3AUX cable or with customer supplied cables for enhanced operation with Yaesu and Icom transceivers see AUX Connector Interface on pg 26 RCA type connector for PA Key input from the driving transceiver RCA type connector for ALC to control the driving transmitter RF level The output is negative ...

Page 6: ...230 VAC to match your mains voltage The current voltage setting is shown in the red window If needed change the fuse block setting as follows Position the rocker switch to off O and disconnect the mains cord if connected Then open the door covering the fuse block and then carefully pry the red fuse block out of the holder as shown below Install the proper fuses in the block Use two12A fuses for 11...

Page 7: ... for each mains voltage range When replacing the fuse block in the holder squeeze the fuses against the spring contact so they will slide into the holder Be sure the fuse block is fully seated in the holder as shown below before trying to close the door You may feel a lot of resistance just before it is fully seated as the fuses reach the contacts inside the holder That is normal ...

Page 8: ... below If you are reinstalling the amplifier in a new location and are unsure of the tap setting open the top cover to verify that the correct tap is set before applying mains power Power Supply Transformer Tap WARNING If the KPA500 has been previously turned on tap the front panel ON switch to turn it on and then tap it again to turn the unit off and wait for the fan to stop before removing mains...

Page 9: ...ltage use the yellow tap 115V Nominal Mains TAP 230V Nominal Mains 95V to 105V GREEN 190V to 210V 106V to 115V RED 211V to 230V 116V to 125V YELLOW 231V to 250V Be sure to place the unused taps side by side on the terminals at the back panel as shown Do not leave them floating loose inside the unit Replace the top cover before proceeding An interlock switch prevents operating the amplifier with th...

Page 10: ... different transformer tap If the voltage was too low select a tap further up the list in the above table If the voltage was too high select a tap further down the table The red FAULT LED on Figure 5 will light when you tap the ON switch to protect your KPA500 if the power supply voltage is too far above the upper limit Use a power transformer tap lower on the above table and retry the test After ...

Page 11: ... use a separate key line as shown in Figure 4 You must use the Key Line Interrupter when using a separate key line with the KPAK3AUX cable set Otherwise any external equipment inserted into the key line will not be able to inhibit the amplifier You can make cables for use with Yaesu and Icom transceivers that also provide closer integration with the KPA500 For details of those cables and the KPAK3...

Page 12: ...12 Figure 2 Basic Cabling Diagram for Any Transceiver ...

Page 13: ...13 Figure 3 K3 Enhanced Cabling Using KPAK3AUX Cable ...

Page 14: ...14 Figure 4 K3 Enhanced Cabling Using KPAK3AUX Cable and Separate Key Line ...

Page 15: ...itch In the text tap functions are shown like this TEMP An example of a hold function is PK HOLD Figure 5 KPA500 Front Panel 3 Tap the ON switch The LCD and STBY LED should light When you tap the ON switch again to turn the amplifier off you will hear the fan run This is done to bleed off the 60V power supply voltage The fan stops when the voltage reaches a safe level so if you are preparing to op...

Page 16: ...rive to the KPA500 The automatic band selection function overrides band selection made by any other means to protect the KPA500 from damage by wrong band operation Transmitting The POWER W and standing wave ratio SWR bargraphs are functional when the amplifier is in standby STBY Twenty five watts from the driving transceiver will illuminate the first POWER LED You may run up to 200 watts through t...

Page 17: ...0 watts 4 When driving the KPA500 with an Elecraft K3 use the K3 s per band power control to set the amplifier output just below the desired peak output on each band Do not rely on ALC to control the power output see Using ALC pg 17 At the K3 set CONFIG POWER SET to Per Band See Per Band Power Control in your K3 Owner s manual for further details If you use the AUX cable interface between the K3 a...

Page 18: ...ction to return the LCD to the band display HV displays the PA voltage on the LCD Must be between 65 and 85 V when the KPA500 is in STBY CURRENT displays the PA current on the LCD Must never exceed 20 A TEMP displays the heat sink temperature on the LCD Must be less than 90C PWR displays the output power numerically on the LCD Must not exceed 650 W MENU displays the menu system see pg 20 EDIT enab...

Page 19: ...return the KPA500 to STBY mode LCD Display Fault Fault Type Fault No 1 GAIN ERR Excessive overall amplifier gain Hard 15 HI CURR Excessive power amplifier current 2 Attenuator Hard 2 HI TEMP Power amplifier temperature over limit 2 Hard 4 PWRIN HI Excessive driving power Attenuator Hard 6 PA DISS Power amplifiers are dissipating excessive power 2 Hard 11 POUT HI Excessive power output Attenuator H...

Page 20: ...LED Brightness PWR ADJ 100 Per Band Wattmeter Calibration range 80 to 120 These are percentages of the measured value See Wattmeter Calibration Procedure on page 22 PWR ON STBY STBY Amp is in standby mode when first turned on OPER Amp is in operate mode when first turned on RADIO K3 Specifies driving transceiver interface K3 Allows use of Auxbus interface which allows the KPA500 band switches to c...

Page 21: ...nload the latest production released firmware or 2 Download the new file from the Elecraft web site manually and place it in a local folder then click on Browse to locate the folder on your computer This is the way to access the latest Beta firmware available from Elecraft To install new firmware in your KPA500 click on the utility Send Firmware to the KPA500 button to start the transfer Follow an...

Page 22: ...dummy load and compare the reading on the external wattmeter with the KPA500 wattmeter If you wish the adjust the power displayed on the KPA500 LCD and LEDs hold MENU and tap switches next to the and symbols until PWR ADJ is displayed on the LCD Hold EDIT A number between 80 and 120 will be displayed on the LCD If the power displayed on the KPA500 wattmeter needs to be higher tap the switch If the...

Page 23: ...nstalling allow an additional 2 5 1 cm behind the fan and above the top cover for unrestricted air flow Power Output 500 watts PEP CW SSB Data Duty Cycle at 500 Watts 10 minutes key down 5 minutes standby Drive Power 30 to 40 watts for 500 watts output Input VSWR Less than 1 5 1 ALC Out Negative going adjustable Metering Power Output SWR bargraph and on the LCD display supply voltage and current t...

Page 24: ...is warranty covers the original owner of the Elecraft product as disclosed to Elecraft at the time of order Elecraft products transferred by the purchaser to a third party either by sale gift or other method who is not disclosed to Elecraft at the time of original order are not covered by this warranty If the Elecraft product is being bought indirectly for a third party the third party s name and ...

Page 25: ...by the transceiver or by front panel switches on the KPA500 However the automatic selection based on the incoming signal frequency overrides either of those inputs to ensure the correct bandpass filter is always in the signal path The output of the LPF bank is routed to the RF output via the TR switch During receive or when the KPA500 is in Standby STBY the TR switch routes the RF input directly t...

Page 26: ... AuxBus I O 2 Out K3 Only Band1 In 3 In BCD Band Input Bit 1 NC 4 GND 5 Band V Icom 6 In Uses Icom standard band voltages Alarm Out 7 Out Drives low for fault input Not used by K3 Must not be connected to K3 Power On Off 8 In Pulse low to turn KPA on or off do not hold low Band2 In 9 In BCD Band Input Bit 2 Key 10 In Low enables amplification Internally pulled up to 5V Sources 1 mA when pulled to ...

Page 27: ... 14 14 BAND3 15 15 ALC Optional see pg 17 Notes 1 If you have devices that need access to the PTT line e g some ATUs SteppIR controllers etc use the key line interrupter supplied with your KPAK3AUX cable set The interrupter breaks the pin 10 line so you can use the separate PA Key cable see Figure 4 on page 14 2 Pin 4 is not used but the wire is included in the KPAK3AUX cable Icom Cable Various mo...

Page 28: ...hown have no connection KPA500 AUX CONN PIN YAESU CONN PIN SIGNAL 3 5 Bit 1 5 3 8 GND Note Yaesu pin 8 must be grounded or TX is inhibited 9 6 Bit 2 10 2 Key 13 4 Bit 0 14 7 Bit 3 BCD Interface The following are the band codes used by the KPA500 Band Meters BCD Code 60 0x0 160 0x1 80 0x2 40 0x3 30 0x4 20 0x5 17 0x6 15 0x7 12 0x8 10 0x9 6 0xA ...

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