13
AC ON
LED: Lights green whenever the power supply is connected to AC power and the rear panel main
power switch is on (up).
HV SUPPLY
LED: Lights green when the high current 50V supply is within operating tolerance. Lights red
when the output voltage is below specification. During power down, it will turn red for a few seconds. If this
LED turns red during operation, excessive current is being drawn and the amplifier is bypassed for protection.
Turn off power and wait until the LED goes dark (about 15 seconds) before turning power back on again.
LV SUPPLY
LED: Lights green when the Control System power supply is within operating tolerance.
Positioning the KPA1500 RF Deck and Power Supply
Provide at least 4” (10 cm) clearance behind the RF Deck fans and above the Power Supply top cover. Allow at
least 1” (2.5 cm) clearance around the top and sides of the RF Deck and around the sides of the Power Supply
for normal cooling air flow.
The supplied cables allow the Power Supply and RF Deck to be placed up to 66” (167 cm) apart. The Power
Supply can be operated remotely so there is no need for it to be within the operator’s reach.
The power supply fans operate whenever the KPA1500 is on, so you can place the Power Supply under the
operating desk or elsewhere to minimize fan noise.
Do not use an external fan on top of the KPA1500 RF deck. External cooling will delay or may
prevent the amplifier's built-in fans from turning on.
Cabling – Power Supply
Be sure the
POWER ON
switch
is off before connecting any cables to the Power Supply or RF Deck.
An AC power cable with the popular NEMA 6-20P connector is supplied attached to the Power Supply. The
NEMA 6-20P connector is compatible with NEMA 6-20R receptacles. Replace the connector if you need a
different connection to your mains supply. Elecraft recommends a 200/240 volt AC, 20 amp circuit for proper
operation of the KPA1500.
Connect the Power Supply to the RF Deck with the supplied 66” (167 cm) cable. Plug the Anderson
PowerPole® connector into the
HV SUPPLY
connector
on the RF Deck rear panel (Figure 1) and the
corresponding connector on the Power Supply
, Figure 2. Observe the polarity; match the colors on the plug
with the connectors.
Make sure the PowerPole connectors mate completely to prevent intermittent or erratic
operation. The 75A PowerPole connectors click twice when inserted. The connection is not
reliable until the second “click.”
Connect the 15-pin connector to the Power Supply and the
CONTROL
connector
on the RF Deck rear panel.
Ensure the captive screws securing the connectors are tight and the connectors are fully seated.
Cabling – RF Deck
Always turn the KPA1500 off via the rear panel switch/circuit breaker or disconnect the AC
mains cable on the Power Supply before attaching or removing cables.
The KPA1500 may be used with the Elecraft K3
S
, K3, K2 or any HF/6 meter transmitter with a keying output
meeting the requirements shown under Note 4 below. Interconnections with transceivers are shown in Figure 4,
Figure 5 and Figure 6. The driving transceiver must provide at least 50 watts of RF for full output and the output
power must be adjustable as described in the
Transmitting
section.
