[GreenKeys] Testing 255A Relay

[Paul Heller]

To everyone:  THANK YOU for all your ideas. I can only work on this machine in the evening and will do so tonight.  But I am very grateful to what everyone posted and I am going through that now.

And yes, John, I have a spare to test. I think I got it from you ;-)

It may take a couple of days before I can report back with an update.

What a fantastic group we have here on Greenkeys.

Paul




> On Feb 7, 2023, at 7:20 AM, John, W9DDD <w9ddd at tapr.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Tom and Paul
> 
> Tom the 314 is a sealed unit with mercury wetted contacts.  Can't see what is happening.
> 
> Paul if you had a 255 or 215, you would be able to hear the clickety click of the signal as the armature fluttered back and forth. (No I haven't learned to decode baudot that way yet.)
> 
> Short of having a real test set, the best you could do is Tom's method with a battery and VOM.  Some test literature I've seen actually used low voltage 50-60 Hz as the test signal.  If I can find it again, I'll post.
> 
> Do you have  spare 314 or 255 to swap out?  ( I have spares)
> 
> 
> On 2/7/2023 7:59 AM, Tom Hunter wrote:
>> Paul,
>> 
>> I put one of my 255A Polar relays on the bench to go through a test on it. Pins 1 and 5 are numbered on the bottom. You can count down to the rest. The two coils on mine (pins 2 & 7 and and 3 & 6) each measured 128.6 ohms.
>> Pin 1 shows continuity to the frame and armature.  Pins 4 & 5 show continuity, each to a stationary contact. Pin 8 is not connected on mine.
>> 
>> When I tested the contacts with an ohmmeter and moving the armature by hand they barely worked. A piece of bond paper cured that problem.
>> 
>> A 1.5 V D cell was on one winding was enough to cause the armature to move. My relay is out of adjustment so I could only get it to move one way. If your relay is in adjustment reversing the polarity of the battery should get the armature to move the other way.
>> 
>> The attached illustration is from the New RTTY Handbook. I could send you the adjustment procedure  from the same source if you need it. It worked for me on the 255A I am using with a military Dovetron.
>> 
>> I am posting this to the group in the hope it may help others.
>> 
>> 
>> Tom N3CRK
>> 
>> 
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> 
> -- 
> ---
> ----
> The above comments or recommendations are SWAG. Use at your own risk.
> 
> John, W9DDD
> 
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> 
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