Background
The Bird 4314 RF Power meter operates in the same manner as a BIRD 43, however it also has the ability to display Peak Envelop Power (P.E.P) as well as RMS.
It has two internal NiCd battery packs which power the P.E.P. circuit and an inbuilt AC 110/240V Transformer for charging the NiCd's.
A number of these units have recently become available on the surplus market in Australia, however the AC power lead is rarely supplied with the meter.
I obtained one of these surplus units and found that the AC Power plug to suit a Bird 4314 RF Power Meter is not that common and that there's not much information on the Net about them.
I ended up obtaining two suitable plugs and some information relating to identification of the connectors. Hopefully the following information will be of assistance to anyone trying to source a power plug for one of these units.
The Bird 4314 RF Power meter operates in the same manner as a BIRD 43, however it also has the ability to display Peak Envelop Power (P.E.P) as well as RMS.
It has two internal NiCd battery packs which power the P.E.P. circuit and an inbuilt AC 110/240V Transformer for charging the NiCd's.
A number of these units have recently become available on the surplus market in Australia, however the AC power lead is rarely supplied with the meter.
I obtained one of these surplus units and found that the AC Power plug to suit a Bird 4314 RF Power Meter is not that common and that there's not much information on the Net about them.
I ended up obtaining two suitable plugs and some information relating to identification of the connectors. Hopefully the following information will be of assistance to anyone trying to source a power plug for one of these units.
Sunday 29th Nov, 2009 19:40
AC Power Plug
The AC power connector is a Mil-Spec 10SL series connector.
These connectors are apparently produced by a number of companies, with Cannon and Amphenol being the two types of connector that I acquired.
The first unit was an Amphenol Brand Connector with a part number of MS3106A10SL-3S(C). It had an AN3057-4 Cable Clamp.
This connector was a used unit and did not come with any of its original internal insulators, so for it to be safe to use with 240VAC power, it would require additional internal insulation.
I had in mind applying heatshrink on each individual power wire and then enclosing all three leads in a larger length of heatshrink tubing. Since the connector housing is made of metal, I was going to add an additional layer of insulation by encapsulating the internals in silicon rubber or resin.
The AC power connector is a Mil-Spec 10SL series connector.
These connectors are apparently produced by a number of companies, with Cannon and Amphenol being the two types of connector that I acquired.
The first unit was an Amphenol Brand Connector with a part number of MS3106A10SL-3S(C). It had an AN3057-4 Cable Clamp.
This connector was a used unit and did not come with any of its original internal insulators, so for it to be safe to use with 240VAC power, it would require additional internal insulation.
I had in mind applying heatshrink on each individual power wire and then enclosing all three leads in a larger length of heatshrink tubing. Since the connector housing is made of metal, I was going to add an additional layer of insulation by encapsulating the internals in silicon rubber or resin.
The second connector I obtained was new 'old stock' unit and this one came with its original protective rubber insert and plastic sleeve to make it safe to use with 240VAC.
It was a Cannon Brand connector with a part number of MS3106 E10SL-3S(C).
The following pictures show the connectors. Clicking on the picture will open a larger and higher resolution photo.
It was a Cannon Brand connector with a part number of MS3106 E10SL-3S(C).
The following pictures show the connectors. Clicking on the picture will open a larger and higher resolution photo.
Replacement Batteries
My Bird 4314 Power Meter's internal NiCd batteries were leaking and unserviceable. The unit requires 15 small button cells to replace the two existing packs. One pack has 10 cells and the other has 5 cells.
A quick search of the Web revealed that the most appropriate replacement for the packs would be a Varta 5V/80. This pack has five NiMh cells of the same capacity as the original NiCd cells and so three 5/V80H's would be required to replace the two existing NiCd packs.
My Bird 4314 Power Meter's internal NiCd batteries were leaking and unserviceable. The unit requires 15 small button cells to replace the two existing packs. One pack has 10 cells and the other has 5 cells.
A quick search of the Web revealed that the most appropriate replacement for the packs would be a Varta 5V/80. This pack has five NiMh cells of the same capacity as the original NiCd cells and so three 5/V80H's would be required to replace the two existing NiCd packs.
I called a number of suppliers and was stopped in my tracks when they asked between AU$45 and AU$80 for one 5/V80H. Knowing how much button cells can be obtained for made me realise how ridiculous the pricing was.
I then tried to find a local supplier that would supply individual cells with the required capacity but was unable to find one. Checks on the Web and eBay didn't result in any hits either. I found plenty in the U.S., but the postage was ten times the price of the cells.
After discussing the problem with some amateurs on our 2m Net frequency, I was advised that a local supplier had similar packs that were significantly cheaper and could probably be used with some improvisation.
A quick check the following day confirmed a solution was available at a reasonable cost.
The battery packs that I ended up using were 80BVH 3.6V (3 cell) tagged NiMh button cell packs with a product code of 02571050.
Five 80BVH packs are required to replace the 15 NiCd cells.
Three full 80BVH packs and one cell removed from one pack, in series, makes up the 10 cell replacement pack and another full 80BVH pack with two remaining cells, in series, makes up the 5 cell pack.
The five packs works out to about AU$30 in total, which is significantly cheaper than the AU$135 to AU$240 that I was quoted for the three 5/V80H's.
Three full 80BVH packs and one cell removed from one pack, in series, makes up the 10 cell replacement pack and another full 80BVH pack with two remaining cells, in series, makes up the 5 cell pack.
The five packs works out to about AU$30 in total, which is significantly cheaper than the AU$135 to AU$240 that I was quoted for the three 5/V80H's.
The following link will take you to the 80BVH distributor's site.
Manual & Schematic
The instruction manual and schematic for the 4314 is no longer available from the Bird Technologies Web Site. The copy that I downloaded is here.
The download is in .pdf format and is approximately 8 Mbytes in size.
The download is in .pdf format and is approximately 8 Mbytes in size.
Bird 4314 RF Power Meter
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