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!DIY599 PA500

May 2023 · 2 minute read



This tuner/amplifier can also be used with other QRP radios as the TX-500.

## Blue light repair

I am subscribed to a few mailing lists and recently I came across this one here:

[PA500 blue bypass light][1] - as the title suggests, it is about the blue bypass light.

[1]: https://groups.io/g/diy599/topic/pa500_blue_bypass_light/110888256

I am pretty sure the blue light lit randomly, I think I've seen it when I changed the
PA500 operational mode back to full automatic.

Anyway, the blue light was off for a while now and I wasn't sure what I should do with it,
just ignore it or send the PA500 back for repair - none of that was a satisfying option to
me as both would nag on my mind :D

When I found the article mentioned above I knew I wasn't the only one with this problem and
I joined the conversation and asked about the blue light when Oliver suggested to send me one.

Now what?

{{< figure src="pa500-opened.jpg" caption="The PA500 -- opened; showing the location of the LEDs" >}}

Right! I changed the blue LED last saturday (today is Sunday, 3 March) and I had the chance to
test it today -- it is perfectly fine!

{{< figure src="pa500-leds.jpg" caption="Soldering the LED with the LEDS attached to the aluminium housing so it will get the correct alignment to fit into the hole later" >}}

I figured that out after I soldered the LED -- luckily I only had to push the LED a bit down to get it
into the hole.

Although I used a 1mm tip I thought I might got the board too hot already (350°C).

{{< figure src="pa500-working.jpg" caption="Finally the LED lights again!" >}}


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