Two new radios with Part # TDA 2003 were not installed correctly. I will post photos as soon as I find a way to do so. The TDA 2003 is not 100% attached to the mounting plate due to the drilled and tapped hole in the plate is not perpendicular. There is a significant gap and no compound between TDA 2003 and the mounting plate. I'm not taking credit for finding the problem. I sold one radio to a forum member, and he identified the defect and informed me. I removed the cover from my 2995 DX HP and found that my radio has the same defect. The first letter (M) and the following six numbers of the nine-digit serial numbers are the same. The last three numbers of one radio are 185 and 192 on the second radio. We can only assume that both radios were manufactured on the same day or week. I've forwarded the photos to RCI and have not received a reply.
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RCI-2995 DX HP Factory Error
- Thread starter Recon
- Start date
Look very close of the photos. The screw is not perpendicular to the plate and that is why TDA 2003 is "cocked" and the insulation (heat sink compound?) is not sandwiched between the TDA and the plate. I am assuming sooner or later the TDA would fail due to heat build-up.
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That's shoddy craftsmanship on the manufacturer. You would need to unsolder the tda, possibly replace it if the Leeds are too short. Reducing the thickness of the insulator from thick to thin would exaggerate the tilt. I'd preemptively replace those chips all together, using the thinner Mica insulator and a dab of compound, and solder as the last step. Soldering before mounting causes uneven tension, leading to broken pads/traces, cracked insulator or cracked/over heated chip. Mount first, solder last.
Good idea sp5it, but I think a better solution is to use BERQUIST Type 800 insulating material. It utilizes double-sided adhesive and requires no attaching hardware or heat sink compound. Adhesive gets stronger when heated. I use it on all my devices that need insulators, and never had one come loose.
Another solution is to drill out the screw threads, and use a screw and a nut to secure the device
_ J.J. 399
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Considering there is only a seven-digit spread between the last two numbers of the seral numbers, there must be a whole bunch of these radios floating around at distributors and retail radio shops with the same defect.
That would / should correct the defect, but I'm not touching it. I've stopped using the radio as soon as I inspected my radio. The person who installed the TDA had to see the gap.
There seems to be a defect with the aluminum chassis from how it appears. They've always had the chassis to where it's bent inwards where that ic is mounted but the one you show is flat and they just rolled with it at the factory. There's no way the assembler didn't see that!
Here's a couple of photos I found in my library for others that don't know what I'm referring to.
Not the 2995dx but they're all the same as far as the way parts are mounted to chassis
Shadetree Mechanic
Delaware Base Station 808
One problem with substituting a thinner insulating washer is how to close the gap left by the the thinner insulating layer. For a 3-legged transistor it's not a big deal. Those leads are lapped against the foil traces on the edge of the pc board. Desolder, bolt it down and resolder. The audio chip is soldered to five plate-through holes. Pulling more lead length out of the board doesn't look all that feasible. Stacking two of those insulators might take up the gap without traumatizing the pc board. That chip really needs heat sinking, but won't throw a lot of heat being used just for the receiver speaker. At least it isn't busting a gut at full-rated output like in a Cobra 29 modulating the transmitter.
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That would explain why the screw hole appears as though it is not perpendicular to the plate. The hole was drilled and tapped into the plate prior to being installed, but the plate should have been installed at a slight inboard angle / tilt?