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RCI 2995 DX Max PCB Voltage?

HavaV10

Member
May 24, 2023
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Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Have a 2006 model RCI 2995 DX Power Supply is bad and going to put in a HP 75 amp PSU. What is the max voltage these radios can handle? Mine has the Toshiba 2290's in it. I just need a idea on what to set the power supply voltage to. Thanks for any suggestions.
 

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14 Volts DC.

This is a little like "how many horsepower can I get from my 2-liter 4-banger?"

Depends on how long you want it to last before it croaks.

Higher supply voltage will goose the wattmeter a bit, but never enough for anyone at the other end of the conversation to tell any difference at all. The stress it places on the components will shorten the service life.

When the old-style linear-regulated power supply would fail, it would pump 24 Volts into the radio and especially the computer/display board. The computer was often the first casualty. Can't get the older versions of that board any more. This particular risk prompted our policy that any of those radios we service gets the power supply upgraded to a switchmode brick. Has all the protection circuits that the old linear supply did not. The ones sold as "12 Volt" usually turn up to 13.5 or so. Plenty enough to make the radio perform as intended.

73
 
14 Volts DC.

This is a little like "how many horsepower can I get from my 2-liter 4-banger?"

Depends on how long you want it to last before it croaks.

Higher supply voltage will goose the wattmeter a bit, but never enough for anyone at the other end of the conversation to tell any difference at all. The stress it places on the components will shorten the service life.

When the old-style linear-regulated power supply would fail, it would pump 24 Volts into the radio and especially the computer/display board. The computer was often the first casualty. Can't get the older versions of that board any more. This particular risk prompted our policy that any of those radios we service gets the power supply upgraded to a switchmode brick. Has all the protection circuits that the old linear supply did not. The ones sold as "12 Volt" usually turn up to 13.5 or so. Plenty enough to make the radio perform as intended.

73
thank you sir
 
Post Script:

You wouldn't take a 5-Amp mobile radio and power it from a 30-Amp power supply with no fuse protection, would you?

Sure enough this is what the factory sold you. Or sold the original owner. But the mobile-radio circuit board at the heart of this base station has no separate protection from a big power supply.

This fix is a mandatory item on any radio like this that we see.

4hAhX1.jpg


We sell this solution as a magnificently-overpriced fleabay sale item.

73
 
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Post Script:

You wouldn't take a 5-Amp mobile radio and power it from a 30-Amp power supply with no fuse protection, would you?

Sure enough this is what the factory sold you. Or sold the original owner. But the mobile-radio circuit board at the heart of this base station has no separate protection from a big power supply.

This fix is a mandatory item on any radio like this that we see.

4hAhX1.jpg


We sell this solution as a magnificently-overpriced fleabay sale item.

73
HP 75 amp didn't work so well in my 2995. Ran way to hot and was heating up the whole radio. So installed a new LRS-600-12V power supply runs much much cooler. So far the 2995 is working fantastic. Set at 13.8V
 

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Thanks to all of the participants in this thread for contributing your knowledge. I've had the 2995 torn apart on the bench for a few weeks and working on it the little free radio time in have.

I ditched the chinese knockoff supply that ranger installed, got a meanwell lrs-350-12 (from mouser) that's ready to take its place. @nomadradio I've added your suggested in line fuse to protect the radio from a catastrophic event if it were to happen.

The reason for the tear apart is because of the heat generated from the knockoff supply. The radio would perform amazing until that supply fan would come on and heat the innards to where the radio stayed drifting off frequency. Until that point then it was to chasing the clarifier and getting reports of being off frequency.

So.... the solution came. A fan venting out of the back with air inlets on the bottom. In theory it should keep the cabinet innards at a pretty consistent temp but that's soon to be known. I'll share more as it comes together. So far here's some rough draft work to where I'm at. A work in slow progress.

More to come.
20250110_203734.jpg20250110_210402.jpg20250110_204520.jpg
 
A small update.

I had already done some homework about fitment using the existing supply and comparing measurements to the meanwell on their site.

Now the supply in hand I can verify that it's a direct drop in replacement (form factor).

Same exact footprint but much thinner and lighter than the knockoff. All I had time for today was to mount it on the ranger bracket and compare the physical form before it was chow time.
More to come.
20250116_203357.jpg20250116_203405.jpg20250116_203441.jpg
 
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The thinner, newer power supply has one more feature. No selector switch for 120/240 Volt line. It adjusts internally with no need for a switch.

At least the ones we have are like this. Still haven't looked inside to see how they do this.

73
@nomadradio This one here has a build date of 9/2024 and does have a switch on the side. I ordered this one from mouser.

It is nice to see them get lighter and slimmer. Maybe I need to do the same as a goal for 2025 :ROFLMAO:
 
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