how to properly close and de-energize the 6400 ?

AndreNL

Good afternoon,

I have been the proud owner of the Flex6400 radio since 1 day, I was wondering how you close it properly?
I have experienced that if you briefly press the button it turns amber color then the radio is turned off, but I can still hear fans running?
Because I power everything in my hobby room when I leave, my Diamond power supply also switches off, after which there is no longer any power on the FLEX6400.

What is the best thing to do? Switch it off with the off button, wait until it is amber color and immediately remove voltage from the power supply?
Or do I have to wait a few more minutes? I would like to hear what your practical experiences are?


kind regards,
Andre / PD3AB

Mike Steventon

....Taken from the used manual::

Momentarily pressing and releasing the button when the radio is running will start an orderly

shutdown of the radio software. When the button is pressed, the button will flash green. At the

conclusion of the shutdown, the button will either turn off or turn solid amber if a GPSDO is installed.

A full shutdown may take up to 15 seconds. It is advisable to allow the radio to shut down in this way

as an orderly shutdown allows the radio to save its settings for the next session.

Hope that helps. I personally think it best to keep the 12v supply connected for at least 2 minutes after shut-down. You don't know WHAT is going on inside the radio!!!!

Mike. G4GWH

Mike Steventon

..... I mean USER, not USED!!!!

KD0RC

Hi Andre, The way I time it is to shut off the radio, then power off my computer. I wait for the computer to finish its shutdown routine which takes a little under a minute. When all of that is fully off, I shut off my power supply.

If you have a 6400M with the front panel, you should give it more time to complete its shutdown routine before shutting off the power.

AndreNL

Another question about powering down the unit when I leave,

Indeed, I turn off the FLEX6400 using the button, and it turns amber as expected. I wait for about 2 minutes, after which I disconnect the power from my Diamond power supply.

I notice that during this process, I see the FLEX6400 quickly flash red 2 times (the button), and then it loses power. I am a bit nervous about this because I always want to avoid damaging the FLEX.

Mike Steventon

Exactly the same happens with mine. The radio is 2 years old and performs exactly to my requirements. There is NO damage done. Just a glitch when you pull power.

I use a 35A Microset supply.

Mike. 73

KD0RC

The flashing red when the rig is off and you shut down your supply is the beginning of the low voltage flash sequence as the capacitors discharge. This is normal.

Neil D Friedman N3DF

The amber light indicates your GPSDO is in “stay alive” mode. This means you don’t have to wait several minutes while the GSPDO spools up when you turn on the radio. I just leave my power supply and the amber light on 24/7. Have done so for years.

Jim KJ3P

I keep my 6600 connected to a power supply at all times, too. But I'll admit that it bothers me to keep a full 35 amp power supply powered up 24/7. (yes, I realize that it's not putting out big amps all the time) Idle current for this supply is about 1/4 A, which computes to around $3/mo added to the electric bill. I guess that's a small price to pay for the convenience, ignoring the 24-hour wear-and-tear on the supply.

An eco-green idea: how about a small DC input, separate from the main DC input, so that a low-current DC supply can provide "keep-alive" power to the GPSDO? Could be offered as part of the GPSDO option.

Just sayin'.....

AndreNL

> @"Jim KJ3P" said:
> I keep my 6600 connected to a power supply at all times, too. But I'll admit that it bothers me to keep a full 35 amp power supply powered up 24/7. (yes, I realize that it's not putting out big amps all the time) Idle current for this supply is about 1/4 A, which computes to around $3/mo added to the electric bill. I guess that's a small price to pay for the convenience, ignoring the 24-hour wear-and-tear on the supply.
> An eco-green idea: how about a small DC input, separate from the main DC input, so that a low-current DC supply can provide "keep-alive" power to the GPSDO? Could be offered as part of the GPSDO option.
> Just sayin'.....

--------------------------------

Hello Jim,

If you leave the equipment on power 24/7, won't you constantly hear the fan running as well? Unfortunately, the electricity costs have significantly risen here in the Netherlands since the Ukraine and Russia conflict, so we really need to be mindful of expenses.

However, I want to avoid any potential damage to the Flex6400, although it seems to me that the system should be robust enough to handle continuous operation?

Thanks for your response.

Best regards,
Andre

Neil D Friedman N3DF

Left on in GPSDO “keep alive” mode, the fans do not run.

Jim KJ3P

Andre...Of course, Neil is correct...no fan activity during the "keep alive" mode.

I've had my 6600 and power supply is this 24/7 configuration since it was new in 2019, and no problems.

k0oks

You have an efficient switching power supply? This would be your biggest savings, as a linear supply will use a ton more energy (~60% vs. >95% efficient for a good switcher)

Spanky97

Morning Andre, I know this post is older. I use a PWRgate PG40S. it allows me to use the power supply for long sessions and at the same time it allows me to keep the battery at full charge. when the power supply is turned off it automatically switches to the battery, then when the power supply comes back on it will auto switch back to supply. this is a handy device, cost is ? hope this is of some help.

Jim KJ3P

Hey Spanky, that's a great idea. I have one of those PWRgates here and I'll give it a try. Thanks!

--jim KJ3P