On 25/03/16 15:17, Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Mark Zacharias" wrote in message
...
How is it a grown man cannot understand the concept of keeping two wires
separate?


Reminds me of when I was working on the CB radios around 1973. Fellow
brought in one that had a diode inside that is connected across the 12 volt
power line that shorts and blowes the fuse when connected in reverse. I
asked him it he hooked it up backwards and he said probably as he moved it
from his truck to the car. About a week later he was back in with the same
problem. Repaired it, and a week later he was back again, but said it would
be the last time for me to repair it. I said "oh". And he said he bought
another radio so he could leave them and not have to swap back and forth.

A friend blew up the RF power amp on an Icom 2m Transceiver by reverse
connecting his car DC supply to the rig. A rig borrowed from the club
shack. Much tears ;-(

It did have the diode that you describe reverse connected across the
supply. Unfortunately that diode either didn't conduct fast enough, or
decided it wasn't going to be part of the game and went open circuit
before the fuse (and the amp... ) ...


--
Adrian C