BIRD Termaline 8920 Series User manual

INSTRUCTION BOOK
TERMALINE®LOAD RESISTOR
SERIES 8920
COVERING MODELS:
8921 8922 8926 8927 8928
8922D 8926D 8927D
©Copyright 2008 by Bird Electronic Corporation
Instruction Book Part Number 920-8920S Rev. H
Termaline® and Thruline® are Registered Trademarks
of Bird Electronic Corporation

i
Safety Precautions
The following are general safety precautions that are not necessarily
related to any specific part or procedure and do not necessarily appear
elsewhere in this publication. These precautions must be thoroughly
understood and applied to all phases of operation and maintenance.
Keep Away From Live Circuits
Operating personnel must at all times observe normal safety regulations.
Do not replace components or make adjustments inside the equipment
with high voltage turned on. To avoid casualties, always remove power.
Shock Hazard
Do not attempt to remove the RF transmission line while RF power is
present.
Do Not Service Or Adjust Alone
Under no circumstances should any personnel reach into an enclosure for
the purpose of service or adjustment of equipment except in the presence
of someone who is capable of rendering aid.
Safety Earth Ground
An uninterruptible earth safety ground must be supplied from the main
power source to test instruments. Grounding one conductor of a two
conductor power cable is not sufficient protection. Serious injury or death
can occur of this grounding is not properly supplied.
Chemical Hazard
Dry cleaning solvents for cleaning parts may be potentially dangerous.
Avoid inhalation of fumes or prolonged contact with skin.
Resuscitation
Personnel working with or near high voltages should be familiar with
modern methods of resuscitation.

Bird 8920 Series Termaline Coaxial Load Resistor
ii
Safety Symbols
NOTE: Calls attention to supplemental information.
Warning Statements
The following safety warnings appear in the text where there is danger to
operating and maintenance personnel and are repeated here for emphasis.
WARNING
Warning notes call attention to a procedure, which if not correctly
performed, could result in personal injury.
CAUTION
Caution notes call attention to a procedure, which if not correctly
performed, could result in damage to the instrument.
This symbol indicates that a shock hazard exists if the
precautions in the instruction manual are not follwed.
The caution symbol appears on the equipment indicating
there is important information in the instruction manual
regarding that particular area.
This symbol indicates that the unit radiates heat and
should not be touched while hot.
WARNING
The vent plug must be used at all times when the unit is operating or
cooling. Failure to do so could result in an explosion or severe burns.
WARNING
Disconnect the unit from all power sources before servicing.
The unit may be energized from multiple sources.
The potential for electric shock exists.
WARNING
Never attempt to connect or disconnect RF equipment from the
transmission line while RF power is being applied.
Leaking RF energy is a potential health hazard.

iii
Caution Statements
The following equipment cautions appear in the text whenever the
equipment is in danger of damage and are repeated here for emphasis.
Safety Statements
USAGE
ANY USE OF THIS INSTRUMENT IN A MANNER NOT
SPECIFIED BY THE MANUFACTURER MAY IMPAIR THE
INSTRUMENT’S SAFETY PROTECTION.
USO
EL USO DE ESTE INSTRUMENTO DE MANERA NO ESPECIFICADA
POR EL FABRICANTE, PUEDE ANULAR LA PROTECCIÓN DE
SEGURIDAD DEL INSTRUMENTO.
BENUTZUNG
WIRD DAS GERÄT AUF ANDERE WEISE VERWENDET ALS VOM
HERSTELLER BESCHRIEBEN, KANN DIE GERÄTESICHERHEIT
BEEINTRÄCHTIGT WERDEN.
UTILISATION
TOUTE UTILISATION DE CET INSTRUMENT QUI N’EST PAS
EXPLICITEMENT PRÉVUE PAR LE FABRICANT PEUT
ENDOMMAGER LE DISPOSITIF DE PROTECTION DE
L’INSTRUMENT.
IMPIEGO
QUALORA QUESTO STRUMENTO VENISSE UTILIZZATO IN MODO
DIVERSO DA COME SPECIFICATO DAL PRODUTTORE LA
PROZIONE DI SICUREZZA POTREBBE VENIRNE COMPROMESSA.
WARNING
Oil is slippery. If a leak occurs, be careful not to fall.
CAUTION
This load is designed for operation in a horizontal position only, with
the vent plug up. Do not use in any other manner.
CAUTION
If installed, connect optional interlock before applying RF power.
CAUTION
Use only Bird coolant, P/N 5-1070, to prevent damage to the load.

Bird 8920 Series Termaline Coaxial Load Resistor
iv
SERVICE
SERVICING INSTRUCTIONS ARE FOR USE BY SERVICE -
TRAINED PERSONNEL ONLY. TO AVOID DANGEROUS
ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT PERFORM ANY SERVICING UNLESS
QUALIFIED TO DO SO.
SERVICIO
LAS INSTRUCCIONES DE SERVICIO SON PARA USO EXCLUSIVO
DEL PERSONAL DE SERVICIO CAPACITADO. PARA EVITAR EL
PELIGRO DE DESCARGAS ELÉCTRICAS, NO REALICE NINGÚN
SERVICIO A MENOS QUE ESTÉ CAPACITADO PARA HACERIO.
WARTUNG
ANWEISUNGEN FÜR DIE WARTUNG DES GERÄTES GELTEN NUR
FÜR GESCHULTES FACHPERSONAL.
ZUR VERMEIDUNG GEFÄHRLICHE, ELEKTRISCHE SCHOCKS,
SIND WARTUNGSARBEITEN AUSSCHLIEßLICH VON
QUALIFIZIERTEM SERVICEPERSONAL DURCHZUFÜHREN.
ENTRENTIEN
L’EMPLOI DES INSTRUCTIONS D’ENTRETIEN DOIT ÊTRE
RÉSERVÉ AU PERSONNEL FORMÉ AUX OPÉRATIONS
D’ENTRETIEN. POUR PRÉVENIR UN CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE
DANGEREUX, NE PAS EFFECTUER D’ENTRETIEN SI L’ON N’A PAS
ÉTÉ QUALIFIÉ POUR CE FAIRE.
ASSISTENZA TECNICA
LE ISTRUZIONI RELATIVE ALL’ASSISTENZA SONO PREVISTE
ESCLUSIVAMENTE PER IL PERSONALE OPPORTUNAMENTE
ADDESTRATO. PER EVITARE PERICOLOSE SCOSSE ELETTRICHE
NON EFFETTUARRE ALCUNA RIPARAZIONE A MENO CHE
QUALIFICATI A FARLA.
CONNECT INTERLOCK TO TRANSMITTER/GENERATOR/
AMPLIFIER BEFORE OPERATING.
BRANCHER LE VERROUILLAGE À L’ÉMETTEUR/
GÉNÉRATEUR/AMPLIFICATEUR AVANT EMPLOI.
CONECTE EL INTERBLOQUEO AL TRANSMISOR/GENERADOR/
AMPLIFICADOR ANTES DE LA OPERACION.
VOR INBETRIEBNAHME VERRIEGELUNG AM SENDER/
GENERATOR/VERSTÄRKER ANSCHLIESSEN.
PRIMA DI METTERE IN FUNZIONE L’APPARECCHIO, COLLEGARE
IL DISPOSITIVO DI BLOCCO AL TRASMETTITORE/GENERATORE/
AMPLIFICATORE.

v
About This Manual
This instruction book is arranged so that essential information on safety
is in the front of the book. Reading the Safety Precautions before
operating the equipment is strongly advised. The remainder of this
instruction book is divided into Chapters and Sections.
Operation
First time operators should read Chapter 1 - Introduction and Chapter 3 -
Installation to get an overview of equipment capabilities and how to
install it. An experienced operator can refer to Chapter 4 - Operating
Instructions. All instructions necessary to operate the equipment are
contained in this chapter.
Maintenance
All personnel should be familiar with preventative maintenance found in
Chapter 5 - Maintenance. If a failure should occur, the trouble-shooting
section will aid in isolating and repairing the failure. Parts lists and
repair instructions are also in this chapter.
Changes To The Manual
We have made every effort to ensure this manual is accurate at the time
of publication. If you should discover any errors or if you have suggestions
for improving this manual, please send your comment to our factory. This
manual may be periodically updated. When inquiring about updates to
this manual, refer to the part number and revision level on the title page.

vi
Table of Contents
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Items Supplied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Items Required but not Supplied. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Theory of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Load Resistor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Thermal Interlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Unpacking and Inspection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Installing Thermoswitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Interlock Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Connecting RF Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Operating Instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Normal Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Operation Under Abnormal Conditions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Emergency Shutdown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
DC Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Coolant Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

vii
Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
RF Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Load Resistor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storage and Shipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Available “QC” Type Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

viii

1
Chapter 1 Introduction
Bird 8920 Series Loads are portable, 50 ohm, coaxial RF transmission
line terminations, designed for frequency ranges of dc – 1 GHz. Bird
8920D Series Loads are identical, except that they are designed for
the UHF (470 – 860 MHz) band. They provide accurate, dependable,
and low reflection line terminations. Up to 5000 watts of RF power
can be dissipated.
The load has a coolant chamber surrounded by radiator fins. The
front and rear fins form mounting flanges which can be used as
supports for freestanding use or as brackets for fixed mounting. A
vent plug at the top of the unit relieves internal pressure from coolant
expansion. The load’s simple and rugged design minimizes
maintenance requirements.
Items Supplied yLoad Resistor: Pre-filled with coolant at the factory
yOne Shipping Plug
yOne Vent Plug
yInstruction Manual
Items Required but
not Supplied
yCoupling Kit: Connects the load to the RF line
Optional
Accessories
yInterlock Thermoswitch: Automatically shuts off the transmitter
to prevent overheating of the load