SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT. DIVERSION TO ALTERNATE.

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IN CRUISE AT FL310 SMELL OF SMOKE; ELECTRICAL FIRE STRONG IN COCKPIT. CB PANEL ABOVE AND BEHIND CAPT'S SEAT BEGAN TO EMIT HVY SMOKE. IMMEDIATELY DECLARED 'EMER' AND STATED WE HAD SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND WOULD NEED LOWER AND NEAREST ARPT. CLRED TO FL240 INITIALLY. APCHING FL240 IN EMER DSCNT REQUESTED LOWER CLRNC. CTR STATED 'STANDBY HE WOULD HAVE TO COORDINATE.' ACFT WAS LEVEL AT FL220 MOMENTARILY; BEFORE FURTHER CLRNC TO 14000 FT RECEIVED. APPROX 10000 FT SMOKE AT SOURCE STOPPED. PRECAUTIONARY LNDG MADE AT ABI. SUGGEST IMMEDIATE COORD WITH CTR FOR LOWER WHEN ACFT DECLARE 'EMER' AND REQUEST LOWER. ESPECIALLY WITH SMOKE OR FIRE. ACFT WAS VMC -- NO HAZARDS OR CONFLICTS OF TFC. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO WAS GIVEN A CALL BACK. HE REVEALED THAT THE MAINT FIX WRITTEN INTO THE LOGBOOK WAS TO REPLACE THE FORWARD LAVATORY BALLAST. THE FO WAS ASKED WHAT CHKLISTS WERE USED AND DID ANY CHKLIST USE CAUSE THE CESSATION OF THE SMOKE. THE FO STATED THAT ONLY THE 'SMOKE IN COCKPIT' CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED BECAUSE OF EVENTS HAPPENING SO QUICKLY. THEY DID NOT GET TO THE ELECTRICAL FIRE CHKLIST. THE SMOKE HAD CEASED AT ABOUT 10000 FT BECAUSE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER ON THE P-18 PANEL HAD POPPED. FO SAID IT CERTAINLY TOOK IT'S TIME IN DOING SO. THEIR TIME WAS USED MOSTLY IN THE COM WITH CTR; DONNING MASKS; FLYING THE ACFT AND COORDINATING WITH THE CABIN ATTENDANTS. THE FO ADDED THAT THE MAIN REASON FOR THE RPT WAS THE FACT THAT ZFW HAD CREATED A DSCNT DELAY IN THEIR 'COORD' ATTEMPTS WITH OTHER CTLRS. THE FLC DSNDED THROUGH THE CLRED ALT OF FL240 TO ABOUT FL220; WHERE THEY LEVELED FOR A BRIEF TIME. FO ASSUMES THAT THE CTLR WAS CAUGHT BY SURPRISE AND THAT SLOWED HIS REACTION TIME. THE ACFT WAS A B-737-200. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 285008: HVY SMOKE ENTERED THE COCKPIT FROM BEHIND THE P18 CIRCUIT BREAKER PANEL. AS WE APCHED 240; WE ASKED FOR LOWER. OUR ALT AT THE TIME OF OUR CLRNC TO 14000 FT WAS APPROX 22500 FT. SINCE WE HAD DECLARED AN EMER AND THE WX WAS CAVU.