CR-2040 meter leads, lamp brightness, & power button

[Puddintane]

I've had one of these sitting in my pile of stuff needing some TLC for a few years. I finally got the ambition and time to tackle a few this week, and this is the one I've most wanted to get up and going. The process has raised a few questions.

First, I replaced all of the lamps, and I'm wondering why my dial lamps are so dim. I bought them off of that auction site, and they're supposedly the right rating (14.5V/80ma), but they're not very bright--even with the room lights off. Could it be the green boots are too dense or something?

Second, is the power button on these interchangeable with other models in the CR-X40 series? Mine shows quite a bit of scuffing from rubbing on the faceplate.

Third, is there a trick to removing the leads on the meters? I can't get a one of them to budge. I'd like to take the faceplate completely off for a good cleaning. But those things feel like they're soldered on. I'm afraid to pull too hard for fear of ruining them. They all work right now.

Here are some pics of the lamps. First is in the dark. Second with a swingarm lamp above the unit. Third is with general lighting in the room (you can barely tell they're on in that last one). Obviously, mine don't look anything like the unit pictured in this post.

 

[avionic]

Thats about as bright as it gets with OEM lighting.

 

[avionic]

I bought them off of that auction site, a

Thats the last place I'd buy lamps. Dave will hook you up with the correct lamps..
https://sites.google.com/site/dgwojocom/

 

[avionic]

is the power button on these interchangeable with other models i

Don't know..

 

[avionic]

Third, is there a trick to removing the leads on the meters?

Possibly soldered. I'm pretty sure the last 2040 I worked on. I unsoldered the wires from the circuit board end of the wire. Its been quite a while ago. I don't remember. Post a photo maybe it will jog my memory.

 

[avionic]

Could it be the green boots are too dense or something?

If there the OEM boots --No

 

[Puddintane]

Thats the last place I'd buy lamps. Dave will hook you up with the correct lamps..
https://sites.google.com/site/dgwojocom/

Already knew of Dave when I bought these a while ago. I ordered two sets of these on an impulse when I picked up a CR-640 and was looking for some other spare parts online. And the ones I put in the 640 aren't very bright either.

 

[Puddintane]

Possibly soldered. I'm pretty sure the last 2040 I worked on. I unsoldered the wires from the circuit board end of the wire. Its been quite a while ago. I don't remember. Post a photo maybe it will jog my memory.

Yeah, dang it. Too late, tired, and/or lazy last night to see it. Looks like they're soldered. Not worth the trouble to remove and resolder them just to clean the faceplate.

 

[Puddintane]

Hey, Avionic, are these (five black ones) the same kind of push-button switches (or similar) that in a different thread you said weren't accessible (to Deoxit) from the outside?

 

[avionic]

Yep. They look to be soldered in place.

 

[Puddintane]

If there the OEM boots --No

Those twist-in dial lamps come with boots on (the "kit" comes with five pre-wired, meter lamps and four twist-in dial lamps w/boots). I reused only the OEM meter lamp boots.I think only one of the original dial lamps was toast. I think I'll put the other old ones back in and see if they're any different.

 

[avionic]

Hey, Avionic, are these (five black ones) the same kind of push-button switches (or similar) that in a different thread you said weren't accessible (to Deoxit) from the outside?

Yes.

 

[Puddintane]

I left one of the new ones in the far left position (I'll call them 1-4, l-r) and replaced the rest with old ones that looked to have intact filament. The only bright one now is #1 (the new one). Number 2 is lit but dim. Nos. 3 and 4 aren't working at all. I thought that because they are in series that none of them would work if one was out. Why does this partial operation happen?

 

[avionic]

I thought that because they are in series that none of them would work if one was out. Why does this partial operation happen?

Because it is wired Series-parallel..

 

[Puddintane]

Because it is wired Series-parallel..

Does this allow a simplified deduction, something like, they'll work up to the point of failure? I tend to think of these circuits in terms of the Christmas lights example. When I was young it seemed like they were pretty much all series: one goes, they all go.

 

[avionic]

Because it is wired Series-parallel..

Sorry thats incorrect... Actually the 4 lamps are all wired in parallel.

 

[Puddintane]

Sorry thats incorrect... Actually the 4 lamps are all wired in parallel.

So good ones should work and vice versa for the bad?

 

[avionic]

When in parallel -- good lamps should illuminate and bad lamps won't illuminate.

 

[Puddintane]

Do I need to use Faderlube on the pots and the selector switches (I guess they're a slider of sorts)? I already cleaned everything with D5, and I've always only used D5 (not because of any personal convictions or experience, but mostly because when I first started tinkering with these things I read here that that's what I needed to fix any pot problems!). But I bought some Faderlube the other day to use on a tuner (following the advice in the "How to Clean a Tuner" sticky). Now that I have it, and am trying to spiff up this fine piece of Yamaha technology, I'm thinking maybe I should follow the D5 with Faderlube. What do you think?

 

[Puddintane]

I was checking to make sure everything is working okay before putting it all back together and noticed some odd meter behavior. When I have the meter selector button set to Level, with the input source a CD player in through Aux, the tuning meter still operates at the same time as though the FM is working (and the red lights on the right flicker if it's on a station whose signal is fluctuating). In other words, I expected the radio part (tuning meter/FM lights) to be idle when a different input is selected. Is this normal?

Also, with everything set the same as above, the meters are reflecting the output level, I assume, accurately. But when I touch the tuner dial knob they go flat--or at least the left one does. If the tuner is set to a station with a decent signal the right will operate as though signal strength were selected. And when I take my hand off the tuner dial it goes back to output level. Again, is this normal?