Any way to brighten the LED display on SA-#800 amps?

[whitecastle]

Before I go poking around in there, always best to ask the pros.

When I look at my stack, my SA-8800 is noticeably less bright then the RT-909 and CTF-850. Is there anything that can be done to brighten it up?

Can LEDs be replaced or do you have to replace the whole display? Will that brighten it up?

 

[Machineghost]

It is NOT an LED display but a Fluorescent display tube. I would suggest you have a look at its power supply section as there is some caps that die and cause the display to be dim.

Otherwise, if the amp stood on for hundreds of hours the display might be nearing the end of its life.

 

[whitecastle]

Good suggestion - I do have a tempramental transformer I think - I get a lot of audible static and power fluctuations sometimes when I turn it on. This happens before the familiar power "click".

I wonder if that is detrimental to the life of the display.

I suspect these are no longer available either?

 

[Machineghost]

Nope - they are not available anymore. I dont think Pioneer forsee that their amps would b used 30 years down the line... lol...

Do a re-cap on the amp. In other words, replace all the electrolytic capacitors. Also check for dry solder joints. These amps output transistors loves to de-solder themselves.

 

[markthefixer]

Power switch is intermittent.

There is a "mod" to stabilize a voltage that changes with age, it may help.

As the display ages the current changes, and the voltage that is set by resistors for certain conditions, changes. That voltage sets brightness.

There is a thread in the Pioneer audio forum by backlight that this was done in.