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Custom Lamp install with fuse lamps and clips

Tokylon

Tokylon

New Member
Hi,
Never posted before so sorry if this is in the wrong place. I am looking at my RS STA-82 blown bulbs behind the tuning meter (auto magic) and they are hard wired. I am thinking about soldering on fuse clips to this small board for 8v 250 ma fuse lamps so they can be easily replaced in the future. Is this a good idea? What size clips would I use? Here's a pic of the small lamp board with the two blown bulbs. Any other ideas? I thought about LED but I'm not sure I want to mix/match or redo the whole unit which lights up fine everywhere else. By the way, I really like this receiver and I don't want to screw it up. Thanks.
 

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Do you know the specs on the bulbs? If so, is there a matching or comparable fuse type available?

Your idea sounds doable, but I'd just solder a new bulb in and be done. You also might check into LED bulbs, they should last a long time so no need for clips.
 
If the blackened lamp is still good, measure the voltage going to it when it is lit then get equivilant axial leaded lamps. Replace both as a new one could likely be more or less bright than the originals.

If you are entertaining the thought of LED's - determine if the voltage they will see is AC or DC.

Personally, I prefer illumination by incandescent bulbs. LED's look harsh to my eyes.

A member of this forum (dwjoe?) sells replacement bulbs. I've gotten some from him myself and they were not horribly expensive. If what you need no longer exists, it's possible he can adapt maybe a different style bulb to do the job.
 
Thanks folks. Here's an update. I did try to measure voltage across both lamps...I got a reading on the upper (not black) lamp by connecting leads to either side of somewhere between 8 and 10. I did not get a reading on the blackened bulb. I believe both bulbs are bad. I can see broken filiment in both. I'm a little confused as to why I don't get any voltage across the blackened lamps solder joints.

I did order from parts direct (?) Some small fuse mounts that I think will fit a standard fuse (recommended to me by either one of you or someone that read my thread) and some incand. fuse lamps. No leds at this time. If I put these little mounts in I know there are similar led fuse lamps that can be easily installed. I am sort of assuming from other posts and my readings that these lamps are 8v 250 ma. Yeah I'm kind of winging it a little.

I've noticed in another post on this same unit that the lower bulb was also blacked out. I can see burn marks on the paper housing that is below the bulb. Is this just end of life for the bulb or is it indicative of another problem?

Thanks for any help/comments .
 
Ok, completed this light install i described earlier and it works! I replaced 2 hard wired incandescent bulbs on my realistic sta-82 with board mount fuse holders (Thanks to Tim from Parts Express, I didn't use the individual clips!) and replaced the bulbs with 8 v 250 ma fuse lamps. These bulbs service the Auto Magic function which changes the tuning meter from white to blue when Auto Magic is engaged.

I pulled the small light board out from behind the meter, removed the old bulbs quite easily with a solder iron, then tacked in new bare wire leads that I soldered to the ends of the mounts. The mounts kind of covered most of the wire so I pressed it flat behind the mounts (original holes did not line up). I also drilled a small hole in the board to more securely afix the mounts to the small light board with very small screws in the center of each mount.

I ran into problems when I realized that the elongated wire connections at each end of the mounts would touch the side of the light housing that I removed the board from. I had to take small pliers and bend the connections up almost 90 degrees to ensure they would not touch the housing and short the lights out or something. It took several tries at bending, resoldering and reaffixing the blue visor above the lower light to get it in working order. But hey not bad for me. I think it looks great with the fuse lamps and should they blow again, changing them will be a breeze!
 

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These are the lamps I replaced that were soldered right to the small board.
 

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Great work.

Replacement lamps will be simple to install.

Just a note though.

The lamps you replaced are available at MCM electronics. 8v leaded. Used as back lights in older displays and in many dial illumination boards in small receivers.
 
blhagstrom said:
Great work.

Replacement lamps will be simple to install.

Just a note though.

The lamps you replaced are available at MCM electronics. 8v leaded. Used as back lights in older displays and in many dial illumination boards in small receivers.
Click to expand...
Nice to know. Thanks. I still have one of those lights behind the auto mag text light.
 
Tokylon said:
Hi,
Never posted before so sorry if this is in the wrong place. I am looking at my RS STA-82 blown bulbs behind the tuning meter (auto magic) and they are hard wired. I am thinking about soldering on fuse clips to this small board for 8v 250 ma fuse lamps so they can be easily replaced in the future. Is this a good idea? What size clips would I use? Here's a pic of the small lamp board with the two blown bulbs. Any other ideas? I thought about LED but I'm not sure I want to mix/match or redo the whole unit which lights up fine everywhere else. By the way, I really like this receiver and I don't want to screw it up. Thanks.
Click to expand...



Hi - just poring over this thread - I also have an STA-82 with some of the dial lamps burned out - Like to order the right ones if anyone knows which type they are before I tear it open and leave it lying around while waiting. Any help is appreciated. PS the auto magic light lights but the FM signal meter is dark as well as some diallaights
 
Great thread! I've had an STA-82 for decades now (wow, I can't believe I just said that) and I plan on replacing the axial lead incandescent bulbs with LED's. This info really helped out!
 
(Thread moved from Dollars and Cents to DIY - seemed a better fit!)
 
George1955 said:
Hi - just poring over this thread - I also have an STA-82 with some of the dial lamps burned out - Like to order the right ones if anyone knows which type they are before I tear it open and leave it lying around while waiting. Any help is appreciated. PS the auto magic light lights but the FM signal meter is dark as well as some diallaights
Click to expand...
I can't remember exactly which bulbs I soldered back into mine some years back, but I did purchase them from this guy: http://www.wjoe.com/diallamps_fuse.htm (I'm not affiliated with that website BTW).
 
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