Ham Radio - Replacing the S-meter lamp on a Kenwood TS430S
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- The owner wanted a white LED for a brighter S-meter. I thought the 'light pipe' method they use on this meter was interesting enough to make a video out of it.
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How timely! The meter lamp for my Kenwood R-5000 burned out just recently. Thanks for sharing.
Just had to make the same repair on on old boat anchor I just picked up. 73 and thank you for documenting this!
Nice repair job .... gota love those LEDs
I'm getting one of those TS-430S 's along with the dedicated power supply, PS-430, next week and taking my General test next week. I will be doing that same modification to mine when I get it. 73 from K9POW in eastern Tennessee.
Light Pipes are REALLY HANDY!
Nice fix.
Audio is fine also.
"Light Pipe". My father had an old Panasonic combo 8-track/Cassette/AM/FM stereo that had a woodgrain (simulated, I bet) cabinet and brushed metal trim, and a green dial. Not that they matter, but the speakers had a red felt face, rather crimson in color, with the Panasonic "P" logo in the corner in black-and-chrome plastic. The dial, which was about a foot long if I recall, was lit the same way, and if I recall from my childhood watching him repair it, it had a small light on each end... size of a Christmas tree bulb, used in model railroading too. But it was a "light pipe" as you call it. That radio was made in the late 60s or early 70s if I'm not mistaken. I just dropped twenty minutes looking for it online to no avail. EDIT: Just needed five more minutes. Panasonic RS-2845.
www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-panasonic-rs-2845-track-137050804
I myself am not a fan of LED "mods". I prefer the original yellow hue of an incandescent when they were the original bulb. LEDs look out of place on this equipment, in my humble opinion, but that's just my taste. Lots of people doing this mod on a lot of gear.
Very, very creative solution using foam as a wedge-hold - thank you!
Hi Kevin,
Relatively easy repair. Didn't hear any problems with the audio. 73 WB3BJU
Nice repair. Personally I would have hot glued the led in place just to make sure the led does not move around if the radio is being transported or something.
It's a very dense foam and pressed in quite tight. There's just no mass to the LED. You'd have to impact the radio hard enough to damage it physically before that LED will move. This way, it's easy to undo the mod if someone wanted to go back to a blue rubber boot and incandescent bulb in a full on restore.
Kevin I know this video is over a year old, but just wanted to point out, that the groove you was talking about is for a rubber filter (grommet type bulb holder). Whomever had the radio before and changed out the bulb didn't put it back or use it. I found a modification online, while looking for instructions to replace the bulb in my Kenwood TS-440, for using LED and in the modification the person doing the mod, removed the original bulb and the rubber filter. He cut the dome from the rubber filter, basically just turning it into a grommet. He then put the leads thru the grommet and then a 90 degree bend on the leads so the LED was pointed toward the light tube. Then using hot glue he secured the LED leads to the grommet and then reinstalled the grommet in the slot. This holds the LED to the light tube. Not saying what you did wasn't fine, but just wanted to let you know, if you didn't that the slot there was for the original bulb and the rubber filter. 73 Juddie WD8WV
I just done this modification to my dad's Kenwood and he has the rubber holder still there. I fitted a blueish white LED like this video but i placed it into the rubber holder with no other mods.
Sadly approx 1 month later, it's dying and needs replaced again.
Nice fix for the light. 73
that was a awesome video I just fire up the old TS-430s it has been sitting in a drawer for the past 15 years and I noticed that the S-meter light was out it looks I'm going to be doing some soldering myself. I purchased this old radio in a ham fest it seems to be transmitting ok. 73's. now I just need to find a video for the mars mods. for the general transmit.
Thank you.
Great mod Kevin. I wonder how long the foam will last before it dries up? Even the VFO A and B shows up really well. Thanks to the guy who sent you the solder and Hakko. Happy Independence Day. KØOJ
It's a dense soundproofing foam. It doesn't break down quickly like some others. Many many years. Also, being dense, it will stay tight and hold things in place very well.
Audio OK. What value for the led resistor?
Something between 450 and 600 ohms should be fine. You want to limit current through the LED to somewhere between 20 and 30 milliamps.
Kevin I have an icom ic 251e which I need to put an s meter light into. can you please tell me what resistor I need to put in line...much appreciated.
With most LEDs, something around 400 to 450 ohms should work.
Is the TS440s the same setup???
I believe so.
What voltage is that meter light bulb..? I would think 12v DC.
Yes. It's the incoming power rail.
Love the American way of saying SOLDER & SOLDERING. somehow you miss out the L and and replace it with a W , = sowder & sowdering. Maybe its Saudering with Sauder. Anyway very good video Thanks
I noticed that "Solder" becomes 'Sowder' extraordinary!
Put a NEW grommet (where there is none) in the long slot next to meter. Then mount LED in the grommet where the ORIGINAL lamp would be.
Hi there, what kind of resistor did you use to adjust the Voltage of the LED?
The resistor's job is actually to limit current through the LED. You want about 30ma. So, using Ohms law, R=E/I. In this case, Voltage would be 13V, so 13 / 0.03 Gives us around 430 ohms. So any resistor between 430 and about 500 ohms should give us a good strong light.
Where did you get the LEDs? Looking to replace a light in my rig.
Hamfests. There's usually a few guys selling them. You can just search amazon or ebay for white LED and find tons of them.
I thought that the solder reel would be stored inside the solder station and feed up the umbilical to the iron and come out at the tip of the iron and be controlled by a foot switch on the floor making for one handed operation so the other hand can hold the components being soldered in place.
Kevin Loughin if the solder station was computer controlled maybe it would work
What you are referring to sounds like mig welding.