DIY VU Meter LED Replacement Lamps For Pennies

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DIY VU Meter LED Replacement Lamps For Pennies

Рет қаралды 19,129

Күн бұрын

Are the lamps in your VU meters burned out? Are you having trouble finding suitable incandescent replacements? Have you looked at LEDs, but hated the color choices or the prices? I'm here to help! In this video, I show you the method I use to make replacement lamps of any brightness, size, and color for around $.50 a piece.
Do you hate LED replacements? That's fine. Just don't waste your time leaving a comment telling me about it, cause I'll probably delete it. Life's too short, man.
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Пікірлер: 58

@TheGreatTomDix Жыл бұрын

That was actually the most useful 5 minutes of my life!

@jimreeves550 8 ай бұрын

Loved the sticky tape thing and soldering across all and then clip apart technique! I ended up using 2 yellow LED's with 100 ohm between on a 5vac supply but sanded the LED surfaces to diffuse them. The color temp matched the original lamp very closely but I changed the good one anyway for uniformity. But getting the meters out of a Technics RS-1520 is hell.

@scissorfightmedia 4 жыл бұрын

A linear pot would probably make this easier. Thanks for the info and explanation.

@RegebroRepairs 5 жыл бұрын

Nice, I'm totally doing this for the 8-channel tape record I'm fixing up now.

@vetterfellow 4 жыл бұрын

Your jitters aren't to bad. Mine are worse !!!!. You taught me something here, I need to cut back on my coffee consumption :-)

@coryengel 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video! This is exactly what I need for both my R2R and amp indicators, and I wasn’t sure how to size the LEDs and resistors. Seems like the potentiometer solution pretty much takes the math out of the equation... so to speak.

@larrybyrne 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent! Thank you for sharing this process!

@halseyballistic 5 жыл бұрын

Nicely done! I have several VU devices, tube pre amps and other audio/studio recordings gear that need some bulb replacements. I like your method and the wasted 5 minutes can boil down to, new information learned. I left my (primate) primitive brain and gained a new understanding of how electricity works, thanks to you!

@PhillipsHomeRepair 5 жыл бұрын

Glad you got something out of my mental detour. Thanks for watching!

@TheDivergentDrummer Жыл бұрын

Love the red Evans hydraulics Btw.

@halseyballistic Жыл бұрын

@@TheDivergentDrummer thank you!

@TheDivergentDrummer Жыл бұрын

@@halseyballistic I just subscribed after checking out some of your content. It's kinda funny, because looking at your channel, I'd pretty much have the same types of videos based on interest, if I were uploading. Almost like some drummers have a "profile". Actually in the process of setting up recording space to get my drums recorded. But yeah Drums, Electronics, repair (of pretty much anything. So creative problem Solving? ) , quality product reviews, and who could forget loud cars and power mods lol. It's like I'm looking st a doppelganger, even down to the Redheads lol. Cheers! Now off to watch some sweet double triple foot action. Been working on that ;)

@sunahura 3 жыл бұрын

Beutiful, thank you for the priceless knowledge

@Mario_DiSanto 4 жыл бұрын

Great video man! I am going to use this method for my own projects!

@suenasagrera7075 2 жыл бұрын

Excuse me, are the resistors 320 ohms? the circuit is powered with 9v or 12v? and the leds consume 3v at 20mA, right?

@studiocreator2168 4 жыл бұрын

Good and clean work!

@salvocarra 4 жыл бұрын

Great!!! thanks a lot, will do that on my VUs

@johnbiermaniv4577 6 жыл бұрын

Excellent as always. minor criticism- draw resistors euro style. lol

@johnbiermaniv4577 6 жыл бұрын

Big Clive sets a high bar...! ;)

@Raketenclub 3 жыл бұрын

:D he already choosed to draw diodes like euro resistors, hahaha

@Queroyw 8 ай бұрын

Appreciate the informative video. I have a Sony TC630 that my father bought while stationed in Korea. One axial bulb is blown but the other works. I was able to make the blue LEDs with a 250 resistor (same setup as your video & from DigiKey). Polarity set like shown and To my surprise, mine worked with a 9V battery. I can not figure out why my LEDs wont work after being soldered in place on the unit. I even connected another LED strip to the VU with a working bulb; nothing. Any suggestions, sir ??

@michaelrichards5275 4 жыл бұрын

Ok I’ve not done this before but need to do do it, anything I show know I’ve got to change 8v 55ma lamps and 8v 100ma

@produtoraestudiof5446 2 жыл бұрын

Cool!

@MrStarbor Жыл бұрын

Super job man!

@mikeyshrekk 2 жыл бұрын

I just bought one of these with the usual stuff that goes wrong (the belts and the old grease) but my right channel VU meter is stuck about a third of the way up with power on and off..could you tell me what could cause that?

@roendi1 Жыл бұрын

Hello Philipp Exactly what I am looking for my Accuphase P 7000. The bulbs were defective after the last complete repair of the lighting after 2 years already. The bulbs I can replace but unfortunately I am not an Elektonik Exprerte. Could you build me these. I think that would be a good deal for you. In a first step I think I would need 3 different single warm LED's to test the brightness. In a second step I think I would need 12 to replace all the LED's. I can send you the service manual for the Accuphase. One bulb is currently 8V 150mA and has the dimension 4mm / 20 mm. What do you think? Would be very happy to hear something from you.

@dennyd2724 2 жыл бұрын

How much ohm is the resistor and do this also work with a non smd large blue led? Very nice!!!

@ifly65 3 жыл бұрын

I already have blue LEDs from Digikey. Can you tell me the specific numbers on the resistors used on your Marantz? This is for an Akai Reel to Reel X1800sd VU and 8 track lights. Thank you!

@PhillipsHomeRepair 3 жыл бұрын

I don't remember what resistors I used, but it might not work for your LEDs anyway. Every LED has different specs. If you have the specs for your LED, find an online calculator for figuring out the size resistor you need. Then increase it somewhat, unless you want to be blinded by blue light when you turn on your machine.

@ifly65 3 жыл бұрын

@@PhillipsHomeRepair Ok thx I was successful at changes all of the bulbs on my Akai into LEDs. Your video really helped.

@mwrightinsurance 2 жыл бұрын

Step 1. Earn an engineering degree or equivalent related experience. Step 2. Acknowledge the local wildlife. Step 3. Get a piece of paper and play an advanced game of hangman with yourself. Step 4. Start soldering wires to pieces of scrap metal and touching them to your audio equipment. Step 5. Rewatch this video

@jeffreyhickman3871 3 жыл бұрын

I'd rather stick to incandescent bulbs. They have a more retro style, or classic glow. Your friend, Jeff.

@ericneece2872 5 жыл бұрын

The LED's I bought are smaller than the ones you used and are VERY difficult to solder. Can you give me an idea on which ones you used and do they have color options?

@QuantumPyrite_88.9 6 жыл бұрын

This is interesting as heck . Reminds me of an old Wollensak reel to reel I got while in the army - 1972 and believe Wollensak went out of business that year . Recording tape for these reel to reels can still be purchased ? What year do you think your Teac was made please ? Great job Mark and thanks a bunch .

@QuantumPyrite_88.9 6 жыл бұрын

Didn't think your TEAC was that old . It's in really great shape . I only did a total of 11 weeks in Nam . A little over 2 years in Laos . ATB

@lpokiiim 5 жыл бұрын

very cool

@milanmihajlovic8569 2 жыл бұрын

Bravo bravissimo. 💥💯

@MattCastroMusic 4 жыл бұрын

What kind of potentiometer did you use to test the brightness

@steelcantuna 3 жыл бұрын

I'm new & trying to learn. Can't you just take an OHM reading from the original working VU lamp? Then, add a resistor to match the one you are fixing??????????????

@PhillipsHomeRepair 3 жыл бұрын

You're on the right track, but the LED draws a lot less current, so it needs a higher resistance. In the original bulbs, that extra power just gets wasted as heat.

@quilla333 3 жыл бұрын

does the led's have to match the voltage of the lamp that is replacing?

@PhillipsHomeRepair 3 жыл бұрын

No, that’s what the resistors are for. They reduce the voltage going to the leds. Most leds only require a couple volts. Anything more will burn them up.

@zuriel13g 3 жыл бұрын

I know this is an old video but I'm planning on doing this to all of my vintage equipment soon and was wondering, is there a reason you went with surface mount LEDs rather than through hole?

@PhillipsHomeRepair 3 жыл бұрын

Not really. That was just the way I decided to do it, so that's what I went with. LEDs with leads would work exactly the same.

@douglasmeyers8551 5 жыл бұрын

Where to source the led's?

@PhillipsHomeRepair 5 жыл бұрын

I ordered mine from DigiKey, but about any surface mount LED will work. That way you can customize the color and brightness to your liking.

@fxr1200 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the vid. Which surface mount led did you buy from digikey? I want the same size.

@PhillipsHomeRepair 5 жыл бұрын

They were Cree # CLM3A-MKW-CVBXA513. Unfortunately, they are now out of stock and listed as obsolete. But if you look up that part number at DigiKey, you can at least see the specs and find a similar one to replace it with.

@crj6551 5 жыл бұрын

Hi; Of course, instead of putting your led's in series, you could put them in parallel, oriented so that they are opposite polarity, making one light on the positive side of the sine wave, and the other light on the negative. . . This would make the light less "flickery" to freaks who can actually detect such minute perturbations in the "celestial" flow. . .

@PhillipsHomeRepair 5 жыл бұрын

That's a great idea! Never thought of that. Next time I may try that configuration and see if I can tell a difference.

@coryengel 4 жыл бұрын

Great comment! I’ll be sure to try this. It seems like this would have a bearing on the rating of the resistor needed since only one LED would be lit at a time instead of two. Thus, less light at

@robpeters5204 5 жыл бұрын

Nice job on the install. I really like that clear shrink tube. One piece and it encloses the entire piece . Sweet! Can you get it from Amazon? Or only fron Digikey?

@PhillipsHomeRepair 5 жыл бұрын

I have no idea. I'm sure they have something similar, but DigiKey is my go-to, so I didn't even look.

@robpeters5204 5 жыл бұрын

Maybe you should fix the vu meter first before lighting it up.

@PhillipsHomeRepair 5 жыл бұрын

Both meters work. The tape I was playing had four mono tracks instead of two stereo ones, so I have to fade it to one side. My dad recorded those tapes on that machine before I was born. He was extremely frugal but had good taste in music.