[lyle]

Hi,

Can anybody suggest a source for #47 Pilot Lamps? Inexpensive is good.

Thanks,

lyle

[Carl Travis]

Lyle,
Radio Shack should have them.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index....Id=2102799

[Ron Ramirez]

How about 10 for $1.10...or 100 for $7.50?

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=c...ent=3&pg=1

I've never ordered from this company, but maybe I should.

[lyle]

Thanks Carl and Ron for replying. I just ordered a hundred from Pin Ball Life. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the link Ron.

Can't believe the price and they take PayPal.

Thanks again Guys, It sure would be harder out here without you.

lyle

[Ron Ramirez]

Well, if you only need a couple, Radio Shack is a quick and convenient way to pick up bulbs - I've used them too on occasion. But if you have a lot of radios to restore, you can't beat the price on 44 and 47 bulbs at Pinball Life.

[lyle]

I am anxious to get my order from Pinball Life. Even with shipping the price point for a hundred bulbs is only $0.14 each.

As I said, I'll let you know how it goes. If they work out I'll stock up on other sizes.

Thanks again,

lyle

[Marsupial]

at pinballlife you can also get LED variants of the same bulbs, if that's your thing. I know its not authentic, but it doesn't generate heat and have a cleaner coloration.

[Ron Ramirez]

Funny you should mention that, Mars. I've been thinking about trying some of those LED replacements. Have you tried any of them, and if so, do you like how they look?

Another benefit they have is lower power consumption - they draw less current. When we are dealing with very old power transformers, anything that will lower current draw is a good thing, I think.

[exray]

I'd be interested too! But don't try to use them in an AA5 set where the #47 is tapped off the rectifier filament.

[Ron Ramirez]

Bill (exray) is absolutely right! I was thinking about their use in AC-only (with a power transformer) sets.

[Glenn Roberts]

I did use one on my 41-300 behind the red power indicator. I did it to lower the heating of the crystal. It wasn't as bright, but it is sufficient for the application.

Glenn

[morzh]

I do not have AA5 sch, so out curiosity, what's wrong with using an LED with DC circuitry, as long as an appropriate resistor is inserted to provide for a proper If ?
Or is it not simply an LED but some circuitry together with it?

[Marsupial]

I have tried many in my 47-1230.

I am somewhat involved in the pinball scene around here in Montreal, and was at a pinball and coin-up dealer once around the time I first got the radio, and decided to give it a try. Its dirt cheap to experiment with...

I tried several things. Some I found "interesting" in the like of "changes the look of the radio" but its not really my cup of tea: I tried red & blue lamps. The 47-1230 have this cool feature that the needle actually blocks light pretty well, so if you place different colors on both ends of the faceplate, you actually have a separation where the needle is.

Might be interesting to some, but for a restored radio I've seen better.

They also have purer white, and "warm" white (closer to incandescent)
On some radios, I can see the colder, clearer white to be a good idea. On the 47-1230, the gold&brown faceplate looked a bit better with warm white.

I decided to keep the LED variant not for power consumption, but for heat. There are felts near the lamps, and they were partially burnt with age. I figured LED lights would prevent the damage from continuing.

I didn't think about power consumption on those radios, being that the lamps are on the low voltage side compared to tubes, but I need to agree with Ron that old power transformer could use a bit of a relief that could very easily be gained by just changing to LEDs.
Honestly, if you use warm white LEDs there's about no visual difference.

I've seen LED lamps used in pinball to reduce power usage and maintenance (LEDs last a lot longer than modern commercial incandescent bulbs)
Some do it in a way to change the look of the pinball, some do it in a way to preserve the look of the pinball. The same could be done with radios.

Something to keep in mind also with LED lamps, is that you can select the light propagation pattern. It can be narrow, focused to a forward beam, but it can also be made to spread on the sides. Depending on what you're trying make, selecting the proper bulb makes wonder.
I have a few replacement incandescent and use only the LED ones I got, even in flashlights.

To answer morzh, those bulbs are intended to be drop-in replacement to incandescent bulbs. You select the proper voltage, color, light distribution and you simply put it in the socket.

I'll try to dig if I did take pictures when I first experimented with the LEDs. [edit - I don't think I ever managed to take good pictures of the light pattern where we could see comparison; flash photography washes it away, and I couldn't manage non-flash photo that looked good. But I can tell you, the warm white is a very good replacement to keep the incandescent look, and the cold white (bluer white) could be interesting on non-colorised area that needs pure white light. Colored ones, well, to your tastes. I could see a colored pilot lamp being replaced by that same color. And repaint jobs could benefit from colored lamps. My opinion, but there's potential in those lights]


Something that just flashed in my head: I use LED lamps outside because they generate very little UV and it doesn't attract bugs as much as incandescent, its nice outside in summer. The lower UV might be interesting to preserve the glass and artwork of the radio...???
just a thought.

[lyle]

Got my order of 100 #47 Pilot Lamps from Pinball Life about a week after I ordered. $14.50 with shipping. No problem. Will use them again.

Thanks, Ron.

lyle

[Eliot Ness]

Hey Mars (Marsupial), thanks for the info on the LED lamps. At Pinball Life I didn't see any reference to a "warm" white LED or too much on propagation patterns except for a concave or flat lens. Do you know of a better source for these bulbs?

They are cheap enough that I may order some from Pinball Life when they get more white color in the flat and frosted lens. I'll probably order a few other colors as well just to experiment with.