CA-810 Meter Lamps - how bright?

39cross

39cross

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Just finished recapping a CA-810 and put in 4 new lamps from Dgwojo, they are marked 14v/80ma/4.12mm. They all lit up, so I buttoned her up and thought I was good to go. But after I fired her up it looked like the lamps weren't working.

But the metal case over the lamps was warm, so I pulled it apart and the lamps were working. I put it back together and sure enough there was a little light there, but very dim. Pulled it out again and removed the blue filter and after reassembling, with that change the meters were acceptably bright.

The lamp assembly seems simple enough to put back together, but am I the dim bulb here? Or could it be the lamps just aren't bright enough to put enough light through the blue filter? I haven't seen a CA-810 with working lamps so I have nothing to gauge it against, but I'm sure they must be brighter than what I have.
 
Mine are pretty dim, just enough to see the meter. And they are new lamps!

I'm thinking I want to get some LED's, lightly scuff the lens and use those vs. incandescents.
 
My 810 is dim even after new lamps. Have replaced the lamps with LED's on other units, does help. But the 810 is working so I left them alone.



Barney
 
It's hard to say without pictures in day and night showing the factory brightness level and comparing it to yours. If I had known that some of us would have issues with re-lamping 34 years in the future, I would have taken pics of mine when it was brand new in dark/light so we could compare true factory brightness on the lamps compared to re-lamping.

In a moderately lit room, the factory lamps did show that the unit was on - you could tell the meters were lit. In a brightly lit room, it was hard to tell. You had to really look. At night with just a few candles lit for mood, you should see them illuminate the meters nicely. If you are under Fluorescent, you probably won't see them illuminate the meters well at all.

I have replaced mine twice since 1980. Actually 3 times if you count when I put in LED's but did not like them, so I pulled them and put back in incandescent. I guess if you want BRIGHT meters, then LED's are the way to go.

Net, net, if you can see the meters during the day and during the night, I'd leave them be.
 
39cross said:
...

The lamp assembly seems simple enough to put back together, but am I the dim bulb here? Or could it be the lamps just aren't bright enough to put enough light through the blue filter? I haven't seen a CA-810 with working lamps so I have nothing to gauge it against, but I'm sure they must be brighter than what I have.
Click to expand...

Hi 39cross,

Could you take a couple of pictures of your unit?

One picture in daytime with no flash...

... and another during night (or indoors) also with no flash?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I wish I could return to a Yamaha dealer ca. 1978 and take a look!

I was wondering if perhaps the voltage going to the lamps is not as high as it should be. I haven't measured it yet. I'm tempted to leave it as is without the blue filter, but if I don't put it back inside it will undoubtedly get lost.

I did an LED conversion on my ca-2010 and that turned out satisfactorily. I was hoping not to have to do a conversion on the 810, but maybe that's the best choice to get the meters illuminated to my satisfaction.
 
39cross said:
I was wondering if perhaps the voltage going to the lamps is not as high as it should be. I haven't measured it yet. I'm tempted to leave it as is without the blue filter, but if I don't put it back inside it will undoubtedly get lost.
Click to expand...

I had it around 78 volts during conversion on mine, if I remember correctly, but I've heard also 82 volts. Mine was also set to 220V mains previously and I put voltage selector to 240V to attenuate the "buzz" from transformer...

..
 
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OP;

Even when my 810 was brand new, the meter lamps did not illuminate to excess. You did not flick the amp on in a normally lit room and say "Wow, those meters are bright". The lamps are made for accent and to see the meters in low room light situations.

Yet, you knew the amp was on under "normal" lighting conditions as compared to the dark meters you get when the lamps are burnt out.

As Karl asks, we need to see pics.

Billy
 
Meter Pics

I hauled the amp to the kitchen and take a few photos with the filter and without, the room lit and unlit mid day on a cloudy March day.

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Blue filter in place, overhead light on. Can't really see any illumination.

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Blue filter in place, overhead light off - darker room. I couldn't get any better focus than this. The camera accentuates the green.

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Without the filter, overhead light on. You can see the meters are lit, even if kind of dimly.

attachment.php

Without the filter, overhead light off. This looks pretty good I think.

Thanks again for your feedback!
 

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That is very cool!

Your amp has lamps and not LEDs? If so I will have to check the voltage and the resistors.
 
My amp has the standard incandescent bulbs (14V or so).

The "lights on" picture in this animation was made with only a dimmable ceiling lamp, at very low power. I had something like 2 or 3 seconds of exposure time when shooting the photo.

At daylight, you barely see the light of these Yamaha VUs…
 
CA-810's VU meters

dksp said:
_dsc7579arjlu7gkn7.gif


:naughty:
Click to expand...

Very nice! I wish I could do that same day-night effect with a series of pics of mine. :thmbsp:

Here are two images of VU during daytime (1st one) and night of my CA-810.

ohzr.jpg


e6wz.jpg


I took the blue filter away and maybe that's why illumination is not that spread out through the intire area, although I can use a wider 60° beam angle LEDs or put a "green filter" which is not difficult to make, but for now I leave like this...

..
 
Karl vd Berg said:
I think it's pretty good also. :thmbsp:

Are you gonna change them or leave them?
Click to expand...
I reassembled with the blue filter and that's the current state. I'm not sure what I'll do yet. Maybe just leave the filter out and tape it inside the unit somewhere safe with a note for a future treasure seeker.

I was wondering though - I removed the crumbling grey foam and covered with electrical tape for now. Should the foam be replaced? Does it serve a purpose?
 
39cross said:
I reassembled with the blue filter and that's the current state. I'm not sure what I'll do yet. Maybe just leave the filter out and tape it inside the unit somewhere safe with a note for a future treasure seeker.

I was wondering though - I removed the crumbling grey foam and covered with electrical tape for now. Should the foam be replaced? Does it serve a purpose?
Click to expand...

I just removed crumbling foam from mine also and wondered what the purpose is.
 
parman said:
I just removed crumbling foam from mine also and wondered what the purpose is.
Click to expand...

In the Service Manual, Yamaha refers to it as 'Shade Tape' or some such. Possibly to help contain/ diffuse the light better and keep it in the meter area? IIRC, I used open cell weatherstripping foam from a dollar store as a replacement...
 
The foam is not mandatory, but for dampening and shading. As Hailey has done, you can improvise replacement, or not. No big deal if it is missing after removal.

OP;
Your lights look normal and factory grade to me. I'd leave em alone. Again, they are not supposed to be "bright" - they are just accent lights. You need to be able to view the meters in the dark or dimly lit rooms. That's all. IMO, your levels are close to factory now.
 
BillyBatts said:
The foam is not mandatory, but for dampening and shading. As Hailey has done, you can improvise replacement, or not. No big deal if it is missing after removal.

OP;
Your lights look normal and factory grade to me. I'd leave em alone. Again, they are not supposed to be "bright" - they are just accent lights. You need to be able to view the meters in the dark or dimly lit rooms. That's all. IMO, your levels are close to factory now.
Click to expand...

Thanks, then I consider this "case closed"....figuratively and literally :music:
 
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