janikphoto
Lunatic Member
I started to replace the bulbs in the Heathkit AA-11 and AJ-41 I recently picked up. All the bulbs except for one were blown, the units need new caps, some of the knobs could use some de-oxit and I'm missing the case covers for the tops... but, they are running!
Well, I thought about replacing the bulbs with LED's. I liked the green glow of this set-up I made, but I didn't like the output... they were just too dim for the face. I went to Radio Shack and bought some big, bright whites, but they only had two left. I tested them in the unit, and they looked very similar to the one working bulb... but, I couldn't wait to get the six more LED's needed. I used some spare NOS vintage bulbs I had in the workshop. They don't run as cool or as energy efficient as the LED's, but they do look right and original. Here's a picture of the green bulbs, doubled up to be brighter, but it still wasn't enough.
Then I noticed the meters on the tuner don't light up. This was one place I didn't mind doing a little mod. The tuner light comes on red, so I decided to match it by adding a red LED to each meter. It'll be easy enough to remove, but I like it! What do you think? Now I've got a little more red in the face. Much sexier at night with the lights off!
Well, I thought about replacing the bulbs with LED's. I liked the green glow of this set-up I made, but I didn't like the output... they were just too dim for the face. I went to Radio Shack and bought some big, bright whites, but they only had two left. I tested them in the unit, and they looked very similar to the one working bulb... but, I couldn't wait to get the six more LED's needed. I used some spare NOS vintage bulbs I had in the workshop. They don't run as cool or as energy efficient as the LED's, but they do look right and original. Here's a picture of the green bulbs, doubled up to be brighter, but it still wasn't enough.
Then I noticed the meters on the tuner don't light up. This was one place I didn't mind doing a little mod. The tuner light comes on red, so I decided to match it by adding a red LED to each meter. It'll be easy enough to remove, but I like it! What do you think? Now I've got a little more red in the face. Much sexier at night with the lights off!