However, our contributor Kevin K. tells us: "I ordered some lamps for my KT-6005 tuner without checking based on the information on TIC. Unfortunately either [the above information] is dead wrong or there is more than one production version of this tuner. Mine actually uses 4 standard miniature single contact bayonet base 8V/300 mA bulbs with the small globe envelope - these are painted white. I had a solitary 14V globe type similar to an 1895 which produced about the same amount of light unpainted as an original painted bulb. The meter and indicator lamps appear to be as described."
Kenwood KT-7000
Somehow, we misplaced the identity of this contributor, but it sounds like he knows what he's doing:
"The KT-7000 front panel uses 8 volt, 250 milliamp X 7 fuse type. MCM Electronics part #25-090. Upper and lower indicators (AM, FM, Mute, MPX) are 8 volt, 150 milliamp bayonet base. I could not find these, in a pinch I suppose you could use MCM part #25-225 which is 7.5 volt, 220 milliamp. But I did not use these, instead I used the more common #47 6.3 volt, 150 milliamp (Radio Shack part #272-1110A) AND soldered in a 1 W, 10 ohm dropping resistor in front of each bulb at the base. This drops the voltage by (V=IR) = .15 x 10 = 1.5V, end result is 6.5 volts. Power dissipated (IxV) is .15 x 1.5 = .225, so use at least a 1 W resistor. The KT-7000 stereo indicator light is 'special' -- it is an 8 volt, 30 milliamp miniature. It seems like the stereo function does not work if it is burned out, it is part of the trigger circuit. I used a 6.3 volt, 35 milliamp bulb here and it worked OK."
Kenwood KT-7001
8 volt, 300 milliamp X 6 (fuse type, meters and illumination)
8 volt, 150 milliamp X 2 (bayonet type, Muting and MPX)
8 volt, 40 milliamp X 3 (miniature, AM, FM, Stereo)
Kenwood KT-7300
8 volt 300 milliamp X 3 green-tinted bulbs with rubber grommet base and wire leads - two for dial and one for meters. [Note: There's a discrepancy between this info and what's in Denis's spreadsheet. We'll try to get it clarified. -Editor]
Kenwood KT-7500 and KT-7550
As Denis's spreadsheet says, the KT-7500 uses 8 volt 300 milliamp X 3 green-tinted bulbs with rubber grommet base and wire leads - two for dial and one for meters.
Our panelist Bob says: "Here's a solution for the front panel lamps in the KT-7500. I just used common bulbs from Radio Shack that worked well. There are three bulbs in series, driven directly off the power transformer secondary AC winding, which is 29 VAC. The stock tuner uses a series 27 ohm resistor to drop the voltage to 24 VAC, as 8 volt bulbs were used. When using common Radio Shack 14.4 volt bayonet replacement bulbs, you can choose to leave the resistor in place, for a really dimmed look, or jumper across it. I prefer to jumper it - it looks a little better to me, and is still dimmed compared to stock. I used the 14.4 volt, 120 milliamp bayonet bulbs, which I hope last a long time due to the fact that they are running at only 9.7 volts. You still need to solder them in place - I don't know of a solution that gets around that."
Kenwood KT-6005 and KT-6007
Dial uses 8 volt 300 milliamp X 4 bulbs with rubber base that push over two pins, same as the Sansui TU-717.
Luxman T-110
Dial lamps - 4 "bayonet style"
A #53 bulb from Radio Shack is supposedly an exact match.
Marantz 120
Dial lamps - 8 volt, 200 milliamp (fuse type)
Dial pointer lamp - 8 volt, 0.06 amp
Meter lamp - 8 volt, 0.2 amp
Selector indicators - 6.3 volt, 0.04 amp
Most Marantz tuners from the 1970s (including models 120, 150, 115B and 2120) use the same fuse-type, 8 volt, 180-200 milliamp dial illumination lamps. Note 200 milliamp, not 300 milliamp. Our contributor Roger says, "I've replaced many of these in Marantz tuners and receivers, and tested the current on working original lamps using a 9 volt battery. The milliamp readings I get seem to vary from 180-200 milliamp, perhaps due to different ages or what was on the shelf when the unit was built, I think. It's easy to find 8 volt, 300 milliamp fuse lamps, but tougher to find the 8 volt, 200 milliamp, in my experience."
Marantz receivers
Most 2200 Series Marantz receivers used an 8 volt 200 milliamp lamp for the tuning dial and an 8 volt 300 milliamp lamp for the two meters. Our contributor Brian Beezley replaced the lamps in his Marantz 2265B receiver and thinks this information may be applicable to many Marantz tuners as well: "The 2265B uses five lamps behind the tuning dial and one lamp each behind the signal-strength and tuning meters. The lamps run on AC from an 8-volt transformer winding. The bulbs, known as fuse lamps, look like 3AG fuses and are socketed in fuse holders. Most of the lamps in my receiver were burned out. The dial lamps were marked 8VROYAL, with no current marking. They drew about 180 mA at 8 volts. The meter lamps were different and were marked 0.3A. After measuring the lamps and replacing them, fewer worked even though I had handled them carefully. Evidently lamps at the end of their useful life are delicate. 200-mA fuse lamps are available as replacements, but they cost $1.75 each. 250-mA lamps are much cheaper. The best price I found was at Parts Express, 50 cents each. But when I went to order ten lamps from their website, the estimated shipping charge was $7 to $8 for 2 lbs. I thought this was a ridiculous amount and weight for ten tiny parts. Another supplier, Vintage Electronics, had the 250-mA lamps for $0.75 each but charged only $3.50 postage. He also offered 300-mA lamps for $1.25. I ordered some lamps from his website with PayPal and received them two days after they were shipped. They worked fine. The 250-mA lamps look good in the meters, but I thought the 300-mA lamps provided illumination that better matched that from the 250-mA dial lamps, so I went with the combination."
Philips AH673 and AH6731
6.3 volt 40 milliamp X 3, 1/4 mini bayonet type ('GE 1302' bulb)
There are 13 of them in the tuner, 16 in the preamp and another 4 in the amp for this series. They are hard to find, but try Lamp Technology.
Pioneer TX-7500
Dial illumination: 8 volt 300 milliamp X ?? "wedge type" lamps
Pilot ("power") and stereo indicators: 6 volt 30 milliamp X 2 "grain type" lamps with leads
Pioneer TX-9100
Tuning and signal-strength meter illumination lamps: 8 volt 300 milliamp.
AM, FM, stereo indicator and pointer: 40 milliamp (not sure of the voltage).
Pioneer TX-9500II
8 volt 300 milliamp X 4
8 volt 50 milliamp X 1
6 volt 30 milliamp X 3
Here's our panelist Bob's more detailed report: "The TX-9500II used 8 volt, 300 milliamp x 4 for main panel/meters, but I used Radio Shack 14V ones. Buy 4 and do all at once - don't leave the old ones in. It's RS part #272-1126 wedge base 14 volt, 270 milliamp. Looks good at the lower level, and will last forever derated. Easy replacement - twist holder and remove. Clean the contacts lightly with a pencil eraser if it doesn't work with the new bulb. The power switch, narrow, wide and stereo lamps need to be soldered in. Buy some shrink-fit tubing at RS to make it a nice job. A hair dryer on high will do, but watch where you point the hot exhaust. Or just tape it. The polarity of the leads are not important, will work either way. The power switch one was 8 volt, .3 amp - if it's out, don't bother, it is a hard-to-find light, and you need to take apart the front panel to get it in. If you must, use a 12 volt 25 milliamp from RS. The narrow, wide and stereo was 6 volt 30 milliamp - use RS part #272-1140 (6 volt, 25 milliamp)."
Pioneer TX-9800
8 volt 300 milliamp X ??
6 volt 50 milliamp
Realistic TM-1001
8 volt 250 milliamp X 3
PL1: BF311-03030A 8V, 250 milliamp, Radio Shack #L-0351, mfr's #37008006
PL2 and PL3: BF310-03030A 8V, 250 milliamp, RS #D-1245, mfr's #37008019
The first one lights up the tuning dial and the bottom two light up the signal meter and multipath meter.
SANSUI: See our contributor Denis's spreadsheet for the lamps used by many Sansui tuners, receivers and amplifiers. The tuners listed below are either not listed in the spreadsheet, or we have additional information or questions about them.
Sansui TU-217
No dial lamps used
Sansui TU-519 [need to clarify - 4 as here, or 2 as in spreadsheet?], TU-710 [same lamps as TU-717], TU-719 [need to clarify - 4 as here, or 2 as in spreadsheet?], TU-919 [need to clarify - 4 as here, or 2 as in spreadsheet?], and TU-5900 [need to clarify - 4 as here, or 5 as in spreadsheet?]
Dial uses 8 volt 300 milliamp X 4 bulbs with rubber base that push over two pins.
Our panelist JohnC provides a brief tutorial for the TU-5900, which should apply equally well to the other tuners listed above: "You should be able to source replacements from eBay in both LED or incandescent. The lamp assembly just pushes onto two pins that protrude from the circuit board. Removal can be accomplished with just a needle-nose pliers and a little patience. First, grab the blue filter that surrounds the lamp and gently pull it off the lamp assembly. After you remove the filter, grab the lamp assembly by the silicon boot and a gentle tug should loosen it from the pins, allowing you to remove it through the upper shield. The replacements are installed by just reversing the procedure. You can remove the lamp shield by removing the Philips screws and that makes it a little easier, but I've never had to resort to that to replace the lamps."
Sansui TU-7500
Stereo indicator lamp PL 010: 7 volt, 0.1 amp
FM/AM indicator lamps PL 007/008: 7 volt, 0.1 amp
Dial pointer lamp PL 009: 6 volt, 75 milliamp
Meter lamps PL 005/006: 6.3 volt, 0.25 amp
Sansui G-4700, G-5000, G-9000 and most (if not all) G-series receivers use the same bulb: 8 volt 200 milliamp bulb with rubber grommet base and wire leads. [need to clarify - 200 mA as here, or 300 mA as in spreadsheet?]
Sansui TA-300 and TA-500 receivers
Although these receivers appear to have a TU-717 style case and face, they use different dial bulbs, according to our contributor Dave Compton:
"The bulbs in the TA-300/500 are wire leaded. You can replace them with the wedge style with a little work and soldering. They are 8 volt 300 milliamp like the TU-717 etc., but are not the push-on bulbs. And there's only 2 of them, not 4."
Sony ST-A6B:
Meters: bulbs say "6.3V H" but amperage is unknown.
Dial: 8 volt 300 milliamp X 3, "wedge base" bulbs.
Our contributor Dante says: "I have a service manual and it does not specify the voltage/current rating of the meter bulbs, only a part Sony part number. The schematic shows the meter and dial lamps driven off the same transformer secondary. The three dial lamps are in parallel with a 0.22 / 1 watt resistor in series. The two meter bulbs are in parallel but with a 12-ohm ½ watt resistor in series to drop the voltage."
Technics ST-9030
6.3 volt 40 milliamp X 2 (stereo and wide IF indicators)
6.3 volt 250 milliamp X 5 (fuse type)
Yamaha T-1
14.5 volt 80 milliamp X 4 (wire-ended, clear bulbs)
Yamaha T-2
14.5 volt 80 milliamp X 4 (wire-ended, clear bulbs)
Recommended sources, in approximate order of priority (but check them all):
Radio Shack
Parts Express
Vintage Electronics
All Electronics
Abra Electronics
Kenwood Parts
Antique Electronic Supply
Lamp Technology
CML Innovative Technologies
Mouser Electronics
Newark Electronics
A cautionary note: It turns out that many stereo chips drive lamps directly. If you use the wrong replacement bulb, you may smoke the MPX chip, and many are really hard to find. So we want it to be clear that people should not put a 300 milliamp bulb in the stereo lamp area which takes 30 milliamp. Bob explains: "Here's the skinny on the stereo chip burnout problem - it affects the "stereo" indicator light only. This would be the one that lights when the MPX chip detects a 19 kHz pilot and the tuner goes into stereo mode. It is seen on tuners made before about 1976 or so, as later models usually used LEDs for this circuit, even though ordinary lamps were still used for lighting meters and the front panel. The MPX chip uses an internal circuit to "switch" the stereo light pin to ground when in stereo operation. So the stereo lamp on the front panel has a positive DC voltage applied to one lead, all the time, and the other lead is grounded by the MPX chip. If the incorrect lamp is used, too much current goes through the switch circuit in the MPX chip, and the MPX chip overheats and fails."
Our contributor Steve P. suggests that before you assume a bulb is bad, first check for cold solder joints on the circuit board that holds the base for that bulb. Steve found a bad joint on a bulb that was out on both his tuner and preamp, but he pushed on the pins that come through the board and the light came right on.
