LED Upgrade
Replacing the original bulbs with LEDs
An obvious issue of the organ is that all controls and indicators are done with light bulbs and that those have a limited life time. When buying a 20+ year old instrument you can expect that the bulbs will burn out having reached the end of their life at some point in time. All bulbs are accessible, so theoretically there should be no problem replacing them. But, the types that were used are impossible to get - at least where I live.
Rogers is using so-called fuse-bulbs that look like 30mm micro-fusees, but, instead of the standard 6x30mm those are 5x20mm. Scanning through the forums, Rodgers is rumored to still provide those, but availability seems to be an issue.
There are two different types used in the 520/25/30/35. Stop tab switches and indicators use a 12V/1W type, the bulbs for the pedal board are 12V/3W. There are about 60 lamps in the entre instruments consuming roughly 70W peak. That is quite a lot for an aging power supply.
So, better solution would be to get them replaced by LEDs, but, there are none commercially available. Looking for sources I came across a deal in eBay from Bulgaria where someone offers handmade LED lamps with a 6x30mm form factor to be used as replacements in old HiFi equipment. I contacted the owner if he also could make them in 5x20mm. After one month I got a sample to give it a try and it worked perfectly! I ordered 60 of them to replace all bulbs in the instrument.
You can see both are identical in size, but the LED is much brighter. The LED comes with integrated rectifiers.
You can remove the cover of the tab-stop switch pulling it out gently first right, then left side. This is risky business, as a broken cover will be hard to replace and fixing the plastic will not be easy. I managed to get them all off without braking one.
Getting the bulbs out and the LEDs in is not a big deal. Unfortunately the clamps that hold the bulbs corroded and some of them broke. There are two options to deal with it. Simple option is to use some small pieces of tissue and press the LED against the remaining parts of the clamp. A more durable solution is to solder the lamp to the remains of the clamp.
Once done, carefully put the covers back onto the switches and test, if the LED move in the switches and/or loose contact.
This is a direct comparison of old and new lights. the LEDs are much brighter and far better to read at daylight.
It took about 90 minutes to replace them all, but at the end you get a great result.
If you want to try this too, or simply need a spare, here is the contact:
https://www.ebay.de/usr/vintage_lamps
George, the owner, was super friendly and helpful, just ping him a mail.
An obvious issue of the organ is that all controls and indicators are done with light bulbs and that those have a limited life time. When buying a 20+ year old instrument you can expect that the bulbs will burn out having reached the end of their life at some point in time. All bulbs are accessible, so theoretically there should be no problem replacing them. But, the types that were used are impossible to get - at least where I live.
Rogers is using so-called fuse-bulbs that look like 30mm micro-fusees, but, instead of the standard 6x30mm those are 5x20mm. Scanning through the forums, Rodgers is rumored to still provide those, but availability seems to be an issue.
There are two different types used in the 520/25/30/35. Stop tab switches and indicators use a 12V/1W type, the bulbs for the pedal board are 12V/3W. There are about 60 lamps in the entre instruments consuming roughly 70W peak. That is quite a lot for an aging power supply.
So, better solution would be to get them replaced by LEDs, but, there are none commercially available. Looking for sources I came across a deal in eBay from Bulgaria where someone offers handmade LED lamps with a 6x30mm form factor to be used as replacements in old HiFi equipment. I contacted the owner if he also could make them in 5x20mm. After one month I got a sample to give it a try and it worked perfectly! I ordered 60 of them to replace all bulbs in the instrument.
You can see both are identical in size, but the LED is much brighter. The LED comes with integrated rectifiers.
You can remove the cover of the tab-stop switch pulling it out gently first right, then left side. This is risky business, as a broken cover will be hard to replace and fixing the plastic will not be easy. I managed to get them all off without braking one.
Getting the bulbs out and the LEDs in is not a big deal. Unfortunately the clamps that hold the bulbs corroded and some of them broke. There are two options to deal with it. Simple option is to use some small pieces of tissue and press the LED against the remaining parts of the clamp. A more durable solution is to solder the lamp to the remains of the clamp.
Once done, carefully put the covers back onto the switches and test, if the LED move in the switches and/or loose contact.
This is a direct comparison of old and new lights. the LEDs are much brighter and far better to read at daylight.
It took about 90 minutes to replace them all, but at the end you get a great result.
If you want to try this too, or simply need a spare, here is the contact:
https://www.ebay.de/usr/vintage_lamps
George, the owner, was super friendly and helpful, just ping him a mail.
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