LED activation from 5v winding?

[daz]

It's a guitar amp and you want it bright so why not do it the traditional way and use a jeweled pilot light running off the 6.3V or 5V winding then you won't need any extra components?

Because i'm tired of having bulbs go out and a LED will be a forever pilot. Don't have to worry about having bulbs on hand or buying them etc. So....why NOT a led? A diode and resistor are no big deal.

[olddawg]

I've been replacing 12vac landscape lighting with LEDs. The bulbs replacement bulbs are damn expensive so I have been making replacements. For a bright light I use 3 ultrabright LEDs, a small package bridge rectifier, a current limiting resistor, and a 15v, 1000uf cap.

[Dave H]

Because i'm tired of having bulbs go out and a LED will be a forever pilot. Don't have to worry about having bulbs on hand or buying them etc. So....why NOT a led? A diode and resistor are no big deal.

Yeah, the bulbs are a PITA but I thought you said a led was too small and not bright enough? I have a couple of amps with round neon indicators the same size as the jewel filament indicators. They are bright enough and have worked for 20 years and counting.

[daz]

Yeah, the bulbs are a PITA but I thought you said a led was too small and not bright enough? I have a couple of amps with round neon indicators the same size as the jewel filament indicators. They are bright enough and have worked for 20 years and counting.

Just that a single LED with no lens is small. Like i said above, they have LED's make specificcally for use as pilots and are about the size of a jewel light.

[olddawg]

Just that a single LED with no lens is small. Like i said above, they have LED's make specificcally for use as pilots and are about the size of a jewel light.

The way it's usually done is you put 3 LEDs in a small triangle touching each other. It should fit under the jewel. I've done it to free up heater current from a pilot run off of the filament voltage. A little piece of scavenged circuit board or perf board makes it easier but not absolutely necessary. You can do the single diode and resistor thing..... But a tiny bridge IC, filter cap, and resistor works the best and costs little. And as was said earlier, there are inexpensive LED and Neon pilot assembly's that can be connected directly to the AC mains with 2 leads.

[daz]

And as was said earlier, there are inexpensive LED and Neon pilot assembly's that can be connected directly to the AC mains with 2 leads.

yeah, i think i mentioned that. I may go that way depending on what i find.

[olddawg]

Check out MCM Electronics online.

[daz]

Actually, this is a job for ebay. Things like this usually cost as much to ship from inline stores as ebay sellers will charge in total. I'm thinking about this http://www.ebay.com/itm/PL1601R-ATI-...3D321979475116

[olddawg]

Actually, this is a job for ebay. Things like this usually cost as much to ship from inline stores as ebay sellers will charge in total. I'm thinking about this PL1601R ATI 16mm 5 8" Red 110V 120V AC DC LED Signal Indicator Pilot Light | eBay

There ya go... Or sometime Amazon will give you free shipping. Especially if you have a Prime account. I've gotten a few 3&4 DPDT foot switches from Amazon that way. Sometimes MCM has free shipping too.

[daz]

Look at this....crazy deal at radioshack of all places! The place that will charge you 8 bucks for the cheeziest mini toggle switch that exists. But i just bought a 2 pack of these 120v neon jewel lamps for a 1.50 ! Yeah, i wanted a LED for longevity but at under 2 bucks for 2 of these i had to jump. Theres a RS a mile from me so i just ran over to check em out and was surprised they are the same size as a typical fender jewel. https://www.radioshack.com/collectio...nt=20332237701

By the way, the lamp is replaceable but at this price if i live long enough to go thru both of em i'd just by another 2 pack and change the whole thing.