[R-390] Meters - Back Lighting (an expensive proposition)

Sat, 3 May 2003 11:33:44 -0700

How about using the new white LEDs?  Perhaps a red one too to warm up the
color a bit.  Or a green one to simulate the original phosphor emission.
One or  more could be mounted inside the meter case and could be expected to
live there a while.  Don't know what the radioactvity would do, though.

OTOH, do you really want to modify a R-390, especially meters?  I still need
a signal stregnth meter for the club R-390A if anyone has a spare.  ;^)

73 de Bill, AB6MT
[email protected]

----- Original Message -----
From: Gregory W. Moore
To: [email protected] ; [email protected] ;
[email protected]
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 8:02 AM
Subject: Re: [R-390] Meters - Back Lighting (an expensive proposition)

The question is could R390 meters be backlit--- YES

 Is the process feasable for the average restorer-NO

  reasons" to backlight something, one either has to have the substrate
of a plastic material, either polycarbonate or plex, have room for lamps
at the rear, then go thru a multitude of painting and etching steps to
create the indicia on the meter. While the result is truly outstanding
to look at, the process is both labor and $ intensive.

Ok, how about edgelit or prismlit lightitng, same problems...one puts
the lamp (s) at the top, then designs a prism to properly
refract the light over the dial face, and this prism is NOT the dial
face itself, it resided behind the glass face.  Again, very doable
but also labor and $ intensive for a "one-off" project.  Basically, to
do either of these options, one would be designing a entirely
new meter (except possibly for the movement), and tooling up for the
case and all the other goodies from scratch.

Option 3 (Electroluminescent)...same answers, sure, its very doable, and
one can get EL material in a variety of shapes..but
the cost of getting the indicia on the EL material would be
prohibitive...(Darn, they look goood though)

    I used to design these things for aircraft use, and , trust me on
this, you would NOT BELIEVE the pitfalls and  roving groups of
alligators one finds themselves facing.  Once the design is finalized,
and you have one working, properly lit, model produced, you have
expended a huge chunk of capital, invented much project-specific
tooling, and are on the way to a full blown ulcer.

I hope these comments help... Frankly, I would love to see a well
backlit meter in either an R390 or R-392, but it
just wouldn't be viable for the quantity we have to work with.

73 de Greg Moore

[email protected] wrote:

> Murph,
>
>    I don't think it will work.  I have similar meters from aircraft.
> The dials/faces are metal.  You'd have to figure a way to cut a slot
> in the top center of the cylindrical portion and use a buld very
> similar to the veeder root illumination ones.
>
> Bob N0DGN
>
> MURPH wrote:
>
>> Hi Group
>>     Has anyone  in the group tried to back light the meters?
>> Murph
>>
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                                                   --Edmund Burke

Greg Moore NNN0BVN PA
U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS)
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