[R-390] Grimes - Back Lighting

[Terry O'Laughlin]

I have a sizable collection of LTV gear with Grimes backlighting.  It works 
very well.  Most of the LTV gear is repackaged 
Watkins-Johnson/Communications Electronics, Inc. gear except for the G-133 
which is a repackaged Collins 51S-1.

LTV took the WJ/CEI gear and made front panels of translucent material and 
silk screened them with a negative of the front panel (no paint where 
lettering occurs).  Thus the labels light up in a black panel.  The panels 
don't wear well, every paint nick lights up, but they sure look cool in the 
dark. The overall effect, when combined with the tactical knob tops 
(different shapes for different functions) makes for a really cool radio.

It seems to me that Grimes system panel could easily be made.  A sheet of 
plexiglass or lucite drilled for all the controls, meters... could be spray 
painted black.  Then the letters could be added using a pantograph or CNC 
like the ones you see at hamfests for making name tags.  Then all you need 
are the little Grimes light fixtures.

73     Terry O'    WB9GVB


At 20:39 2003-5-4 -0500, you wrote:

> > Grimes Co. makes eyebrow lights for the aircraft industry in all sizes.
> > plus light assemblies for backlit panels. Which are a whole new can of
> > worms to get into. Due to the inherent frugality of hams most will have
> > cardiac arrest with the sticker shock. I have made full aircraft panels
> > using Grimes systems. I think in the 60's when we did this panel for a
> > Lodestar it was over $15,000.
> > Hank
> > KN6DI
>
>I remember elbow lights. The red ones were crappy, but got better when they
>went to blue-green lighting. Those little things never worked good. The trim
>ball in the OH-58A/C did not have lighting. We always used the mini cyalumes
>to light them.