[Jeff M]

So i bought an incubator online for cheap cash.  After cleaning it up and checking it out the only thing i cant fix is the LED indicator.  Its not very important but considering it should be a cheap fix why not.

The guts of the incubator


The Dead LED in question.


I dont see any marking on the LED or resistor.  Can anyone guide me through figuring out correct replacements?  The incubator has the following info on the back.   120 volts .2 Ampts 24 watts 50/60 Hz and 1 Phase.

Cheers,
Jeff

[arustyt]

I don't think that is an LED. It looks like a neon bulb.

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[Jeff M]

I don't think that is an LED. It looks like a neon bulb.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I suppose it def could be, i just assumed it was an older crude LED.  Its def much bigger then the LEDs im familiar with.  In that case id like to replace it with an LED:D

[mabrungard]

It is a neon bulb. Those neon bulbs run on 120v. I don't think that all LEDs do. I'm not sure the conversion will be painless.

[Jeff M]

Are these Neon bulbs still made? if so is there a "type" of neon bulb that it would be called that i could search for? Ill just replace the neon if putting an LED onto this system will be a pain. Im going to stop at radio shack and pick up a few LED's and a resistor to try with it either way. i think 1k will do it.

[a10t2]

Are these Neon bulbs still made? if so is there a "type" of neon bulb that it would be called that i could search for? Ill just replace the neon if putting an LED onto this system will be a pain. Im going to stop at radio shack and pick up a few LED's and a resistor to try with it either way. i think 1k will do it.

You'll also need a diode to rectify the current, and keep in mind that even at 20 mA, 120 V is 2.4 W… Radio Shack probably doesn't have anything big enough, at least not in stores.

[Vin S]

If you look at the resistor the color bands on it will tell you what it is. From what I see orange black orange and possibly one more band.

[Stevie]

If you look at the resistor the color bands on it will tell you what it is. From what I see orange black orange and possibly one more band.

Orange-Black-Orange is 30k ohm. First two bands equal the number (30), third band is the multiplier (1k).

The final band is the tolerance. Most are gold which is 5%.

[Slowbrew]

Do you measure 120V at the the light?  Just asking to be sure that it is a 120V connection and not being dropped somewhere else in the circuit.

Paul

[Jeff M]

Do you measure 120V at the the light?  Just asking to be sure that it is a 120V connection and not being dropped somewhere else in the circuit.

Paul

I attempted to use a multimeter on it, i believe it spiked to 3volts as i watched but im not 100% sure i was using the multimeter correctly. this was with prong on the wire before the bulb and the other on the ground wire.  gonna watch a few youtube vids tonight to make sure i was using it correctly and try again

[Slowbrew]

Do you measure 120V at the the light?  Just asking to be sure that it is a 120V connection and not being dropped somewhere else in the circuit.

Paul

I attempted to use a multimeter on it, i believe it spiked to 3volts as i watched but im not 100% sure i was using the multimeter correctly. this was with prong on the wire before the bulb and the other on the ground wire.  gonna watch a few youtube vids tonight to make sure i was using it correctly and try again

Measure the voltage between the 2 big wires (around the resister and the bulb) and you should see the total volts in the circuit (assuming the bulb is blown).  With the power off you can check if the resister is good and then if the bulb is blown.

Many years ago I some bulbs that looked like the one in your picture and they ran in a 120V circuit.  Unfortunately, that was 35 years ago and I can imagine I still have them.  8^(

Paul

[arustyt]

Here are the simplest 120V LED circuits I know of:



Make sure the capacitor is rated at 200V or more and I think a 1/2 watt resistor should do the trick in this setup.

If you decide to try to get the neon bulb working, here are some thoughts on that:

Measure the voltage between the 2 big wires (around the resister and the bulb) and you should see the total volts in the circuit (assuming the bulb is blown).  With the power off you can check if the resister is good and then if the bulb is blown.

First of all, make sure the multi-meter is set to an AC voltage range of at least 120V, not DC.  When measuring the voltage between the 2 big wires as suggested by Slowbrew, if you get 120VAC then power is getting to the bulb/resistor combo, otherwise power is not getting that far (i.e. the problem lies somewhere else).  If the power is getting to the bulb/resistor combo, carefully measure the voltage across the two leads of the neon bulb.  If it reads 120 VAC then the bulb is dead, otherwise I would suspect the resistor (or both).

It looks like Radio Shack has 120V mini-neon lamps - that might be your easiest fix.  I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the assembly may include the resistor internally.

Rusty

[Jeff M]

It looks like Radio Shack has 120V mini-neon lamps - that might be your easiest fix.  I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the assembly may include the resistor internally.

Rusty

I originally looked at Radio shack and didnt see anything that i thought would work, do you have a part number? Ill grab one and try it out.

Cheers,
Jeff

[arustyt]

It looks like Radio Shack has 120V mini-neon lamps - that might be your easiest fix.  I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the assembly may include the resistor internally.

Rusty

I originally looked at Radio shack and didnt see anything that i thought would work, do you have a part number? Ill grab one and try it out.

Cheers,
Jeff

This is what I found on the RadioShack website: 110VAC Snap-In Red Neon Indicator Lamp

It is not exactly what you currently have but it should work.  This unit is rated at 110VAC so I think it should replace the existing bulb and resistor.  There are other mini-neon lamps in different colors.

Rusty