Grundig FR200 Light

[Don Rearic]

I just purchased this rather cool new radio and was immediately stressed that it did not have an LED in place of the flashlight bulb. Does anyone know of a replacement for it that is LED?

Thanks!

 

[Nerd]

If it's a PR based bulb, you can try getting a Ever LED for it. But watch out for the polarity.

 

[The_LED_Museum]

The tip of the bulb (contact on the very bottom of the socket) needs to be (+) for an EverLED or other LED bulb to work in it. A bulb from a Turtlelite or Turtlelite II (both are 6 volts) also has a (+) end polarity, so if the Grundig FR200 runs on 6 volts (4 disposable cells), you can try a Turtlelite bulb in it first to see if it lights up, and if it does, you can put an EverLED in there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Don Rearic]

Nope, does not run on four AAs, just three of them or the Ni-Cad pack.

Took it apart last night and the bulb is similar to that in a Mini-Maglite, it has two metal leads coming out of the bottom of it. Not a reagular "base" like some bulbs, any more ideas?

 

[yclo]

Given that the bulb you took out seems to be a bi-pin bulb from the "two metal leads" description, IIRC there aren't any direct drop-in replacements for that sort of configuration for 3AA's.

Assuming you're comfortable with a soldering iron, the most simple solution is to put in one (or more) 5mm LED with an appropriate value resistor. That would provide similar levels of illumination as your standard Photon or Arc.

-YC

 

[Don Rearic]

I was a Service Tech for an alarm co. for almost ten years friend, and I don't know squat about mods, that's why I came here. I can solder and all of that, but when it comes to this stuff, it's all Greek to me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I guess with no sort of drop in replacement, it has to stay the way it is because Grundig did not do that much research and just dropped a power-eating bulb in there. Damned shame too, with an LED that just sips power, it would have been a Class A Emergency Radio, but that is diminished because they did not do the light up correctly.

 

[JJHitt]

I stuck a 5mm white Nichia in the socket. I just clipped the leads down to a quarter inch or less and bored out the hole in the plastic reflector.. works fine as far as I could tell. Only downside (belive it or not) is I did NOT notice an improvement in runtime over the incandescent. I've no idea why.

 

[Doug Owen]

Without some more resistance in there, I'd expect it to be a power hog. I'd suggest trying something like 10 mA, say a hundred ohms or so. Be ready to cut it back to as few as say 22. Stick one end of the resistor in the socket one lead of the LED in the other side and solder the free end of each together. A bit of careful bending can make it a compact package. 1/8 resistors help as well.

Doug Owen