Ampeg B100R (2005) power light bulb out - a DIY repair?

[Balkan]

UPDATED WITH PHOTOS BELOW

As per the title of my post, my B-100R power light bulb has gone out. Amp is still working fine, so it seems ridiculous to pay repair shop money just to get the funky little blue light glowing again. On the other hand, I don't have any instructions on how to replace it myself, and it's not obvious to me how I would access the spot. I wrote Ampeg and they told me they usually send this stuff the shop, but that they think I would need to "drop the chassis of the amp out of the box."

Complicated? I'd love any tips. Thanks!

[Jerrold Tiers]

It's a blue LED, and probably has a loose connection/bad solder. They don't go bad very often.

because it is a separate light, it may have simply fallen off the connector......

If you do investigate, be careful and remember where the screws, nuts and pieces go!

Shut off, unplug and leave off for 30 min before opening.

[Brad Johnson]

Mine went out a couple of weeks ago.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by Brad Johnson

Mine went out a couple of weeks ago.

Hey Brad,

You say your pilot light went out but then you go on to say: As always, I could be wrong.

So is the light off or on???

Sorry I just couldn't resist!!!

Paul

[Brad Johnson]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Hey Brad,

You say your pilot light went out but then you go on to say: As always, I could be wrong.

So is the light off or on???

Sorry I just couldn't resist!!!

Paul

[Balkan]

So, if it's a bad connection, then maybe I should take it to the shop to make sure that all that wheeling around hasn't made anything else loose?

I've had the amp 5 years, that's not a long time for an LED to survive?

[Balkan]

OK - I've removed the back of the amp and taken some photos - still don't see what could be wrong other than a blown bulb.

Here's the bird's eye:



As you can see, the blue light is on the left, and the it connects to the circuit board via two black cables with gold connectors at the end.

Everything looks pretty secure to me. The blue led seemed pretty snug (although I couldn't figure out how I'd ever be able to remove it!)



And the two black cables with gold connectors look pretty well connected as well. I tugged at them a bit too and they didn't seem loose.

Does this mean the blue LED has blown and I need a new one? Is it something I could just unscrew myself and replace, or does it require soldering new cables to the circuit board?

Thanks!

[B-string]

I wonder if that is a square led plugged into a "socket" in the holder? Almost looks like realese clip holes in the assembly? I do wonder if it "burned out" if the dropping resistor is good.

[jbassbob]

Just bumping this thread to see if a solution was found. I just picked up an old B50r with a nonworking power light. Looks to be the same assembly as the OP's. Ampeg's site is no help and the lights at Fliptops look different.

[Groover]

Bump - Where can you buy these. Mine just burned out too, and the amp is fairly new. Maybe 50 hours of "ON" time.

[Balkan]

No solution for me yet. I've just learned to live without the light.

[anderbass]

Hey Balken, did you hook a multi-meter up to test if those 2 "gold connectors" gave any voltage reading while you had it all apart?

[Balkan]

No I didn't - sounds simple enough but that idea is already beyond my limited expertise and knowledge.

[Turock]

Mine's been out over a year. Not too worried about it.

[scd]

The light went out on my B-100R as well. I contacted Loud Technologies. Once I provided the amp's serial # so they could identify model revisions, I was sent the following email:

Here is the part you need:

PART NUMBER : 49-277-51 (BLUE LED / JEWEL INDICATOR LIGHT)
PRICE (List/Dlr) : $6.30 / ea
AVAILABILITY : IN STOCK

Give a call (below) to place an order and speak with any rep to place an order.

Jonah O'Dell || Loud Technologies Inc. Parts Specialist ||
||16220 Woodinville-Redmond RD NE||Woodinville, WA 98072||
||P:1-800-258-6883 EXT 1623||F:425-806-6312|| www.loudtechinc.com ||
www.crateamps.com + www.ampeg.com + www.mackie.com + www.tapcoworld.com

To ensure prompt and quality service please use the following methods for contact:

Call at 1-800-258-6883 EXT 1623
E-Mail @ Parts.Messaging@loudtechinc.com

This was back in 2008, so I hope they still have them available. As I recall, the bulb assembly had a couple of tabs that were a bit of a bear to press in to push the bulb out from underneath, but it wasn't a big problem. Important: Do not access the inside of your amp unless you know what you are doing in there. While this bulb replacement is a simple procedure, do not proceed if you have any doubt at all.

Hope this helps!

Steve

[NBVB]

Hiya!

I know this thread is old, but.....

After my second hand B100R arrived with it's pilot light not working I did some digging and found this thread.

When I opened up my B100R and 'finally' managed to open the light's housing I found it to be a BULB not an LED which this thread and every other bit of info I found suggested.

I have attached a pic of the dead bulb. The casing says Solico, 28V, Mexico. I can see the filament sitting at the bottom of the glass. LEDs don't do this.

You may have an LED in your B100R, but this one looks at first like an LED but it isn't.

When replacing it I believe you can use either an LED or a bulb, as long as they are rated at 28V.

I hope this is of some use to others with the same issue

P.S i've found replacement bulbs at CPC's website in the UK. Cheap too!

[EricF]

I have a B100R with a bad blue light, too. If I give mine a bump, it'll sometimes turn on. I haven't been motivated enough to fix it.

[GregT]

My light went out also and I found the mini-light at a place called 1000 Lights. I had to buy 10 of them at 30 cents each and about $10 shipping. All I did was desassemble the blue light, cut the wires leaving a little of the wire, then I soldered the new one in place. After all was said and done, Ampeg returned my email and said they still have replacements and they are a very reasonable price. That would sure have been a lot easier but not as much fun.

[MrLenny1]

Sounds like Ampeg has real problem with defective blue lights.

[GregT]

It is actually just a little tiny light bulb (not an LED) inside the blue plastic and lights do burn out. I think the best thing I learned is that they are still available from Ampeg. You just unplug it and plug in another. The part number someone listed above is still correct.