Glue the face of the photocell to the side of
the neon lamp. We prefer to use a drop of thick gel super glue (cyanoacrylate) for holding the photocell to the
side of the lamp. It works great and is clear so it doesn't obstruct the light
from the lamp to the photocell. Allow the glue to dry for
several hours, or if using a super glue type of adhesive, you can spray a little
super glue accelerant to speed up the drying process.
Finally, carefully bend the leads of the photocell at a right angle so they are
inline with the neon lamp leads.
Now to encapsulate it.
Slide the tubing on the lamp/photocell combo,
centering it between the leads sticking out. The end of the
tubing with the silver dots must go on the side with the neon lamp leads - this
is very important. When installing the device in your Fender amp,
the side with the silver dot (neon lamp side) installs closest to the
"tube" side of the chassis, while the photocell side goes toward the
potentiometer side of the fiberboard. If you should reverse the opto-coupler
when installing it, you will ruin it when voltage is applied, so be certain
before you encapsulate it. Mark which side is the lamp side in
some manner. Before starting to encapsulate, make sure that
the leads are separated, and not shorted.
The heat shrink tubing will shrink to about half its diameter when properly
heated. Use a heat gun or a hair dryer and apply even heat all around the
tubing, holding the heat nozzle 6 to 8" from the tubing.
Use A NON-WATER-BASED opaque adhesive to fill the ends of the tubing. The
adhesive should have a high electrical resistance (this is the reason for using
non-water-base type), since the OFF resistance of the photocell is over 20 Meg
and we don't want leakage through the adhesive to cause crosstalk in your
circuit. It is very important to block the ends of the tubing with opaque
glue!
Preferably, use a thick adhesive so you don't have to deal with it running while
it is setting up. A black silicone sealant (non-water based) makes a
good choice.
Legal
The free of charge information on this website is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including without limitation the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. The entire risk as to the quality and performance of this data is borne by you. Should any of this information prove defective, you and not Studio Sound Electronics shall assume the entire liability. Further, neither the author nor Studio Sound Electronics shall be liable for any special, exemplary or consequential damages
resulting from the use of this material.
All repairs should be attempted with caution. Readers are strongly advised to utilize safety precautions when working with electronics or electricity to avoid all potential hazards.
Brand name products are service marks or trademarks of their respective holders. Mention of them in text or drawings, herein, is for instructional purposes only and does not constitute any endorsement. VHS is a registered trademark of JVC.
The information contained herein has not been approved or endorsed by any of the manufacturers or distributors mentioned herein.
Strat™, Stratocaster™, Esquire™, Telecaster™, Tele™, Jazzmaster™, Jaguar™, Mustang™, P.Bass™, J.Bass™ and Fender™ are registered trademarks of Fender™ Musical Instruments. The replacement necks and bodies are for a Fender™ or Squier™ by Fender™ guitar or bass. The distinctive headstock designs and the distinctive body designs of the Stratocaster™, Telecaster™, J.Bass™, P.Bass™ and Tele™ Bass are registered trademarks of Fender™ Musical Instruments Co.
Peavey™ is a registered trademark of Peavey™ Electronics Corporation.
Marshall™ is a registered trademark of Marshall™ Amplification Plc.
Orange™ is a trademark of Orange Amplification
Vox™ is a trademark of Vox Amplification Ltd.
Egnater™ is a trademark of Egnater Amplfication
Mesa Boogie™ is a registered trademark of MESA/Boogie™ Ltd.
AmpRepairParts.com and Studio Sound Electronics are not affiliated with these companies.
All company names, logos and product names mentioned on these pages are trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright ©2025 Studio Sound Electronics
|