HISTORY:
This component has been pulled from one of the myriad of amplifiers that have met their fate on my "operating table", becoming organ donors to other peoples equipment.
MOST of the time I record exactly when and which manufacturer/model these components are extracted from but ... to borrow an album title from Pink Floyd, I seem to have had a momentary lapse of reason.
No record was kept so the following description is the best I can do on this meter module. I do have suspicions that it was an ONKYO but I cannot be sure about that.
If you instantly recognise these dual power meters (and need them) GREAT!
If you are building your "dream amplifier" and would like to add that special touch of front panel power meters, perhaps these may do the trick for you ...
Please keep in mind that this dual meter module is "dumb", meaning there are no control electronics and if being used in a custom design then the builder of the equipment will need to work out the drive to these meters.
I have made some basic tests of both the backlights and meters, the details are below
UNIDENTIFIED MANUFACTURER - Panel Meter
Made in Japan (???)
There are no indications of the country of manufacture but the build quality looks (and feels) much better than your typical el-cheapo Taiwanese/Chinese low grade product built to a price point, not for quality.
Black background with White scale
Scale is very nice, calibrated in WATTS (no dB)
Full scale deflection is intended to indicate 100W RMS
Meter Type: Rectangular Window view
Two backlights (2) - cartridge (festoon) type
Part #: unknown
HOWEVER there are some codes marked or stamped on the meter, they are:
X167-A (stamped into the base of the meter window)
2150046006 21V (printed in Black just to the right of the above stamping - this looks a lot like a batch code)
PCB at the rear of the module is marked as:
2220680 (solder side)
ETC (component side White screen print)
PCB has 4x through hole solder points, I have left the old colour coded wiring in place for convenience and the PCB actually indicates the meter tracks and lamp tracks anyway.
There are NO means to mount this meter, other than a friction fit into a panel cut-out
DIMENSIONS:
Overall meter body: 47mm height x 167mm Width x 35mm Thick
Window viewing area: 25.95mm height x 160mm wide
This window is forward of the body 2.5mm which means when fitted into a rectangular cutout slightly larger than the window area (160mm x 25.95mm) and the front panel metalwork is 2.5 ~ 3mm, the meter window will sit nice and flush with the panel.
Total module weight: 100g
TESTING:
The lamp circuit is both lamps connected in parallel on the PCB
The measured cold resistance is 10 Ohm
First I checked the incandescent festoon lamps using a very low voltage, 3V DC
Damn, only the LEFT lamp turns ON - the RIGHT lamp is not working, such a shame! It does look as though you could get inside the case to change the festoon incandescent lamp but it might be tricky, I have made no attempt.
Current drawn (with one lamp operating) was 50mA
Although the outer covering of the lamp is a Greenish colour, the light used to backlight the display is Yellow (because of the very low voltage) White - NOT Green
Next it came time to turn attention to the meters.
Using the same very low voltage source, I had full scale deflection at 3mA current flow - this surprised me a bit, I would have expected a much lower current for FSD but I double checked at these meters definitely have FSD at 3mA
So, both meter movements work fine but alas, one lamp is a "no goer"
NOTES:
The PCB clearly indicates the lamp solder pads and the meter connections (+ & -) are also clearly marked. Those wires that I have left in place are coded as:
YELLOW Left meter +
BLUE Left meter -
WHITE Right meter -
RED Right meter +
Unlike the lamps, both meters are completely independent of each other electrically i.e there is no common or ground connection.
COSMETIC CONDITION:
USED
Clean Black background/White text scale without scratches, cracks or discolouration
The whole of the front has a clear perspex type window, this is completely unmarked or discoloured
NO PCB damage
NO body damage
I have now placed this dual meter into a protective package and sealed it.
