Allen MDS 25 Reverb and card reader lights

[jjcricket1958]

For the life of me, I cannot find the pot to control the reverb on this organ. help!!!

Two of the six light bulbs on the card reader are burned out, or not lighting up for some other reason. Suggestions???

[toodles]

There is no general reverb pot on this organ, but there are several adjustments available.

I believe this model uses the ADC mixer board, probably located on the back of the swing out panel. It has 4 pots to adjust the drive signal sent to the ADR4 reverb unit. Typically you would not need to adjust these, and they would all be set to the same level.

The ADR4 unit has 5 pots--small trimmer pots that need a miniature screwdriver to adjust. There is an input gain pot, Output 1 gain, Output 2 gain, bass 1 adjustment and bass 2 adjustment. These should have been set at the factory and at initial installation and might not need any further adjustment.

In addition, there are 4 DIP switches on the ADR4; switches 1, 2, and 3 adjust the reverb length.

Set as follows:

For long reverb, set position 1 off, position 2 off, and position 3 off.
For medium long, off, on, off for positions 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
For medium, off, off, on.
For short, off, on, on.
For shortest, on, on, on.

Position 4 sets the delay time to simulate front of the auditorium or rear of the auditorium. Off is for front, and on is for rear.

Any changes in these switches require toggling the reverb tab off then on to take effect.

Search the forum for card reader lights--it has been discussed several times.

[myorgan]

Two of the six light bulbs on the card reader are burned out, or not lighting up for some other reason. Suggestions???

Jjcricket1958,

My suggestion is to replace the burned out bulbs. Fortunately, I have a fellow near me who has the lamps in stock, so I can ask him from time-to-time. Others have used LED replacements (with mixed results). I stick with the original lamps. If you search for "card reader lamps" or "card reader bulbs" on the Forum, you'll get many relevant results.

Michael

[jjcricket1958]

Michael,

Thanks for this info. I would be interested in getting two replacement bulbs. Can you provide me with more info?

Best,

Jim

[myorgan]

If you search for "card reader lamps" or "card reader bulbs" on the Forum, you'll get many relevant results.

Thanks for this info. I would be interested in getting two replacement bulbs. Can you provide me with more info?

OK, Jim. I've done the search for you and information is in the following locations:

• https://www.organforum.com/forums/sh...l=1#post455214
• https://www.organforum.com/forums/sh...l=1#post436427
• https://www.organforum.com/forums/sh...l=1#post462025 (for an alternate replacement)

If you do your search on *oogle (https://www.google.com/search?q=%238640+lamp), you can choose the vendor you trust to provide the lamps. *mazon & *Bay also have options available. I would also suggest you order more than just two. Since all the lamps are probably original, you may end up needing to replace more lamps once the other two are repaired. Some people replace all at the same time. Also, make sure all the lamps are the same height. You can use the other lamps for reference, and be careful the legs you solder are configured the same as the already existing wire legs. They help adjust the height of the bulb.

BTW, some members have replaced their card reader lamps with LED replacements, but at least one member has reported having to change the size of the card reader lamp holes in order to make the LED lamps fit. For that reason, I would not recommend it for a beginner or person who is uncomfortable with electronics. One could do a lot of damage to a card reader by altering it–if they don't know what they're doing.

Michael

[Admin]

OK, Jim. I've done the search for you and information is in the following locations:
BTW, some members have replaced their card reader lamps with LED replacements, but at least one member has reported having to change the size of the card reader lamp holes in order to make the LED lamps fit. For that reason, I would not recommend it for a beginner or person who is uncomfortable with electronics. One could do a lot of damage to a card reader by altering it–if they don't know what they're doing.

Michael

RE: LEDS, To add to what Michael says above, think about it this way: the lamps that have failed in the card reader are likely more than 25 years old. If you replace them with the same type bulb, you're likely to get another 25 years of service out of them. Will you still be playing that organ 25 years from now? In my view, it's not worth the effort and expense to modify the card reader mechanically and electrically to use LEDs.

[jjcricket1958]

Toodles, Michael, and Admin.....Thank you for all the great information! The info regarding the reverb settings was valuable and worked! I ordered the miniature lamps and will give attempting to replace the two burned out bulbs a go once they arrive. I appreciate everything I learn as a result of the kindness and expertise of those here. :-)

[jbird604]

JJ, I think you have the info you need here to proceed. If you check the links that myorgan provided regarding the CR lamps, you'll see the generic lamp number, which will help you find them at very low cost from any number of online suppliers.

[jjcricket1958]

Thanks, everyone, for all the valuable info. I removed the unit from the organ this afternoon, removed and replaced all six lamps and then reinstalled. The card reader now works as it is supposed to. Because of the willingness of everyone to share, and my interest in learning to do more of this kind of thing, a congregation is now able to enjoy a great sounding organ!!!