Repair of the backlight of an Alinco DR-130 VHF transceiver (2026/05/13)
Alinco DR130 VHF transceiver, given to me by DV9JRD.
The backlight bulb in the LCD display was burnt out.
This DR-130 is quite old, but the inside is in good condition.
I removed the plastic front panel and then removed the panel unit using four screws.
There is a light bulb below connector CN204.
There is one more light bulb on the left side, for a total of two light bulbs.
I measured it with a tester and there was no continuity.
The light bulb was out.
I found a pack of 100 3mm LEDs for a ridiculously low price of 43 pesos (114 yen) on a Philippine online store.
LEDs are bright in the forward direction, but lack sufficient illumination to the sides.
But it's better than not being able to see anything at all.
Repair complete.