M-35 VU meters

[Blackdog.sn]

Hello,
I just won a bid for an M-35 but now i find out that the VU meters don't light up. Is this repair simple to do, or will i just have to leave it light less? Also just to verify...even if the VU's dont light up, they still work right? And one more thing...what does it mean when the "pots" must be cleaned.

Thanks,
Blackdog

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

If it's just the lights on the meters that don't work, more likely than not it's just burnt-out bulbs. They should be pretty easy to replace as long as you can get the right bulbs and you have no problem opening up the patient and know your way around a soldering iron. Or you could probably take to to a repair tech hand have it fixed for one hour of whatever his hourly rate is plus 2 bucks for the bulbs. No biggie - *if* that's all that's wrong with it. And yes, if it's just the bulbs are out, that should have no effect on the functionality of the meters themselves - *if* that's all that's wrong with it.

Cleaning the "pots" means cleaning the potentiometers. Thats the technical name for the rotating knob controls like Input trim and Pan L/R. The electrical contacts in them are probably ditry and oxidized, and hopefully not corroded. This cleaning again is something you can do yourself or the tech can do for you very easily with professional-grade contact or tuner cleaner - *if* that's all that's wrong with them.