SC-816 Lamp Replacement

[Acknar]

When I bought my radio only two lights worked in it.

This will show both how to replace the button lights and the screen lamp.

1: Use a coin to pop the latches out.

2: Pull on the latches to remove radio

3: Remove the volume/balance knob by grabbing the sides and rolling your fingers against the faceplate

4: Remove the three screws holding the face to the radio

5: With one hand put a slight tension on the faceplate while you put a small screwdriver under the latches and twist slightly to release them from the post.

6: Pull face straight off and pull the ribbon cable straight out with a gentle rocking motion with two fingers one on each flat side of cable.

7: If you only need the button lights replaced you are far enough. Just twist the sockets circled in blue and remove and replace the lamps, then move to step 17. If you also need to replace the lamp for the display remove the screws circled in red.

8: Before you remove the circuit board you also need to remove the sliders on the front. Again, pinch with two fingers then roll them away from the face putting pressure on the back of your fingers to remove.

9: Straighten and slightly pull the two tabs in green away from the board. Now time to break out the soldering iron. With one hand pulling metal shroud away from the board, melt the solder marked with blue working one side then the other until the shield pulls free. Then repeat the process on the two circled in red.

10: Now you can see our prize. This single lamp lights the screen up. Seen with the blue rubber cap on it nestled in by the screen.

11: Get your solder wick or suction tool and remove the solder points circled in purple in the image in step 9.

12: Extract the lamp and remove the cap and base from it.

lamp cap and base

13: Use solder wick or suction tool to remove all excess solder from all the points we just worked with, blue, red, and purple.

14: Put new lamp into the old base and replace cover onto it. And feed the leads down into the two purple holes and bend the leads out and then solder them into place.

Before solder on lamp

15: Fit metal shield back over the screen and solder the blue and red points back and twist the green

16: Reinstall circuit board to face and put all the screws back in and snap the sliders back into place.

17: Grasp the ribbon cable between two fingers again and lightly rock it back into place.

18: Careful not to pinch the ribbon while you feed the face plate back over the latches

Checking the ribbon

18b: I would strongly advise you to test the lights at this point, this is especially important if like me you replaced the button lights with LEDs. Be aware if the radio is off the buttons will not respond if the metal tab on the right side does not touch the case.

19: With the top angled away from the radio, slide the bottom toward the radio to start the two bottom latches. Then start pushing the top back toward the radio making sure all the latches reingauge with the radio.

20: Reinstall the three screws that were removed. And push the volume knob back into place.

21: Push the radio straight back into the car until it is flush with the trim.

22: Push the latches back in and they will click into place and remain flush with the face.

Push latches

Latches remain flush

23: Enjoy your working radio lights