Need prototype 10vac to 6vdc to LED driver

[Yao Tung]

I like to restore old radios and such and they typically used old neon bulbs run on 10 Vac to light the dials etc I would like to replace these old bulbs with nice long lasting LED's. Typically the power supplied is about 10 vac but could vary.

I need a compact implementation capable of being hidden away in an existing radio or other existing case including schematic and parts list to retrofit the supplied 10 vac to 6 vdc capable of feeding an LED driver and several LED's simultaneously.

It is beyond me as I understand there are challenges in that it should be a safe design with stable power characteristics (LED's don't flash), incorporating resistance to bleed off the capacitance, efficient, not too much heat generated etc. any takers ?

Can pay you for a successful build prototype.

 

[(*steve*)]

if run on 10VAC then they're not neon, they're normal incandescent bulbs. In my very limited experience, these bulbs were often run at lower than their rated voltage which ensured a very long live and also a yellowish coloured light.

The easiest solution is to wire up pair of LEDs in parallel, but connected anode to cathode (so they point in opposite directions). Connect several of these in series and finally add a suitable series resistor. Yellow LEDs may be suitable as they will mimic the yellow glow of an under-rated globe.

You will probably be able to get far more light from the LEDs than you need, so limiting their current to 10mA may be quite sufficient. For 10VAC, do the calculations as if the voltage was 14VDC

The 50Hz flickering will not be noticeable.