You mentioned a "spinner" for varying degrees of brightness... this is actually referred to as a dimmer switch...

...and while I'm not 100% sure that it matters - I'm just tossing this out there - but did you get replacement bulbs that were of the "dimmable" type?

Use a multi-meter to check if there is current at the bulb socket. If not, the dimmer may be defective.
Also, the voltage of the bulb need to match

Hi, Thanks for the responses guys.

DonnyThompson
I didn't think of that. They're just 4 watt bulbs of the same size. The Furman support person was telling me you can put pretty much any bulb up to 7 watts. But the dimmer type makes total sense. The bulbs looked identical in size too.

pcrecord
I think it's something like that. The tech support guy said something about the circuit for the switch being bad, he said they've had a few other customers with the same issue. This unit is about 16 years old now. I ended up going out today and buying the [="http://www.furmansound.com/product.php?div=01&id=PL-PLUSC"]PL Plus C[/]="http://www.furmanso…"]PL Plus C[/] because they don't use the [[url=http://="https://en.wikipedi…"]MOVs[/]="https://en.wikipedi…"]MOVs[/] anymore which as you know go bad over time and render the unit useless. The old unit I have is not worth the money to repair since the new one was only $150. but I might try to fix the old one myself for the fun of a learning experience.

Do all the older furman PL8 use regular light bulbs...Mine just burnt out after 21 yrs Also how do you get a stuck bulb out of it

I think they do, I think Furman and other companys just started using LEDs recently. Regarding getting the bulb out: You might want to try to spin it with something rubber, like the bottom of your mouse pad. The thinner the rubber however the easier it will be. No latex, but maybe put a thumb on your finger.

You've had that for 21 years?
I love old equipment, but as mentioned above, I think most of the older power strips used the [[url=http://[/URL]="https://en.wikipedi…"]Varistor[/]="https://en.wikipedi…"]Varistor[/] MOVs which degrade over time. Because they are a type of resistor, they're being worked hard all the time and wear out. If you are just using this thing for a light, then I guess replacing the light might be worth your time unless it's an issue with the switch circuit like was the case for me. But if it's 21 years old I would have to assume you're getting little to no protection. Although I don't know how much I trust these things when it comes to strong enough surge. Considering how fast electricity moves, (I can talk to someone on the other side of the world almost instantly) Surges can blow things out even with an expensive unit. Seems well implemented ground poles are a safer plan in combination with surge units.

I'm certainly no light bulb expert - LOL - but as I mentioned to Wave previously, you may want to make sure that the replacement bulb you get - along with it being the correct wattage - is also of the "dim-able" type, if you have a rheostatic switch on that particular model ... and I have no idea if this is a justifiable concern or not - it may be that all modern bulbs are made to work with dimmer switches...

Although, I would echo what Wave mentioned, regarding the unit itself... 21 years is a long time when it comes to relying on devices that are taking constant voltage, and that are made to protect your equipment.

I'm only speaking for myself here, of course, but if it were me, I'd be giving serious consideration to replacing it with a newer model, if I really wanted to feel secure about it protecting my equipment:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/M8Lx

At $89, I think it's a small price to pay for the protection of your gear - which presumably costs a great deal more than that to repair ... or maybe even replace. ;)

IMHO of course.

d.

You would think that Furman would give you a schematic and part # so you can fix it It is just one little part..My old Fender Amp still work perfect every day,and if something does go south you unsolder it and presto you have it working again..I collect old music magazines and you see all these companys with "lifetime warrintys"Obsolete or gone....

Bob Barcus, post: 431422, member: 39024 wrote: You would think that Furman would give you a schematic and part # so you can fix it It is just one little part..My old Fender Amp still work perfect every day,and if something does go south you unsolder it and presto you have it working again..I collect old music magazines and you see all these companys with "lifetime warrintys"Obsolete or gone....

Now you're talking my thoughts.
Welcome to the new world, the world of Mass Marketing, Mass Consumption, and the new generation of iPhone users who are on a fast-track-race to a red light. A generation too busy to follow congressional hearings - Americans who've already lost their republic in place of an Oligarchy.
We're in a world ...a new generation that thinks new is always better. Values are gone, so chances are when our parents, and grandparents told us how good the world was in their day, no one listens. I'm sorry but the majority of people in this world can give a damn about each other. It's all about a fast buck. The integrity and hospitality today is gone. Marketing use to be as simple as selling lemonade and offering a buy-one-get-one free deal. But today the wording, and strategy's have grown cynical and deceiving.

One word of advice Bob: don't ever fall in love with anything. You'll always be disappointed. I've given up on caring. It's no use when the other 90% are not on the same page. Welcome to the new world - Welcome to the Machine.

As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the last session of The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia 1787, a woman approached him and asked, “What kind of government have you given us, Dr. Franklin? A republic or a monarchy?” Franklin answered, “A republic, Madam, if you can keep it” Book title Government in the United States ISBN# 0-02-151100-4 (Page. 17)

waveform, post: 431427, member: 49116 wrote: I've given up on caring. It's no use when the other 90% are not on the same page.

Don't give up on caring. Just re-focus it to what matters. ;)

I think that all we can do anymore is to live our own lives the best way we know how; with character and integrity, compassion for those who need help, helping a buddy when he/she needs it, and while doing so, understanding that almost everyone has an agenda of some kind.

I tend to place my trust mostly in my fellow artists, not only because we are like-minded about so many things, but also because true artists think and feel more from their hearts and souls, and less analytically so.

Artists also understand what it's like to work very hard at something simply out of a passion, out of love for what they do, their craft, and knowing that - for the most part - "success" is a long shot, and even on the rare occasion when we do have a chance to experience it, it's fleeting.

Artists are one of the very few groups of people who do what they do because they don't really have a choice. While it's great to make a living with our art, the truth is, if you asked most artists, they'd likely tell you that they would continue to be artists regardless of any financial gain or not - because it's such a deeply entrenched part of who we are, and what makes us tick - it's instinctual, primal, involuntary.

I'd much rather spend an evening with a group of artists, talking about, well, anything... than to sit at some country club bar surrounded by corporate chair-moisteners who's conversational range is limited to what the market did that day, or what their golf handicap is.

FWIW. :)

d.