Does anyone
know the specifications for the original bulbs? Is there
a reason to expect that they (or an equivalent) are no longer made?
I do not recall offhand, but the base and "cartridge" are fairly
standard and not hard to get. The lens is a bit IBM specific (and of
course, the bit everyone sees).
AFAIK, the key specs for a bulb are the base/style, the operating voltage
and current, and the "brightness" of the bulb. Most of which could probably
be determined from a part number (if we're lucky) or with a bench supply
(if not). (The brightness would probably also require a known reference
bulb or two to determine, though.)
I have some formulas around somewhere to derate brightness against voltage,
etc., which I've used before to determine which available (modern) bulbs
are the closest (if an exact equivalent can't be found).
Also, anecdotal evidence (from PDP-8/E panels) seems to indicate that the
values aren't even very critical. (Several people have used the 8/I bulbs,
or other even more incorrect bulbs, and failed to notice the difference!)
Vince