LV transformer ratings

[RMS]

Hi all,

this may be a silly question to some but can someone explain the meaning of the VA rating for low voltage transformers?

I know that the most common sizes for low voltage downlights is 20-60VA which i remember being told that this would be rated for a load of up to 50W.

any advice appreciated thanks.

 

[RF Lighting]

Multiply volts by amps to give you watts (or more technically VA)

You may as well treat VA and watts the same here to avoid getting too confused, watts is equal to VA multiplyed by power factor if you want be correct

(power factor is a number between 0 and 1, and its the cosine of the phase angles between the current and voltage wave forms... phew...) for resistive loads such as lamps and heaters they are the same waveform and pf=1 for other types of load pf will be lower)

Quote 'borrowed' from home studio thread (here)

 

[RMS]

thanks RF,

would i be correct in saying that the VA would equal the watts as the lights would be resistve and the voltage/current would be in phase or would the coils of the transformer be enough to cause an inductive effect?