12v transformer

[jtizzard]

I have just been asked by a friend to look at there lights as they have stopped working.

He said that they are run of a 12v transformer in the loft, will there be just 1 transformer or 4 (there are 4 lights)?

Because if its just 1 then there could be just a loose cable and all the lights stopped working right?

Because there are no lights working at all and he said the switch is fine!

 

[Spark123]

Depends who put them in and what mood they were in on the day as to how many transformers there are. Could be a blown transformer, loose connection, anything really. What sort of tranny - electronic or wire wound?

 

[jtizzard]

well to be honest i couldnt tell you what type of tranny, but lets say i replace the tranny if its blown, can i just replace it with any standard 240v to 12v transformer?

 

[Spark123]

It needs to be similar to the one you take out, i.e. the correct rating and type.

 

[Fuseblower]

well to be honest i couldnt tell you what type of tranny, but lets say i replace the tranny if its blown, can i just replace it with any standard 240v to 12v transformer?

There is no reason why you can not replace an electronic module with a wire wound transformer or visa versa. To be honest I prefer the wire wound type as I find them more reliable. The disadvantage is their weight though. Depends how it's mounted in the roof space.
However as Spark 123 has pointed out you would have to ensure that the VA rating of the transformer is sufficient for the load.
What are the wattage rating of the lamps?
Regards
FB

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There is no reason why you can not replace an electronic module with a wire wound transformer or visa versa.

There might be if you've got dimmers...

 

[jtizzard]

Can someone just explain the last post please, is there any reason one of these transformers cannot be run in conjunction with a dimmer, because thats what switch was used before, he had a dimmer and the lights stopped working so he thought he would change it to a standard 1 way switch!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not all dimmers will work with electronic transformers. Not all dimmers will work with wirewound transformers. So saying you can always replace an electronic one with a wire wound one or visa versa isn't true.

But back to your friend - not all 12V power supplies like being dimmed, or they may only tolerate leading-edge or trailing-edge dimming, so it's possible that if he had a dimer that the PSU didn't like that he damaged it.