Low Voltage Lights are Dim!
J. Les Gainous
distance from the transformer to the first of four lights is 30 feet. These
lights are 7-watt bulbs each. The distance from that first light to the
fourth light is 30 feet, as well.
When I put an 88-watt transformer on it, the first light was dim, the second
was even dimmer, and the third and fourth were not even lit. Thinking it was
an under powered transformer, I tried a 200-watt transformer. The results
were the same.
What can I do?
I'm using these lights as accent lighting under eaves in the front of my
house. I ran the wire just inside the attic and would rather not "re-wire",
unless that is the only way to get the lights to work properly.
Someone mentioned that I may not have enough load on the system and to add
more load (read: more lights). I can't add more lights because of the
purpose of these lights.
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
--
J. Les Gainous
email: mailto:lesgainous@UN_SPAM_earthlink_A_B_C_.net
web: http://home.earthlink.net/~lesgainous
(remove the "UN_SPAM_" and "_A_B_C_" from my email address to send to me
directly)
J. Les Gainous
a short?
KenKM wrote in message <19990531220907...@ng-bd1.aol.com>...
>You may have a short or 'partial short' somewhere after the second light.
Does
>the transformer get unusually warm? This condition is dropping the voltage
>because of the unusually large current draw.
>Whoever told you to add more load is just plain wrong.
KenKM
Paul
the transformers capacity. Don't know if this is the cause, but its
worth a try using a smaller transformer.
Paul
KenKM
case. As you load up these small transformers they tend to heat up under load.
Also, the voltage is not well regulated, hence the recommedation by the mfrs.
to have at least a certain % of the load attached. At low loads, the voltage
tends to soar and the light bulb life is shortened because of the higher
voltage. That might have been why you were told to add more load. But in your
case, you should have four very bright lights.
If you have a continuity tester, pull all the bulbs and disconnect the wire
from the transformer. Then check the resistance between the two wires. The
reading should be 'open circuit'. Anything else indicates a problem in the wire
or sockets.
Ken
Bryan Joseph
<lesgainous@UN_SPAM_earthlink_A_B_C_.net> wrote:
>Actually, yes, the transformer does get a bit warm. Is that an indication of
>a short?
>
You can check for a short in your cable by disconnecting it from the
transformer and attaching the leads of an ohmmter to the free ends of
the cable. It should read zero (infinity) or close to it. If the
needle jumps appreciably, it indicates a short somewhere along the
cable which feeds the individual lights. If this is the case, replace
the cable.
Bryan Joseph
<lesgainous@UN_SPAM_earthlink_A_B_C_.net> wrote:
>Actually, yes, the transformer does get a bit warm. Is that an indication of
>a short?
>
Sorry. I forgot to mention in my post that you must take the bulbs
out before you make the test or it won't be accurate.
Lyle Pakula
could run a 1 W bulb on a 1000000 W transformer, and it's not going to care. The
reason you cannot go the other way is the way the transformer is designed. The
tranformer core begins to saturate at high currents (all dependent on the design).
Once it saturates, it no longer supplies current linearly. If you draw too much
current then the windings heat and the transformer will die.
Steve Negri
connectors on one side of the wire, and the black on the other side
exclusively. I was originally told that there was no such thing as + or - on
low voltage lighting...jsut connect and go.
Terry Neafie
I'll bet you have a short at or between the third and fourth light. It
is possible for the spade in the lamp connector to poke into both
wires. You could have a bad bulb. While least likely it's easiest to
check by "walking" a known good bulb down to each lamp.
The 88W transformer is better than the 200W, for this application.
"J. Les Gainous" wrote:
>
> I have 60 feet of 16-gauge low-voltage wire (using Malibu lighting). The
> distance from the transformer to the first of four lights is 30 feet. These
> lights are 7-watt bulbs each. The distance from that first light to the
> fourth light is 30 feet, as well.
>
> When I put an 88-watt transformer on it, the first light was dim, the second
> was even dimmer, and the third and fourth were not even lit. Thinking it was
> an under powered transformer, I tried a 200-watt transformer. The results
> were the same.
>
> What can I do?
>
> I'm using these lights as accent lighting under eaves in the front of my
> house. I ran the wire just inside the attic and would rather not "re-wire",
> unless that is the only way to get the lights to work properly.
>
> Someone mentioned that I may not have enough load on the system and to add
> more load (read: more lights). I can't add more lights because of the
> purpose of these lights.
>
> Any help would be appreciated!
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> --
> J. Les Gainous
> email: mailto:lesgainous@UN_SPAM_earthlink_A_B_C_.net
> web: http://home.earthlink.net/~lesgainous
> (remove the "UN_SPAM_" and "_A_B_C_" from my email address to send to me
> directly)
--
--------------------------------------------------
Terry Neafie
Account Support Engineer Milwaukee WI
sgi Inc. PHONE: 414.827.4661
nea...@sgi.com VNET: 645.1450
www.sgi.com FAX: 414.827.4662
--------------------------------------------------
J. Les Gainous
grin>
I had the very end of the wires (opposite the transformer) connected to each
other. Not knowing any better, I simply stripped them and twisted them
together and wrapped electrical tape around the twist. When I cut the end
cleanly (and re-wrapped) without the two wires connected, the lights lit up
nice and bright!
I thought the the lights wouldn't work, period, when the two ends connected?
Kinda odd that the first two worked (albeit very dimly).
Oh well, good thing I didn't blow the circuit breakers (or even worse...)!
Thanks everyone for your help and insight!
--
Les
J. Les Gainous wrote in message <7iv7jq$n3k$1...@oak.prod.itd.earthlink.net>...
KenKM
Ken
J. Les -- did you do that test yet???
Robert Hancock
end so that there was enough resistance to keep it from smoking the
transformer. Now, if you did that right next to the transformer, that likely
would have let the smoke out :-)
--
Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from hanc...@nospamhome.com
Home Page: http://members.home.net/hancockr
J. Les Gainous <lesgainous@UN_SPAM_earthlink_A_B_C_.net> wrote in message
news:7j505a$q5v$1...@ash.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
KenKM
been before the third light.
Glad you're all set.
Ken
PaulMmn
<lesgainous@UN_SPAM_earthlink_A_B_C_.net> wrote:
>Yes, I figured it out. I'm an idiot when it come to electricity! <sheepish
>grin>
*snip*
>Oh well, good thing I didn't blow the circuit breakers (or even worse...)!
I can tell you never had a model train when you were a kid... (:
that's where I learned all about electricity and circuits and stuff--
and how you never hooked the track to the Base Post and the 15 Volt
Post-- but always to the Base Post and the 7-15 Volt Post.
The nice thing about low voltage systems is that they're low voltage--
you'd probably have to work to do a lot of damage or shock yourself.
If I remember how it goes:
You always hire the experienced person because they won't make
mistakes.
You only get experience by making misteaks. (;
--Paul E Musselman
Pau...@ix.netcom.nospam.com