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Cabinet lighting - help needed with electrics/controller
Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2021 5:57 pm
by arcadian
This is my first post on the forum, would be very grateful for any help or assistance!
Recently moved into a property, and the kitchen cabinet lights cycle between on and off (about 3-4 times, every half a second) when you turn then on, and then stay off. I have tried changing bulbs, but I wonder if it is an issue with the transformer or light controller?
The lights seem supplied by a telephone (yes telephone) cable from a separate transformer/light controller device.
Is this faulty? Should I just change it?
Many thanks
Re: Cabinet lighting - help needed with electrics/controller
Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2021 8:58 pm
by Mr White
Without being there to actually test it, all anyone can do is guess.
It sounds like the "power supply" is switching off to protect itself.
But why, I do not know, it may be there are too many lamps / over rated lamps, you do not say how many lamps there are and what the rating of those lamps is.
Re: Cabinet lighting - help needed with electrics/controller
Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2021 9:42 pm
by arcadian
Thanks Mr White. They are 2 x led down lighters - see attached
Re: Cabinet lighting - help needed with electrics/controller
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 10:24 am
by chriscba
I would invest in a new set up, they look shot
Re: Cabinet lighting - help needed with electrics/controller
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:42 pm
by ericmark
Likely the electronic transformer has a minimum output and new bulbs are under that minimum output, so new toroidal transformer with 50 Hz output, or an electronic transformer that goes down to zero or a driver at fixed voltage, or swap lamps for low voltage instead of extra low voltage and do away with the voltage dropper.
With quartz lamps the thicker the filament longer they lasted and the more stable the voltage the longer they lasted so good reason for 12 volt, but with LED that is no longer the case, so 230 volt is far better.
Re: Cabinet lighting - help needed with electrics/controller
Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2021 12:50 pm
by ericmark
Note except for USA 12 volt is extra low voltage, and 230 volt is low voltage, only in USA is 12 volt called low voltage, but seems they speak a sort of English so often you get items which are extra low voltage marked as low voltage.
All LED lights seem to have a problem with labels, they do not say if leak resistor fitted or smoothing capacitor fitted, so until you try them you don't know if they will flash or pulse, however with small LED bulbs (physical size) there is no room to fit leak resistors and smoothing capacitors so better to select the larger types.