On 1 Nov 2005 04:40:01 -0800, wrote:

Does this lamp have a low voltage halogen bulb in it?

The buzzing noise, flickering and final bang symptoms suggest that the
lamp has (or had) a built in transformer or power supply unit that is
unsuitable for dimming.

If you have such a fitting then you would need to replace the power
supply unit with one that can be dimmed.

Yes it is a halogen floor stander, with 10 flexible arms each with a
halogen bulb at the end of it.

So from what you are saying I will actually have to change the internal
workings/power supply of the lamp, in order to get it to work and its
nothing to do with earth or a crap dimmer switch?

That's right. A lot of these fittings have a power supply that objects
to the chopped or pulsed waveform that comes out of most dimmers.

In extreme cases the electronics in a switched mode power supply can
get very confused - and go bang.

There are replacement power supply units (often called transformers)
which are specifically designed to work with dimmers. You also need to
be certain that you get an appropriate unit for the total wattage of
the bulbs. Most units have a minimum wattage specified as well as a
maximum, so the old idea of getting a big one just in case does not
always apply.

Also, as other posters have said, the dimmers themselves normally have
to be rated at a higher wattage when used with halogen lights rather
than incandescent bulbs. This is because halogen lamps take a higher
current when first switched on. Typically 250 Watts of halogen lights
will need a 400W dimmer.

John
--
John White
SCA Electrical, Manchester http://www.scaelectrical.co.uk/
Domestic and commercial electrical contractors