On 26/07/2010 10:57, jim wrote:
Still struggling with deciding how to update the ceiling lighting.

If I go for low volt downlighters, is it normal for each downlight
unit to have its own separate transformer?


You can get both sorts - either with built-in individual transformers,
or with a separate one serving several lamps.

The ones which I installed about 8 years ago had separate transformers
(I'm not sure that the other sort were available at the time) and the
ones which an electrician installed in our refurbished kitchen last year
had individual built-in transformers.

If so I presume normal 1.0 or 1.5 mm2 cable can be daisy chained to
each outlet?& that then gives the flexibility to allow switching
between LV& HV units later?

Or am I misunderstanding something?


That's precisely right - you just feed mains to each lamp's transformer,
so you can mix and match. Having experienced both sorts, I would
certainly go the individual transformer route in future. With the other
route you need fairly hefty cables between transformer and lamps because
they are carrying much more current and you can't afford any appreciable
voltage drop. You also need to be able to access the transformers via a
lamp hole in case they need replacing - but with the other sort, the
transformer comes out with the lamp.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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