Mine had springy contacts in each lampholder to make contact with the
conducting bars. Dust and cheap manufacturing had caused poor contacts in
each holder. A strip and clean sorted it.
--
Regards
John
"Velvet" wrote in message
...
r3duf wrote:
"Velvet" wrote in message
...
Put up two sets of these a couple of years ago. One set is now behaving
oddly. They're both operated from the same switch, but I'm not exactly
sure how they're wired together, I didn't do that bit.
They're 12v systems with a transformer integral to the mounting point on
the ceiling for the track - so not recessed at all. 4x35w halogen
lights on the track, one transformer per track.
A couple of weeks ago, one set didn't come on. From past experience I
know if a single halogen blows, the others remain lit, but started
replacing them one by one anyway. First one I swapped, it all lit up
when I tried it again, so I swapped the 'old' bulb back in, still
worked, so I figured maybe it had worked loose from the heat or
something.
Then a few days back I noticed in the periphery of my vision that the
lights (again, just this one set) seemed to be intermittently going
brighter. I've seen this sometimes when the supply's been a bit ropey,
but nothing else was affected. It cleared up, and I thought no more of
it.
Tonight, having had the lights on a couple of times today, I discover
the entire set is out again. Having changed the bulbs one by one it's
still not working, and I'm none the wiser.
Having left it off and tried again, it's still dead. I'm not taking the
cover off till I can see what I'm doing tomorrow when the sun makes an
appearance again, but would appreciate some ideas on what I can look for
and try.
I have a multimeter and have a vague idea on how to use it, though most
of my experience has been on much lower voltage stuff, not mains, which
is another reason why I'm leaving it till tomorrow, so I can see exactly
what I'm about to electrocute myself with :-)
Anyone else had this, I'm assuming it must be something to do with the
transformer, but a bit puzzled why changing the bulb last time seemed to
kick it back into life. I've checked all the track is secure and tight
etc.
TIA,
Velvet
Had the same problem. The track lights or mini spots in my case got so
hot
they melted. Currently trying to replace same at a cost of about £80.00
for
4.
Regards JD
Hmm. Mine run hot, but I expect that of halogens - certainly they've
never got hot enough to melt anything! I did find a cheap set of
mini-spots (non-halogen) ran hot enough that they literally fell apart,
having cause the crappy welding to fail where the housing meets the
adjustable arm bit. Mine have all but the narrow bit on the bulb
exposed (they're sealed bulb things c/w reflector and front uv-glass) so
the heat radiates away better than if they were enclosed and just had
the fronts showing (more like traditional incandescent spots tend to be).
There was absolutely no sign of heat damage when I was up there changing
the bulbs either - I'd expect the little 'max 35w' labels to have
crisped if they were getting seriously hot, but they all look fine.
Velvet
---
All of my outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (
http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.577 / Virus Database: 366 - Release Date: 03/02/2004