DaveC wrote:

A nice designer desk lamp uses those l.v. (12v) 2-pin halogen lamps. Each pin
contact in the socket consists of 2 C-shaped halves that are spring-loaded to
hold the pin.

This is a nice (and expensive) lamp that I'd like to keep. What are my
choices? I guess I could solder the lamp to the socket components now and
whenever the bulb gives out.

A replacement socket from a cheap fixture, or a screw connection. The
metal bits from a 'kroonsteentje' (the nowadays plastic screw connectors
used to connect lamp cords to the ceiling wiring) might work.


Thomas

DaveC wrote:
A

I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.

use a small amount of SILICONE grease on point of contact to stop the oxidation and lower the temperature at point of contact.

Yukio YANO

DaveC wrote:

A nice designer desk lamp uses those l.v. (12v) 2-pin halogen lamps. Each pin
contact in the socket consists of 2 C-shaped halves that are spring-loaded to
hold the pin.

Over time, these socket halves have pitted due to the extreme heat.
Connection is now intermittent. If I hold the bulb at an angle (usually twist
it in the socket a bit), the bulb goes full brightness. But left on its own,
it flickers and buzzes.

I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.

This is a nice (and expensive) lamp that I'd like to keep. What are my
choices? I guess I could solder the lamp to the socket components now and
whenever the bulb gives out.


Soldering is probably not a good idea for many reasons.

You could look around for a (cheap) lamp that takes the same
bulb and swap the bulb-holder.

You may be able to build up the contacts again using
electroplating. With time, patience and mask resist this can
rebuild all sorts of irreplaceable items.

You could make up a couple of new connectors using a lathe
(or a bench drill, if pushed) - a brass bar drilled to allow
it to be crimped on to the wires and screw-fastened on to
the bulb pin is easy to make and vry effective.

You could use a different type of bulb - eg a small
automobile halogen type with long wire-ends. You can them
move the connection point to somewhere cooler and easier to
manage.


HTH

--
Sue

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 17:29:58 GMT, DaveC wrote:

A nice designer desk lamp uses those l.v. (12v) 2-pin halogen lamps. Each pin
contact in the socket consists of 2 C-shaped halves that are spring-loaded to
hold the pin.

Over time, these socket halves have pitted due to the extreme heat.
Connection is now intermittent. If I hold the bulb at an angle (usually twist
it in the socket a bit), the bulb goes full brightness. But left on its own,
it flickers and buzzes.

I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.

This is a nice (and expensive) lamp that I'd like to keep. What are my
choices? I guess I could solder the lamp to the socket components now and
whenever the bulb gives out.

I'd get a new pin contact assembly.

Yes, I went through something like this. My local distributor, Marshall
Electric had about 7 different ceramic bipost bases with pigtails
available. You'll probably need a crimper to make the connection. BTW I
repaired film equipment some time ago when these bipost or end
connected Halogen lights first came in use. They were always
developing problems at the connection point. The only repair was new
bases. These were 250, 500, 750 1K or 2 K watts.
Richard

DaveC wrote:

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 10:01:16 -0800, Yukio YANO wrote
(in article MTi%d.737577$Xk.205221@pd7tw3no):

use a small amount of SILICONE grease on point of contact to stop the
oxidation and lower the temperature at point of contact.

Hmm... don't want to get grease *into* the connection, do I? Silicon grease
is an insulator.

So is air, but you don't mind having that in your connector.

As long as the grease isn't too thick, the metal will make contact.

Exactly how will this lower the temperature? The grease, as I understand it,
is a conductor of heat, but without a heat sink to conduct the heat *to*,
grease alone won't help, will it?

The idea is that the pin and socket are heat sinks and the tiny point
of contact is the heat source to be sinked. Not much power there,
but a large energy density.

Also, reducing oxidation lowers contact resistance and lowers the
temperature.

That being said, silicone grease is a band-aid for when you keep
having oxidation problems in a connector you can't replace.
Far better to have the right connector.

On 20 Mar 2005 12:02:52 -0800, "spudnuty" wrote:

Yes, I went through something like this. My local distributor, Marshall
Electric had about 7 different ceramic bipost bases with pigtails
available. You'll probably need a crimper to make the connection. BTW I
repaired film equipment some time ago when these bipost or end
connected Halogen lights first came in use. They were always
developing problems at the connection point. The only repair was new
bases. These were 250, 500, 750 1K or 2 K watts.
Richard

I've worked with these fixtures as well.
You can clean off the contact points with a dremel and a wire brush.
electro plating them can also help. gold plating will stop corrosion
and help keep arc build up to a minumim.
silver or chrome is a low cost alternative.

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:51:00 GMT, DaveC wrote:

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 10:01:16 -0800, Yukio YANO wrote
(in article MTi%d.737577$Xk.205221@pd7tw3no):

use a small amount of SILICONE grease on point of contact to stop the
oxidation and lower the temperature at point of contact.

Hmm... don't want to get grease *into* the connection, do I? Silicon grease
is an insulator.

Exactly how will this lower the temperature? The grease, as I understand it,
is a conductor of heat, but without a heat sink to conduct the heat *to*,
grease alone won't help, will it?

Or am I missing something important here?

The pin on the lamp will displace enough silicoine to make an
electrical connetion. The silicone will keep the metals from
oxidising. My worry is the heat melting the silicone enough to cause
it to ooze out.

"Gary J Tait" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:51:00 GMT, DaveC wrote:

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 10:01:16 -0800, Yukio YANO wrote
(in article MTi%d.737577$Xk.205221@pd7tw3no):

use a small amount of SILICONE grease on point of contact to stop the
oxidation and lower the temperature at point of contact.

Hmm... don't want to get grease *into* the connection, do I? Silicon
grease
is an insulator.

Exactly how will this lower the temperature? The grease, as I understand
it,
is a conductor of heat, but without a heat sink to conduct the heat *to*,
grease alone won't help, will it?

Or am I missing something important here?

The pin on the lamp will displace enough silicoine to make an
electrical connetion. The silicone will keep the metals from
oxidising. My worry is the heat melting the silicone enough to cause
it to ooze out.

I would just replace the socket personally, there's a few oddballs, but most
of them are reasonably available.

In article , Gary J Tait wrote:
On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:51:00 GMT, DaveC wrote:

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 10:01:16 -0800, Yukio YANO wrote
(in article MTi%d.737577$Xk.205221@pd7tw3no):

use a small amount of SILICONE grease on point of contact to stop the
oxidation and lower the temperature at point of contact.

Hmm... don't want to get grease *into* the connection, do I? Silicon grease
is an insulator.

Exactly how will this lower the temperature? The grease, as I understand it,
is a conductor of heat, but without a heat sink to conduct the heat *to*,
grease alone won't help, will it?

Or am I missing something important here?

The pin on the lamp will displace enough silicoine to make an
electrical connetion. The silicone will keep the metals from
oxidising. My worry is the heat melting the silicone enough to cause
it to ooze out.

Although replacing the socket with a better one is preferred, I do dare
to say that I consider heat an unlikely enemy of silicone. If it is
liquid enough to get in at room temperature, I expect it be only a little
more liquid 500 degrees F or 275 degrees C hotter.

- Don Klipstein )

"DaveC" wrote in message
t...
A nice designer desk lamp uses those l.v. (12v) 2-pin halogen lamps. Each
pin
contact in the socket consists of 2 C-shaped halves that are spring-loaded
to
hold the pin.

Over time, these socket halves have pitted due to the extreme heat.
Connection is now intermittent. If I hold the bulb at an angle (usually
twist
it in the socket a bit), the bulb goes full brightness. But left on its
own,
it flickers and buzzes.

I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.

This is a nice (and expensive) lamp that I'd like to keep. What are my
choices? I guess I could solder the lamp to the socket components now and
whenever the bulb gives out.
--
Please, no "Go Google this" replies. I wouldn't
ask a question here if I hadn't done that already.

DaveC

This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group


There is only one answer.

Replace the lamp holder AND the globe. You need super clean contacts with
all that current going thru them.

"DaveC" wrote in message
t...
I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up
the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.


A slightly less temporary but still temporary fix is to add some copper
strands to the clean socket, between the pins and contacts. Hey, it
works for the bases of 750w EHG bipin lamps ...

-Keith

"DaveC" wrote in message
t...
Chris, what do you have against re-tinning them contacts ? it's cheap
easy, effective and good as new. you don't sell them by any chance }:-)

Roy

I like the solder solution, but these contacts are beyond fixing, I think:


Absolutely!

Go to your nearest electrical wholesaler/lighting store and get the spare
parts. That lamp holder looks like a common garden variety (and is cheap) -
AND pick up a new globe at the same time.

I think it would be the least hassle.

Cheers.

You can go to any lighting electrical supply centre, and buy these sockets
new. It is not safe to start messing with these. A new socket would be
guaranteed to work properly, and safely.

--

Jerry G.
======


"DaveC" wrote in message
t...
A nice designer desk lamp uses those l.v. (12v) 2-pin halogen lamps. Each
pin
contact in the socket consists of 2 C-shaped halves that are spring-loaded
to
hold the pin.

Over time, these socket halves have pitted due to the extreme heat.
Connection is now intermittent. If I hold the bulb at an angle (usually
twist
it in the socket a bit), the bulb goes full brightness. But left on its own,
it flickers and buzzes.

I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.

This is a nice (and expensive) lamp that I'd like to keep. What are my
choices? I guess I could solder the lamp to the socket components now and
whenever the bulb gives out.
--
Please, no "Go Google this" replies. I wouldn't
ask a question here if I hadn't done that already.

DaveC

This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group

Try here. You may need the lamp code, but they probably have what you
need. http://www.mitronix.com/products.php

Lee

"Lee" wrote in message
oups.com...
Try here. You may need the lamp code, but they probably have what you
need. http://www.mitronix.com/products.php

Lee

Most early low voltage Bi-Pin sockets used phosphor bronze leaf springs,
which quickly lost temper, and gave a miserable performance as a long
lasting socket. Here in Australia you see very few of the old spring types
left. You do see a lot of the socket that has grub screws to tighten on to
the lamp pins, and more grub screws to tighten on to the high temperature
pig-tails.
IMHO, no other method comes even close to giving you a reliable long term
connection. Accept no substitutes!

Bill.

DaveC wrote:
New socket installed. New lamp installed. Light once again!

I had no idea that these sockets were so standardized (well, the 2-pin
configuration, yes, but not the outside dimensions, the screw holes
center-to-center dimensions.

It was a breeze!

Thanks to all.

Doesn't sound like much of high tech problem to me. It is a
sorry-sack-of-sh_t so-called EET student who is so damned dumb he has to
post to usenet about this drivel....

DaveC wrote:
On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 23:22:16 -0800, Fred Bloggs wrote
(in article ):


so-called EET student


Don't know where you got that information... not a student at all.

Usenet is where questions are asked and information is shared. If you don't
like it... delete or killfile. Your choice.

Okay- so there are two "DaveC" posting to this newsgroup- the other one
is the whining flake then.

Fred Bloggs wrote:



DaveC wrote:

New socket installed. New lamp installed. Light once again!

I had no idea that these sockets were so standardized (well, the 2-pin
configuration, yes, but not the outside dimensions, the screw holes
center-to-center dimensions.
It was a breeze!
Thanks to all.


Doesn't sound like much of high tech problem to me. It is a
sorry-sack-of-sh_t so-called EET student who is so damned dumb he has to
post to usenet about this drivel....

EET = Egotistical Educated Technician.

Quote of the day.
"I am never wrong, once i thought i was, but was mistaken"

DaveC wrote:
New socket installed. New lamp installed. Light once again!

I would still use a small ammout of Slicone Grease on the contacts to keep the New Sockets

new for a longer period of time !

BTW I observed that "Chrysler" fills the cavities on some multi-pin
Connectors with grease to improve the reliability of its Electronic
Fuel-injection System ! I don't know if it is to keep out moisture from
shorting out pins or for reducing contact resistance from oxidized
contacts. I also found that some greases are conductive enough to
short-out the "distributor breaker contacts" on Electronic Ignition
systems, before "Hall-Effect" switches became standard.

Yukio YANO

Ford has done this since at least the early 1960s...on every vehicle of
theirs I've owned. Never seen it on the few GM and Daimler ("the
Chrysler is silent") products...had to add silicone grease myself
(plugs, headlight connectors, ignitiion wiring especially).

Have you searched for a new socket?You might find one and cheaply, too,
these halogen lamps are very common.If it's an expensive and nice lamp, it's
worth asking the professional advice of an electrician.

--
Tzortzakakis Dimitrios
major in electrical engineering, freelance electrician
FH von Iraklion-Kreta, freiberuflicher Elektriker
dimtzort AT otenet DOT gr
? "DaveC" ?????? ??? ??????
t...
A nice designer desk lamp uses those l.v. (12v) 2-pin halogen lamps. Each
pin
contact in the socket consists of 2 C-shaped halves that are spring-loaded
to
hold the pin.

Over time, these socket halves have pitted due to the extreme heat.
Connection is now intermittent. If I hold the bulb at an angle (usually
twist
it in the socket a bit), the bulb goes full brightness. But left on its
own,
it flickers and buzzes.

I removed the bulb and using a very small rat tail file, cleaned up the
contacts, but this was only a temporary fix.

This is a nice (and expensive) lamp that I'd like to keep. What are my
choices? I guess I could solder the lamp to the socket components now and
whenever the bulb gives out.
--
Please, no "Go Google this" replies. I wouldn't
ask a question here if I hadn't done that already.

DaveC

This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group