I have a lamp dimmer that I'm hoping that I can use for a project. Before I
go and start a fire or suffer a meltdown I thought it best to ask for
feedback...

At one end of the dimmer there is a polarized plug that you plug into the
wall. The other side of this plug provides a polorized outlet into which you
plug your lamp.

The other end of the dimmer cable is a slider with and LED. Sliding this
control lowers and raises the brightness of the lamp.

What I wish to do is instead of plugging a lamp into the dimmer outlet, I
want to splice into the dimmer cable. I'm assuming that the dimmer outlet is
electrically the same as the wire travelling to the dimmer.

Am I out to lunch on this, or do I have my head on straight?

Noozer wrote:
I have a lamp dimmer that I'm hoping that I can use for a project. Before I
go and start a fire or suffer a meltdown I thought it best to ask for
feedback...

At one end of the dimmer there is a polarized plug that you plug into the
wall. The other side of this plug provides a polorized outlet into which you
plug your lamp.

The other end of the dimmer cable is a slider with and LED. Sliding this
control lowers and raises the brightness of the lamp.

What I wish to do is instead of plugging a lamp into the dimmer outlet, I
want to splice into the dimmer cable. I'm assuming that the dimmer outlet is
electrically the same as the wire travelling to the dimmer.

Am I out to lunch on this, or do I have my head on straight?



You said 'splice'. You didn't say rewire the dimmer cord into the lamp
itself so how are you going to handle the splice? Wire nuts and
electrical tape???

"G Henslee" wrote in message
...
Noozer wrote:
I have a lamp dimmer that I'm hoping that I can use for a project. Before
I go and start a fire or suffer a meltdown I thought it best to ask for
feedback...

At one end of the dimmer there is a polarized plug that you plug into the
wall. The other side of this plug provides a polorized outlet into which
you plug your lamp.

The other end of the dimmer cable is a slider with and LED. Sliding this
control lowers and raises the brightness of the lamp.

What I wish to do is instead of plugging a lamp into the dimmer outlet, I
want to splice into the dimmer cable. I'm assuming that the dimmer outlet
is electrically the same as the wire travelling to the dimmer.

Am I out to lunch on this, or do I have my head on straight?

You said 'splice'. You didn't say rewire the dimmer cord into the lamp
itself so how are you going to handle the splice? Wire nuts and
electrical tape???

The lamp is a "crimp on" halogen. You lay the cord into the lamp, close a
clip and it pierces the cable, making the electrical connections. You can
put up to 8 lamps on the supplied cable (same gauge as the dimmer I want to
use) and one end just plugs into a wall outlet.

I want to go from one end at the wall outlet, to the lamp in the middle of
the cord, to the dimmer control at the other end of the cord.

The only issue I can see is if someone tries to plug something into the
dimmer outlet... but I'd plug it up to prevent this.

"Noozer" wrote in message
news:gFmRe.342533$5V4.4625@pd7tw3no...

The lamp is a "crimp on" halogen. You lay the cord into the lamp, close a
clip and it pierces the cable, making the electrical connections.

Sloppy. Purely out of your sense of honor, at least get to a hardware store
and see if you can use REAL crimp connectors (the tubular things that you
install with a nice crimping tool). Then, protect those with heat shrink
tubing.

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Noozer" wrote in message
news:gFmRe.342533$5V4.4625@pd7tw3no...

The lamp is a "crimp on" halogen. You lay the cord into the lamp, close a
clip and it pierces the cable, making the electrical connections.

Sloppy. Purely out of your sense of honor, at least get to a hardware
store and see if you can use REAL crimp connectors (the tubular things
that you install with a nice crimping tool). Then, protect those with heat
shrink tubing.

It's how GE manufactured the lamp... not something I picked up elsewhere....

Like these:
http://www.jascoproducts.com/cgi-loc...html?E+scstore

The square part at the top flips open, you lay the cord into it and then
close it... no other way to fasten a cord to the lamp.

On 2005-08-31, Noozer wrote:

At one end of the dimmer there is a polarized plug that you plug into the
wall. The other side of this plug provides a polorized outlet into which you
plug your lamp.

The other end of the dimmer cable is a slider with and LED. Sliding this
control lowers and raises the brightness of the lamp.

So do I understand correctly that the wall plug and the dimmed outlet
are together in one assembly, and that the cable goes from this
assembly to the dimmer control? The cable is two conductors?

If that is the case, then those conductors in the cable are "hot" and
"dimmed hot", and the neutral connection for the the dimmed outlet is
entirely within the plug/outlet assembly. This means you can't tap
into that cable for power, and that splice-on lamps like you mention
in another post will not work on that cable.

Yours, Wayne

The big hole on the outlet is connected to the big blade on the plug. Is
that what you are asking? (But since that seems pretty obvious, I wonder if
you mean something else...)

It would still work if you got it backwards; it might be more dangerous in
event of a short and/or leave something exposed hot that is supposed to be
grounded.

Like the other respondents, I haven't seen a lamp like you refer to. It
sounds flaky, even if GE makes it.

"Noozer" wrote in message
news:fSmRe.342580$5V4.274620@pd7tw3no...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
"Noozer" wrote in message
news:gFmRe.342533$5V4.4625@pd7tw3no...

The lamp is a "crimp on" halogen. You lay the cord into the lamp, close
a clip and it pierces the cable, making the electrical connections.

Sloppy. Purely out of your sense of honor, at least get to a hardware
store and see if you can use REAL crimp connectors (the tubular things
that you install with a nice crimping tool). Then, protect those with
heat shrink tubing.

It's how GE manufactured the lamp... not something I picked up
elsewhere....

Like these:
http://www.jascoproducts.com/cgi-loc...html?E+scstore

The square part at the top flips open, you lay the cord into it and then
close it... no other way to fasten a cord to the lamp.



Gnarly....the connection method, I mean. The lights look nice, though.

Toller wrote:

The big hole on the outlet is connected to the big blade on the plug. Is
that what you are asking? (But since that seems pretty obvious, I wonder if
you mean something else...)

It would still work if you got it backwards; it might be more dangerous in
event of a short and/or leave something exposed hot that is supposed to be
grounded.

Like the other respondents, I haven't seen a lamp like you refer to. It
sounds flaky, even if GE makes it.



Based on your description I would guess that the triac and several other
components are in that block which plugs into the wall outlet, and the
cord going to that slider carries a low current control signal to a
"slide pot" and the LED.

Ifd you have to ask here, than you probably don't possess the
engineering knowledge and skills to know where and how to tear into that
device and could "blow something out" trying. No insult intended, 'cause
nobody can be a renaissance man these days, there's just too much
knowledge available for one brain to hold it all.

But, if you'd describe what your project is about in some detail, I and
other folks here could probably give you advice on how to achieve your
goals correctly and safely.

HTH,

Jeff
--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

Noozer wrote:
I have a lamp dimmer that I'm hoping that I can use for a project.
Before I go and start a fire or suffer a meltdown I thought it best
to ask for feedback...

At one end of the dimmer there is a polarized plug that you plug into
the wall. The other side of this plug provides a polorized outlet
into which you plug your lamp.

The other end of the dimmer cable is a slider with and LED. Sliding
this control lowers and raises the brightness of the lamp.

What I wish to do is instead of plugging a lamp into the dimmer
outlet, I want to splice into the dimmer cable. I'm assuming that the
dimmer outlet is electrically the same as the wire travelling to the
dimmer.
Am I out to lunch on this, or do I have my head on straight?

Three likely issues:

1. Total wattage of the lamps can not go over the rated capacity of the
dimmer.

2. The dimmer can not be used on a transformer supplied circuit. Are these
low voltage lamps?

3. The connection technique sounds very iffy to me. It reminds me of what
I see on low voltage applications and you can't use the dimmer on the low
voltage application.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
.. .
Noozer wrote:
I have a lamp dimmer that I'm hoping that I can use for a project.
Before I go and start a fire or suffer a meltdown I thought it best
to ask for feedback...

Three likely issues:

1. Total wattage of the lamps can not go over the rated capacity of the
dimmer.

Dimmer is rated for 300 watts. Bulbs are 120v 25 watt halogens.

2. The dimmer can not be used on a transformer supplied circuit. Are
these low voltage lamps?

Actually these dimmers were originally meant to dim a pair of 12v halogens.
They were purchase as a set from IKEA. The dimmer is a 120v model and the
transformer plugged into it.

3. The connection technique sounds very iffy to me. It reminds me of what
I see on low voltage applications and you can't use the dimmer on the low
voltage application.

The connections work... After some sleep I decided just to put a line cord
on the lamp and plug it into the dimmer as it was meant to be in the first
place. It would take a lot more modding than I originally anticipated to use
it as inline with the lamp.