I just purchased a new transformer for my living room lights and they still don’t work,I have 120v at the proper side but nothing coming out at the 12v side.It seems obvious that it is defective but how do you test a low voltage transformer on the bench with a meter.This one is 12v/150w.
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Replies
Hook it up to 120 (correctly) and meter across the output side. One meter lead to each screw or wire. (should be two)
I a 150w trans large enough output. If it's too small the lights won't work.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
as a double-check, use your meter to measure a 9 volt battery first.
For 12 V and under, stick your tongue on the terminals - this is a standard test for a 9 V battery - you know for sure if it is good or bad.
OW! Dang it! That smarts!
Better faster and cheaper than caffine....
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
DANGER, DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!<g>
Posted a few years ago about a neighbor that had a problem with low-voltage lights that had just been installed in a buffet. They were having a party that night and pleaded with me to come over and take a look, as the licensed electrician who installed them coudn't come back for several days and they really wanted the lights working that night for the party.
None of the lights worked. Checked all the standard stuff. Pulled out a bulb, took out my meter, and placed the leads across the terminals in the lighting fixture.
POP! with a flash of bright light.
When my eyes cleared I noticed that I was missing about a quarter-inch off of the end of one of the leads on my meter.
Hmmm.
Figured out that the transformer had been back-wired. The power was wired into the output side, the load was wired on the input side.
That would have knocked the fillings out of my teeth (and then some) had I used my tongue.<g>
Is this a rectified DC output? Maybe you need to read DC rather than AC. Or did you have the meter on DC and tried to read AC? You could also ohm out the primariy and secondary for continuity. But I myself would just hook it to the lamp and see if if lights up.