Advice for a lighting project

[hissing_sid]

My wife has asked if I can make a chandelier using low voltage halogen lights (don't ask).

I was looking to use LV 10W bulbs with G4 ceramic holders.

My questions are:

- Can I use G4 LV 10W bulbs for a lighting project of this sort? Is there a better, small bulb type? I thought about LED but that might look like an Xmas tree. I do need them to light the hall.

- Suppose I need at total of 20 bulbs, then can I find a suitable transformer for all of the lights? There is plenty of room in the roof space for a transformer, but I only want one cable down to the lights. Normally electronic transformers are used but I would need several of these for 20 bulbs and I would need several wires down to the lights. It is meant to be a chandelier!

Any advise on the transformer? Or is this all completely mad?

Cheers Paul

[Owain]

You mean something like this

safer?

Owain

[Adrian C]

There is a project here with mains halogen. Completely lethal!

Project linked 2/3rd's down the page "Make a chandelier"

-- Adrian C

[David Hansen]

On 26 Nov 2006 12:10:42 -0800 someone who may be "hissing_sid" wrote this:-

It is a bit foolish.

Why not get an unlit chandelier and shine light on it from elsewhere?

[hissing_sid]

LOL! Nice one.

Yes, something like that, but I am after something a lot safer :-)

I was thinking more of a 12v system with the insulated wires running through narrow tubing.

Say I use 15 x 10W bulbs, can I use any 150W 12V transformer? What is so special about the electronic ones normally used on downlighters?

Cheers

[Ron]

This looks better -

effective with few 18watt bulbs in one of those large paper lampshades.

[Andrew Gabriel]

How much light do you need from the chandelier? 20 x 10W will be quite bright (probably similar to 150W bulb). You might also find the 10W capsules a bit dazzling if exposed. I would suggest thinking about using 20 x 5W ones instead, which will probably give you about

75W equivalent.

Note that you must use low pressure capsules unless they are enclosed. (In practice, you will probably only find low pressure capsules anyway.)

You can get a single transformer to handle the load. You can join all the lampholder wires together, but do bear in mind it will be carrying 16A, so it needs to be a good connection, and the supply wire from the transformer needs to handle that too. It is quite common in such lights to use the support metalwork as one of the electrical connections, so you only need half the number of wires. You need a double insulated transformer (which I think all the purpose designed ones are).

[hissing_sid]

Thanks for that Andrew. I like the idea of 5W as 10W could be too bright.

If I go for 20 off 5W, do I still need 16A from the transformer? I am down to 8A aren't it? (100W / 12V = 8A, if I remember my "O" level physics)

Any double-insulated transformer will do the job?

light do you need from the chandelier? 20 x 10W will be

the load. You can join

[Adam Aglionby]

8A at 12V so dont put transformer miles away, volt drop and heat in cabling.

Electronic lighting transformers are lighter and smaller, try fitting a

150VA torrodial through a MR 16 downlighter hole. They also have better regulation , see them rated for things like 20-65VA, wound transformers voltage rises as load falls, dont run 50W on a 150W wound transformer lamp life will shorten.

Electronic might genertae some RFI they dont generally like long leads, wound one might be better.

Remeber its low voltage , same as a train set ,so exposed condutors are fine as long as you insulate the return from the supply, think chromed or copper wire and clear tubing.

Adam

light do you need from the chandelier? 20 x 10W will be

the load. You can join