G4 lamp connector?

[Adrian Brentnall]

HI Folks I've been asked to renovate a 'lily' lamp for a client (this kind of thing -

It's from the USA, so everything is rated 120v / 2-core cable / no earths etc. The original filiament e12 lamp bulbs have 'cooked' & destroyed some of the original bakelite bulb-holders - and, rather than rewire / re-socket the whole thing, I was thinking of fitting 12v G4 bulbs to the existing wiring.

Ideally, this would be using a G4 socket, but with screw terminals (like a little chocolate/connector block) - to avoid having to fiddle too much with the existing wiring.

I can find lots of G4-to-wire-end sockets, but that means more fiddling, as the wiring needs to run down the tubular 'stems', and the wiring on the available sockets is only short!

Just wondering if anybody's seen a G4-to-screw-socket stocked anywhere online - need ten of them... Needn't be ceramic as the leds will run fairly cool.

At a pinch I could just solder the G4's onto the existing wiring, but that would make 'bulb' replacement a bit of a technical operation..

Thanks, Adrian

[Adrian Caspersz]

That's 4mm pitch. 0.65/0.75 mm diameter pins.

I wonder if crimped molex type connectors as used in PCB board interconnects might work?

[Adrian Brentnall]

I suppose they might... I don't have Molex-friendly crimpers..

Thinking about it, I guess the other way is to buy the 'socket-with-cables' part, and simply extend the cable with solder & heatshrink..

The existing wiring is in fairly sturdy mains-(USA)-rated, and joining the ten pairs of cables inside the lamp-base might be simpler if they were something a little slimmer. Seems that the G4 led capsules don't mind which way round they're connected, so that's easy.

I was planning on mounting the socket to the end of the tubing with an adhesive-filled heatshrink sleeve, which should give enough rigidity.

Fiddly job - but the client's desperate to see his lamp lit up. He's already buying several hundred pounds-worth of repro glass lampshades to replace the broken ones.... so he must love it.

Thanks Adrian