Par 16 transformer

[barn01]

I have just bought 8x Par16 to make some footlights and need to know how I can daisy chain them together or if I can get a transformer that will take all 8 in one go. If so, what kind of connector do I need? Any recommendatons/help appreciated.

[david.elsbury]

How many watts are your lamps? How long is your run?

[Ynot]

I have just bought 8x Par16 to make some footlights and need to know how I can daisy chain them together or if I can get a transformer that will take all 8 in one go. If so, what kind of connector do I need? Any recommendatons/help appreciated.

The short answer is yes - you can wire them as a single circuit (in parallel) IF you find a suitable 12V transformer that will cope with the current draw that 8 MR16s will pull - however you will need also to ensure that your feed cable can also cope with that draw.

 

8 x 50W lamps at 12v will pull over 33 amps...

 

The easier, and possibly safer, way of doing the job will be to either run them from 8 single transformers, or maybe 4 duals. That way you're limiting the current draw, keeping your cables down to a reasonable size and making it a little easier to double-up on the mains side of the wiring.

[musht]

As Ynot said, current in paralell gets silly as would cable size.

 

As they are footlights , put them on a wooden base with the trafo screwed on the base beside them.

 

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/67836/Lighti...rmer-Pack-of-10

 

Might be easier to get rewireable trafo and pile of IEC F-F leads chop them in half for trafo tailos, decent IEC connectors expensive and still fiddly to wire.

 

Trafo to IEC connector, use a P clip on the base board for the flex, and daisy chain with these

 

http://www.crescentelectronics.co.uk/compu...r-splitter.html

 

http://www.dhwelectronics.com/IEC_Extensio..._Extension_Lead

 

Not reccomendations to suppliers, first google threw up.

[barn01]

Many thanks, presumably I can then just get a 3pin power cable and change out the plug for a 15amp ?

 

As Ynot said, current in paralell gets silly as would cable size.

 

As they are footlights , put them on a wooden base with the trafo screwed on the base beside them.

 

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/67836/Lighti...rmer-Pack-of-10

 

Might be easier to get rewireable trafo and pile of IEC F-F leads chop them in half for trafo tailos, decent IEC connectors expensive and still fiddly to wire.

 

Trafo to IEC connector, use a P clip on the base board for the flex, and daisy chain with these

 

http://www.crescentelectronics.co.uk/compu...r-splitter.html

 

http://www.dhwelectronics.com/IEC_Extensio..._Extension_Lead

 

Not reccomendations to suppliers, first google threw up.

[musht]

Many thanks, presumably I can then just get a 3pin power cable and change out the plug for a 15amp ?

 

Yup, some dimmers might like a ghost load in parallel , with 8 lights shouldnt` bother them though.

[barn01]

Brilliant, thanks so much for your help with this!

 

Many thanks, presumably I can then just get a 3pin power cable and change out the plug for a 15amp ?

 

Yup, some dimmers might like a ghost load in parallel , with 8 lights shouldnt` bother them though.

[adam2]

As others suggest, use of single or twin lamp transformers mounted close to the lamps is probably the best and simplest option.

If however the transformers must be remotely mounted, then it might be worth useing a 24 volt transformers and wireing the lamps in series pairs.

 

This halves the current and for given cable size allows four times the cable length compared to 12 volts.

 

If dimming is required, be certain to get dimmable transformers.

 

I presume that we are talking about 12 volt 50 watt MR16s here ?

[dbuckley]

For eight 12V 50W lamps I'd bung em all in series and run them off a 110V building site tranny. Ok, you would need to put a limit on the desk or dimmer to keep the effective mains voltage down a bit, but it would still be an easy setup.

[marktownend]

Referring to musht's post #4... is it possible to get IEC F-F cables? Surely that would mean that they'd be powered from an IEC male which I for one wouldn't want to go touching...

[musht]

too early in my day....

 

Of course meant a cable with a moulded on Male end , moulded plugs tougher and cheaper than rewireable

[marktownend]

Thanks musht, just checking it wasn't too early in the day for me! Slightly scarily I bought a package of kit a couple of years ago from an exhibition company that closed down and there were some birdies wired with male XLR outs from the transformers and female XLRs into the fixtures which entailed some hasty rewiring. Since when they've been safely sat on the shelf and never got themselves used!

 

Not much help to the OP but for our use mains birdies would probably be much simpler - no transformers to hide away. I've just never got round to getting some...

[david.elsbury]

Disadvantage to mains birdies using GU10 lamps is a very uneven field of light, nowhere near as bright (~40% less), much shorter lamp life, and quite a yellow light output rather than the whiter light of 12v halogen.