How to repair a table lamp
The original design solution of a table lamp often determines its price and popularity in the market. Everyone wants the chosen product to serve flawlessly and for a long time. However, technology is technology, sooner or later breakdowns can happen and you have to think about how to fix the lamp.
In such cases, it is not necessary to carry the lamp to the workshop. If you have at least school concepts about electrical engineering and the ability to hold a screwdriver with pliers in your hands, most malfunctions can be identified and repaired on your own at home. How to do this - we will tell in the article.
Before starting repairs
If the table lamp is broken, the first step is to disconnect it from the power supply, remove the plug from the outlet. All repair work, including inspection, must be carried out on a lamp completely disconnected from the mains.Indeed, in the event of an insulation breakdown, bare wires can come into contact with the metal elements of the lamp housing, and when touched, you will receive an electric shock.
Do not touch the metal parts of the lamp immediately after turning off the lamp, this is unsafe. Capacitors retain a static charge for some time, and if the insulation is broken, the body of the product may be energized. You need to wait for the discharge of the capacitors! The absence of current on the switched off lamp is checked with a voltmeter, and only after that you can start repairing.
If an incandescent lamp is used in the lamp, it is important to remember that during operation it heats up and can heat nearby elements, including a metal lampshade. Wait for the lamp to cool down to avoid burns if touched.
For this reason, table lamps do not use light bulbs over 60 watts.
Care must be taken when unscrewing the light bulb, it may crack in your hands. It is not necessary to screw the light bulb into the cartridge too tightly - it will not be easy to unscrew it after long-term operation at high temperatures, often this ends with a breakdown of the cartridge.
Read also: How to repair an LED light bulb at home
What to do if the lamp does not turn on
It happens that the lamp has stopped turning on. Or the new bulb is off. The reasons are mainly the following:
- the bulb itself is faulty;
- there is no contact in the cartridge;
- faulty switch;
- broken contact in the wires.
First you need test new light bulb. The easiest way is to screw it into another lamp, which is known for sure that it works.If it does not light up there either, the reason is in the light bulb.
If the lamp is in order, you need to check the integrity of the wiring and the presence of current at the input and output contacts of all elements of the lamp from the socket to the light bulb. According to the specifications, all 220 V table lamps must be equipped with switches for safety reasons. It is forbidden to connect them directly to the socket. Thus, we check the conductivity of the connections alternately on the plug, switch and cartridge.
Experts call such an operation a "dialing" of the system and, when searching for a breakdown, do it in the reverse order - from the light bulb to the plug. For this, an electrical tester is used - a device for determining the voltage in the network.
Cartridge inspection and repair
We call the contacts of the patron. If there is current on them, but the light is not on, the problem is in the cartridge. It often happens that a high-quality repair of a table lamp is limited to cleaning the contacts of the cartridge with a fine-grained sandpaper.
It may be that the central or side cartridge contacts have sagged and do not come into contact with the light bulb, do not touch its base. Then they need to be bent with a screwdriver. If the contacts are burned, broken off or corroded, you will have to replace the cartridge. It must also be replaced if the metal thread is damaged or shorted to the case.
Video: It was in - Patron!
Circuit breaker test
If the cartridge is working, we test the contacts of the switch. It can be called without disassembly - through the wires connected to it. If there is voltage at the input, but no voltage at the output, then there is an open in the circuit inside the switch housing.
Switches are push-buttons and keyboards, built into the wiring or in the case, but always of a delicate and thin design. It is often difficult to disassemble them, and even more difficult to troubleshoot, so advice: in case of breakdown, it is better to replace it with a new one.
Recommended for viewing: How to correctly connect the switch.
Broken wire in wiring
A table lamp may stop turning on in the event of breaks and fractures in the wires, which are often accompanied by a short circuit. Sometimes the wire breaks off at the terminal block mounts at the base of the plug, switch, or socket. The light bulb then either goes out completely or blinks randomly. The wire at the break can spark, crackling is heard.
The place of damage is searched for by visual inspection and palpation of the wire along its entire length. It is not difficult to repair the electrical wire - you need to carefully clean it, connect it with soldering and insulate the broken ends.
But it's still better to just replace the damaged area. However, you should remember the rule - if you have to change the flexible power cord, then only with a homogeneous one and with the same or larger cross section. Otherwise, the cord may overheat and catch fire.
It will be useful to read: Restoration of table lamps
If you need to repair a lamp on a clothespin, you should especially carefully examine the integrity of the wiring and all elements of the device. Over time, the fastening of the lamp weakens, it happens that it falls and is damaged.
The simplest electrical circuit
To repair lighting fixtures, you need to know at least the general principles of building electrical circuits. Modern lamps are equipped with many additional electronic mechanisms and have a variety of functionalities.However, the principle of connecting a lighting device (light bulb) almost always remains unchanged.
The figure shows diagrams of lamps of various types with several light sources, but they are also typical for table lamps.
An important feature, especially for desktop models, is the ability to adjust the brightness and intensity of lighting. It is these devices that are widely used for students, creative workers and in the electronics industry for the assembly of small parts and precise mechanisms. In such models, electrical circuits are somewhat more complicated and include additional elements for adjusting lighting.
How to disassemble a table lamp
Algorithm of actions when disassembling a table lamp:
- We take out the plug of the device from the socket.
- Unscrew the light bulb.
- We take off the lampshade. To do this, move the corrugated casing of the lamp stand. Under it there are screws for fixing the lampshade, we unscrew them.
- We take out the cartridge.
We check the work and repair the elements of the lamp - the cartridge, the switch and the wires, as described above.
Sometimes it is not possible to unscrew the light bulb from the cartridge. This happens when the base is rusted and firmly seated in the threaded connection of the cartridge or the central contact is soldered to the base. You need to wrap the light bulb with a thick rag and try to unscrew it. Often the flask bursts, leaving the base in the cartridge. It is easy to unscrew it by hooking on the edges with pliers.
Electrical wires can be attached to the contacts of the cartridge with clamps or soldering.In the first case, when repairing, the stripped ends of the wires are inserted into the clamps and carefully tightened. If the wires were soldered to the cartridge, then in case of repair, it is better to replace such a cartridge with a model with screw clamps.
You can connect the wires by twisting with a pigtail, but it is better to use soldering. Connection points must be insulated. Next, carefully lay the wires in their places and assemble the lamp.