[ARC5] Adventures in Battery Ops - filters

[Robert Eleazer]

"I think you must mean compact fluorescent lamps."

No.  I know that Halogen lamps are just advanced incandescent light bulbs.  But in the case of the one making the noise, the wall wart is rated at 12VAC at 60VA output - it is designed to be able to handle additional lights beyond the three it drives.  A 60VA AC transformer would be neither that small nor cheap, so it's clear that it is a switching power supply, a fact I did not discover until it failed.

So you have a switching power supply, with no need for any filtration, given that its is driving incandescent lamps, and the output goes through zipcord several feet long to supply the lights rather than just being used inside a metal box with short leads going outside, as in a computer.  Probably the best RF jammer pound for pound, dollar for dollar, ever devised.

It never occurred to me they would use a switcher for that application, but when I started looking for a replacement transformer it became obvious.

Fair Radio Sales Co:  4 amp 12V transformer for $26.17 plus postage.

Ebay:  12V 60VA switcher supply for $3.36 including postage.  

Wayne