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Lighting help


nuevoboy

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I'm hoping someone can help "enlighten" me on this one.

 

The surface mounted light above the near-side settee quietly went out when nuevogirl was reading MMM the other evening, while we were away.

On returning home, I went to check the bulbs and found 2 x 8 watt fluorescent tubes in the fitting. Not knowing if one blew the other might not work, I swapped two good tubes from the offside and found they didn't work either.

After establishing that all the tubes were OK (tried them all out on offside - no funnies about female referees, please!), I checked with multimeter and found no power at the input leads to the tubes.

Suspecting, therefore, the light switch itself, I removed the fitting from the ceiling and discovered the main input leads secreted away beneath a printed circuit board. Finding also the manufacturers label indicating model (Lumo lighting Eclipse) I thought I'd try and find a replacement fitting. I've not yet been able to track down an exact-coloured replacement fitting, and having doubts that the switch itself would have gone faulty,

I was interested to read in February's Caravan Club mag. an article by John Wickersham which mentioned that fluorescent fittings have an inverter in them to start the tubes.

I imagine this is part of the printed circuit board I discovered on the fitting.

 

My real question is..is it likely that either the switch or the inverter bit would have gone faulty, or is it likely there is a problem elsewhere?

The other lights in the 'van are all OK and I wouldn't have expected each light to be individually fuse protected, so any (bright) ideas (^) welcomed.

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Assuming (and I guess you've checked this?) that 12V power is present where the light-fitting's input leads connect to the fitting, then the problem won't be fuse-related.

 

As the fluorescent tubes are all OK, the prime suspects must logically be a faulty switch or a faulty printed-circuit board. In either case, you may well have to replace the complete light-fitting.

 

Are you sure your light-fitting isn't a Lumo "Ellipse" (not "Eclipse") as shown on the following webpage?

 

http://www.waudbys.co.uk/products/details/1767.html

 

If Auto-Sleepers has chosen to fit a non-standard-colour light-fitting, then you may find it simplest (perhaps even cheapest) to obtain a replacement fitting from them.

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Derek, thanks for your reply.

I couldn't get at the incoming wires to check for voltage, as they were tucked somewhere beneath the printed circuit board and I would seemingly have to destroy the board to get at it.

That is why I thought I'd try and get a replacement fitting first.

You are correct, it is an Ellipse (typo error by me I'm afraid).

I'm pretty certain the finish of the unit is chrome, but looking at all the ads it seems that the most common unit is "silversand".

I am going to contact Autosleepers direct once I have located the "build number" of the 'van.

Hopefully a replacement unit will sort it out.

Interesting article by JW anyway, as was (I think it was) your reply to an earlier posting about correct polarity to LED lights.

Ta, again.

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nuevoboy - 2011-02-01 7:33 PM

 

I am going to contact Autosleepers direct once I have located the "build number" of the 'van.

 

You don't say which model of Autosleeper you have, but usually the "build number" is on a label on the passenger side glove box lid (I have had two Autosleeper vans and both were there).

 

Edit .... Just realised; it's a Nuevo !!

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