How To Pick A 12V Transformer For Patio And Garden Lights

Need to find a 12v transformer for low voltage lighting or other? Here is some basic info, which will help you on your quest. Picking a 12v transformer is no easy task – at least not without some knowledge of transformers or what you need exactly. Most anything related to electrical installations or parts replacements requires the user to be alert and informed when making a purchase. The purpose of this site is to do exactly that – inform you on how to buy the 12v transformer you need. 12 volts is a standard voltage for many so-called low voltage electronic circuits, whether it be in your hifi, your shaver or your car.

12v lighting transformers

One of the most popular uses for 12v transformers is for low voltage lighting such as halogen bulbs or LED lights. Halogen bulbs are famous for delivering as much light as incandescent bulbs, but at smaller voltages and so using fewer watts of power doing their job. If you are looking for a transformer for this purpose, you should look for something that transforms whatever your local mains voltage is, to 12 volts. The number of bulbs you can run off a particular lighting transformer depends on its power rating (watts or “w” for short). This requires you to know the power or current consumption of the bulbs you are going to use. If you have 2 bulbs rated at 35w each, you should get a transformer rated to output at least 70w – preferably more. It should be a 12v ac transformer, meaning that alternating current from the wall outlet goes in and 12 volt alternating current comes out. This means the voltage is not rectified in an additional circuit, but simply passed through the transformer. It is advisable to get a product that has one or more thermal fuses or breakers, which will switch out the transformer in case it is overheating from too much current being drawn through it. These thermal breakers are normally resettable, so if you ever happen to overload your transformer, simply let it cool down, have an electrician find the fault and then switch the transformer back on again.

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12v dc transformer applications
Not all situations call for a simple ac transformer. In fact most consumer and professional electronics that call for an external 12v transformer, require it to output a dc voltage. Dc, or direct current, is when the sinewave shaped ac voltage has been smoothed out to a straight line. This line represents a constant, non-fluctuating voltage that is either positive or negative, instead of swinging between plus and minus as ac voltages do. The change from ac to dc is called rectification and requires some extra circuitry built in next to the transformer. In most external dc transformers, also known as plugpacks or wall warts, the electronic rectifier is simply encased in the plastic enclosure together with the transformer. To make sure you have your hands on an ac to dc transformer, look for two symbols – the symbol for ac being a sinewave shape, and the symbol for dc being a horizontal line over a number of horizontal dashes or dots. Mostly it says something like this:”Primary 120/240V (ac symbol here), secondary 12V  (dc symbol here)”. Primary refers to the input of the transformer, while secondary refers to the output.

Hope you found this information useful – happy transformer-hunting!