Lamp trouble: Help diagnose or suggest replacements

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

TLDR: My lamp seems to be dying.  Can you diagnose the issues that I could perhaps fix or suggest cost effective practical replacements available in the UK

 

So I’ve had the same anglepoise lam for almost 10 years now.  Its done me well but its developed a problem.  Sometimes it just doesn’t work.  Sometimes it works fine.  Swapping out the bulb doesn’t make it magically start working so I doubt the bulb is the issue.  If it was the fuse then surely it just wouldn’t work at all, right?  I’ve tried plugging it in to a different socket but that doesn’t make it start working, so that discounts that.  It’s in a not working mood right now, but sometimes when I turn it on theres a brief flash before darknsess.

Anyone any thoughts on what the issue might be and if it’s something I can fix?

Last time I looked at prices for anglepoise lamps they seemed quite pricey.  LED seems to be a popular choise for painting with.  Does anyone have any links to reasonably priced painters lighting solutions?  I’m a fan of having the light above my head and slightly in front as I paint.  The lamp is clamped to the desk beside me to my left.  I’m a bit of a skinflint / I don’t have much disposable income at the best of times and I’ve been furloughed for 7 months starting only a few weeks after I started a mortgage.

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

I finally found a 13 amp fuse to swap in and its made no difference.  I’ve put the old one back in, straightened up the lamp, and now its working again.  It’ll stop working next time I turn it off, or tomorrow or the weekend.  Its been doing this for a week now.

[sundancer 42985xp 1]

Since I don’t know what type and model your lamp is, there is little I can do. But @blinky465 just mentioned a new LED lamp he grabbed for 16GBP. Maybe that’s an alternative?

[lawnor 25939xp 0]

Its a generic screw fit bulb anglepoise lamp I may have bought from Argos almost 10 years ago…

…Wait.  i found the amazon receipt in my email: “Classical Daylight Angle Type Poise Lamp With Heavy Base and Clamp fixing With 18W(EQUIV) 100W Energy Saving Daylight Bulb In Stylish Satin Black Fini”.  Clicked the seller and checked their stock.  THIS might even be the lamp I have.  £40 isnt anywhere near as bad as I thought I’d seen them going for over the past few years.

[blinky465 17028xp 1]

I got one of the lamps mentioned in Luke’s video (see weekender for link). It’s brilliant.  When I bought it, the price was £16. Obviously I’m not the only one to watch the video and get one, because the price has shot up to £21. But even at that price, it’s a great little lamp for painting.

I have mine at about head height, just in front of me, pointed down onto my hands as I’m painting. Unlike the angle-poise lamp with daylight bulb as I was using, it doesn’t get so hot as to start drying out the paints on my wet palette.

The lamp has about five brightness levels (I run it at full brightness for painting details, but in daylight, or for colour matching, knock it back a level or two) and three different colour profiles (although the “warm white” is a bit too yellow to be any good for painting/matching colours reliably).

In short – it’s a brilliant little lamp to clamp on your desk and paint by!

[blinky465 17028xp 2]

@lawnor – it sounds like a worn connector, or loose wire somewhere. At best, it’ll just mean a crackly connection and the lamp going off intermittently. If you’re unlucky, make sure your lamp doesn’t have a metal base! (because you really don’t want to be touching anything metal if there’s a stray connection running 240v mains that could possibly come into contact with it).

If you’re competent with eletronics, I’d find where the wire goes into the on-off switch and check the strain relief hasn’t failed and there are no wires that have worked lose over time (or possibly, just the copper multi-strand wires have corroded and snapped due to constant flexing over the years). If that connection looks good, check where the wire goes into the bulb holder (the same might have happened there).

If you’re not comfortable messing about with electrics throw the lamp out.

Seriously. Having a loose mains wire that could possibly come into contact with a metal surface? Just get rid of it. Plastic casings are less of an issue (the device will just fail or -worst case – short out and go bang, but any exposed metal surface + loose wire = danger!)

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

Not overly comfortable messing with electronics.  I’ve tried wiggling wires to see if it goes off or not and theres no change.  The lamp is helf in place by a plastic clamp gripping my wooden desk.  The lamp’s glass bulb is usually right next to my face so unexpected bangs are undesirable.

Which weekender segment was Lukes?  Its been a few days and I’m not seeing anything obvious on a skim through.

 

EDIT: Foud it.  The unofficial weekender forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkLhnatihi4

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

Out of interest, would that £14 lamp in its box fit inside a good sized backpack?  Handy to know if I order one to work and have to cycle home with it.

[blinky465 17028xp 2]

I reckon so. I threw the box out (it was recycling today and once I’d decided I like the lamp there didn’t seem much point keeping in hanging around!) otherwise I’d have posted a photo. When folded up, the lamp (no box) is about  40cm tall – so should fit inside a decent sized packpack.

[lawnor 25939xp 1]

The lamp looks like it’ll fit, but I’ll want it to have padding while I cycle, so its good to hear the box should fit my bag.  I’ve just ordered one to the office.  I checked and ebay prices are the same or higher than Amazon (£22).  Thank you.

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