On Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 10:29:06 AM UTC-6, Tempestinatesttube wrote:
Hi, I just acquired one of the Smirnoff lightning lamps from a local
sale. Unfortunately, it worked for an hour and then stopped and hasn't
worked since. I took off the bottom cover which revealed a small
flyback, what looks like a couple of mosfets, a driver transformer or
two, and maybe a timer.
Specifically, it is called the "Smirnoff Tempest Bar Glorifier" made in
Korea for Neu Solutions. Unfortunately, they haven't been made in
nearly 20 years.
Does anyone know of a service manual and/or schematic for this device?
I'm having no luck googling for it.
Fortunately, I am going to be able to borrow a working unit. If anyone
wants to roll up their sleeves and help me troubleshoot using the
working one as a template, please share. I'd be more than willing to
post pictures of the circuit board, components, etc.
I think the first thing I will do with the working unit is take
resistance readings of all components while off and discharged. Then,
while on, take voltage readings of the same. I don't have enough
experience to try reverse engineering a schematic which is why it would
be oh so helpful to find one from the manufacturer.
Any information provided would be welcome. I'd really like to get my
broken one back in working order again! Tips, measurements, etc
welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Tempy
I do not want to say anything here that would warrant any doubts. There are a few ways to convert
voltage on the lamp. Therefore, I would check on line for a service manual on the lamp based upon
the model number of the lamp and the date of manufacture.
Most lamps I diagnose are alternating current (AC) type lamps and they are polarized. These lamps
I repair typical have sockets that are compatible with incandescent (standard light bulb in a house),
energy saving bulbs, or led based lamps. I say this because you may have a voltage convertor lamp
with special properties (hence the driver transistors you indicated). Also, I usually look at the lamp
unit when it is out of service, disconnected from any power source or plug, and run a continuity
check (one end to the other) of each wire on each end at a time to find any breaks in the physical
wiring and/or connections with the DMM (digital multi-meter) or DVM (digital volt meter). By having
the lamp out of circuit and checking continuity, I can also safely check for "opens" or "shorts" in
the lamp wiring. In same cases, lamps can have 2 or three modes (on, dim, medium bright, and/or
bright- depending on what type and what wattage of bulb used). As a caution, never use a bulb that
exceeds the rating of a lamp- (example- never use a 100 watt bulb for a socket rated at only 40 watts
due to excessive heat which can be a fire hazard or start a fire).
Be careful when you do voltage checks when lamp is in circuit. Remember, with switches in off
position, only half the circuit works (for the off reads zero [0] volts)- prior to that point on lamps
with AC is about 120 Volts AC (this is with polarized AC as well and for devices with electrical
ground). All of that stuff follows a color coding system for safety. Note, you can have specialty
DC (direct current) lamps or battery powered flashlights, lanterns, etc... however, DC powered
table lamps and upright lanterns are extremely rare. Prior to all of that was standard kerosene
and gas powered light or gaslight.
Any questions, please feel free to ask. I am answering the basics for safety reasons. If you are not
sure, either get more information, or have a professional do the work.
Hope the information here helps. Good Luck.
Sincerely,
Charles Lucas
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