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Dim Bulb Testing , what not to do ?

harleyrider

harleyrider

Super Member
I just finished my dim bulb tester last night . Wanting to see how it worked , i grabbed a old dvd /cd player that powered up but would not play so i wasnt worried about killing it . Plugged it it in and powered it up , light got bright then went dim approx 30 seconds later then went out . Is this correct for a good working unit ? Not knowing exactly how to use my tester i just through the on /off switch of the tester and got a serious POP from the dvd/cd player . Im sure its toast but i dont care about that . It was simply used for this 1st test of the tester. 60 watt bulb is all i had laying around , im thinking maybe it was to large for the dvd/cd player used. I have searched here on this topic , just havent found anything saying NOT what to do . Any inputs on what not to do when using a dim bulb tester ? Thanks Chris
 

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a CD player??

That's unusual. What wattage rating is your bulb?

A CD player wouldn't normally draw a lot of current. It's conceivable that the in-rush current made the bulb light up. That part would be normal. When I've got the lamp in circuit, I'm usually VariAc'ing the set up, so I miss the in-rush. A power amp, or receiver, or anything with big filters, I'd expect the lamp coming on pretty hard, then fading. but a CD player?? Try a 100W bulb.
 
I use a 100 watt bulb on mine and it works pretty well. Big amps/receivers will have a predictable sequence of a very bright lamp and quickly dimming as the P/S filter caps charge. This is often consistent with the time it takes for the unit to come out of protection or close the speaker relay.

Any time the lamp goes bright and stays bright, something is wrong, most likely something is drawing huge current, most likely the output transistors shorted to ground, but ya gotta check EVERYTHING.
 
That CD player probably has power supply failure, or a short somewhere downstream of the power supply. Most CD players don't pull enough line current to light up a 60W lamp, even briefly.
 
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