is it possible to repair transformer on lamp?

Have you guys notice that people discard defective desk lamp due to malfuction transformer? This is just a waste of material that go into public trash. Is it possible to repair a transformer?

Has anyone repair defective transformer in a desklamp? my desk lamp just died yesterday. I test the lamp with new bulb but it didn't turn on. <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

What kind of desk lamp is it? If it's a flourescent bulb type, there is probably a starter module that can be replaced.

If it's an incandescent type, it could be the switch or power cord--when transformers go, the wire opens up _somewhere_ in the transformer. Uncoiling hundreds of feet of tiny wire to attempt to repair a break is nigh impossible. If you can find the part number on the transformer you can usually google a replacement.

it is a incandescent desk lamp. There is no visible screws for me to remove from base platform. hmmm....

I have to figure out how to open up this bugger.

Screws are sometimes hidden under labels or rubber feet.

If there is felt 'glued' onto the bottom, then you will have to peel it off to get to the insides.

If it is incandescent there shouldn't be a transformer. I would look at the plug first, then the bulb socket...

You should really consult a friend or relative with more knowledge of electricity. Errors here can be fatal. You can't learn this by trial & error because your first error may be your last. I am a chicken electrician & intend to stay alive by being very careful.

I find this topic humorous, only because it is a specific issue that describes a much larger problem.

We are a throw away society, aren't we? It could be that the transformer and any other electronics have been potted, that is, encased in an epoxy so that no one can do as you are trying to now. I've had that problem with other circuits I've wanted to troubleshoot, and it is deviously frustrating.

Topics like this make me wonder: Where exactly did all those 286/386/486 pc's end up? I know some were "recycled" to schools and such, but at this point, they would likely be fairly useless even there. Consumer electronics are a real bane on our society. The illusion is they are making our life better. The reality is every 2 or 3 months I have to learn how to operate yet another "entertainment media" remote control, PDA, GPS, or Windows OS.

So my answer is my time is worth more than the value of repairing such items, so it is cheaper just to toss it when it breaks and go pick up the latest new and improved version. Rather than burning up the better part of a day sitting at my bench troubleshooting the thing, then running to the store to pick up the replacement part (or more likely getting on the internet and ordering the part, then waiting two weeks for the part to be delivered, meanwhile the device remains unusable), then carefully installing the part and testing the device for further failures, I will just spend an hour or two working up a schedule at the office at $100 per hour and have more than enough to get a whole new and improved model.

I once had a reciprocating saw (B&D) where the triac? a little blue box was fried. A friend tried to cut a 275 gal. oil tank in half lengthwise. The saw couldn't take the heat. Anyway, the part cost $1.25 in an industrial electronics catalog. The part from B&D came as a unit with a new trigger switch & some wiring for $18! Manufacturers don't want you to repair anything, so they arrange to make it extra difficult. The guy offered to sell me the saw for $20, so I got the saw for $21.25 & some solder. He bought a Milwaukee Super Sawsall.