electricallampreceptacle
I've recently moved house, and there is a wall lamp, see picture, which we never use, and i was wondering if i could put a usb socket there instead so i could charge bike lights and similar accessories.
Is this possible? Safe? Stupid? I have no clue, so any help would be appreciated.
First off you do not want to hang the light by the socket that you purchased. With the poke in holes for the wires this is NOT an acceptable mounting system for your lamp - heavy glass or not.
Next note that the wire used to hang lamps is a special type that has strengthing cord built into the cable.
The conventional hanging lamp fixture has a two piece socket assembly that has a top part that slides up on the cord. The cord is then knotted with a special electricians knot that puts equal tension in all the conductors and fibres in the cord. The ends of the wires then attach to the lower portion of the conventional socket via screw terminals. Finally the top and bottom parts of the socket firmly snap together to hide the knot inside. The hanging lamp assembly pulls against the knot to transfer the weight into the cord from the ceiling.
This is assumes we're talking a screw in bulb socket like a medium base A26. You can adapt the below for other socket types.
The first thing to do is test the socket itself. Best way to do this is to use a multi-meter set to AC and an appropriate voltage setting for your supply voltage. Using the test leads, touch the bottom pin and the metal of the base exterior (the part the bulb screws into). It should read your supply voltage. If it does not then there is an issue with the socket itself. If it reads the correct voltage, either your bulbs are bad or they are not making contact with the socket. With the power off, try using a screw driver to gently lift the bottom pin up a bit and then try your bulb again.
Best Answer
While there are other options involving wiring, the safest option that does not involve an electrician is a light bulb to outlet adapter. Here, the version for use in countries with Edison base A19 bulbs:
Someone else can add advice for other regions. In the case of a USB socket a third prong is generally not required, though chargers in the UK generally have a plastic fake third prong anyway.