Which lamp is it? Pictures, links of manufacterer/brand/model or wherever you bought it from.
Was it [EDIT: halogen lamp] supposed to be connected to mains in the first place, or did it require a transformer driver of some sort. If it was intended for 12 volt AC or something like that it might have killed it.
The dimmer I linked to in my OP connects directly to a basic, dumb socket, where the halogen bulb screws into.
If you cut out the dimmer, you literally have a basic, dumb socket + the halogen bulb.
So, I imagine whatever kind of power signal that would normally be used to drive a halogen bulb would solve this problem… (I just don’t know how a halogen bulbs need to be driven…).
Sorry, I wasn’t clear. I meant if the lamp was supposed to be connected to mains. Like I said, some are required to be fed with 12 or 24 volt max. By connecting it to 120v AC this may have killed it and the test you did was moot.
Eitherway, I suggest you use a resistance meter to check for cable conductivity from plug to the lamp socket, on both wires. Much less destructive. And on the lamp connector studs alone to check if the lamp is burned out. All disconnected from mains ofcourse!!! That way you can tell if the fault lies in the lamp, in the dimmer, or perhaps both.
I can’t really figure some of these things out: this lamp is from some unknown overseas company w/ no model markings. So, this is a reverse engineering challenge.
That said, I’m expecting it should be a fairly basic electrical issue… The socket I speak of is, quite literally, a plastic socket that couples right to the halogen bulb - no active or passive electronics, in between.
So the dimmer that broke took 120VAC, did something to modulate it, then fed that directly into the bulb. The question is what was ‘that’?
This is the recommended bulb - a PAR-30 LN Spot Halogen bulb:
The marking on the sticker (and the specs on that model bulb) indicate that it is powered by 120VAC. But, like I mentioned earlier, wiring it directly into mains did not make the bulb light up (and, yes, I tried a new bulb).
I know you think the dimmer is broken, but you also say that the lamp doesn’t light up if you connect it directly to mains. (no dimmer in the circuit) This then suggests there is something else wrong, probably with the wiring. Or did I misunderstand? There is no point in fixing the dimmer if the fault is (also) somewhere else. In fact, it may not be damaged if the circuit is interrupted in the wiring/fixture.
Now we know for sure it is a 120 volt lamp we can be (reasonably) sure you didn’t kill it during that test.
The fix to get it to light should be very easy. Just insert a (mains rated) switch in the wires, and bypass the dimmer. But it is better to locate the fault exactly first. Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken.
P.S. If you are unfamiliar with mains power electronics I suggest you simply buy a new one instead of tinkering with the insides. It’s not worth the life or fire insurance.
With the unit unplugged from the wall socket I would check the continuity across the connections on the bottom of the lamp socket with the bulb screwed in. The bottom of the bulb may not be making contact with the center pin of the lamp socket.
