I have three small recessed lights, set into a false ceiling where a mini-central air conditioning unit is set. The lights do not turn on.
The lights are small E14 base mini-spots
- I replaced the bulbs, I definitely have 3 fresh bulbs
- I checked the fuse (of course), and in any case it shares a circuit with other lights which are working fine.
- I used a multimeter to check the AC voltage across the light switch itself, it shows a normal 230V when open and 0V when closed
- I checked the voltage across the contacts for each of the 3 fixtures. They show 230V (as expected) when the switch is on.
And yet, when I put bulbs in, they do not turn on. I could see how one fixture might become damaged, or the contacts bent, or a wire frayed, but all 3 is unlikely.
One strange reading. With the switch off, I thought I saw a ~50V reading across the terminals of each fixture, whereas it should be 0V. I thought I must have the meter wrong.
Working with 230V/50Hz AC European-style.
Any suggestions what I can do next?