How to design your 12 volt outdoor lighting

1. How to Design Your 12 Volt Outdoor Lighting System Vocabulary Fixture - a housing and the electrical components contained in that housing, a luminaire. Lamp - a light bulb. Transformer - an electrical power source; this device is required to operate any low voltage fixture, in this case 12-volts. Circuit - a closed, usually circular electrical line that leaves a transformer (positive) and returns to the transformer (common) Design Voltage - the amount of voltage a fixture is designed to operate on; the actual voltage that you supply may be more or less depending on the wiring method.