Is desklight 12V?

[tawa]

I have a desklight from around 1980. (This light lasts forever, I love it, and they don't make it anymore. Each bulb lasts for 10+ years.) It uses automotive lightbulbs, like you would put in a blinker light or "in reverse" light. The base feels heavy like it is some type of transformer possibly. Since I have to buy the lightbulbs in the automotive section of my store, am I correct in assuming it uses 12V DC light bulbs?

Which would also mean it converts 110v AC to 12v DC. Correct?

What would happen if I put my multimeter in AC mode and hooked it up to the light socket? Would that hurt the meter if the light socket was putting out DC?

How about if I put the meter in DC mode? Would it hurt the meter if the light socket was generating AC?

[troy]

So long as you don't have it set to measure resistance, you should be ok.  I am assuming you have a digital meter.  Theoretically, an analog meter with a phsical needle can be damaged by reverse polarity hook up, or out of range too far. This also assumes you don't short to ground on the case with your probes.  

Incandescent bulbs don't care if it's AC or DC, so long as the voltage is right.  Most likely you have a 10:1 transformer in the base that drops the voltage to ~12-14 AC.  They might rectify to wavy DC, but there's no need for this application.

Good luck and have fun!

troy