DIM & DIMMER - The SECRETS of dimming LED lamps to low levels.
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- Опубликовано: 15 май 2024
- If you're lighting a living room, bedroom or kitchen, achieving a smooth dimming to a low light level is essential. While most dimmer and LED lamp combinations will work out of the box, setting the low-end cut off point can make a huge difference.
When adjusting the low-end cut-off, you are stopping the lamp going into an unstable state e.g. flickering. You can also prevent the lamp from going out as you turn down the control knob. You may also find that you enable the lamp to dim to a lower level.
Every lamp is our test setup was different and required some dimmer adjustments to eliminate low end flickering or expand the lighting level range. The method to set the low-end cut off differs between dimmer manufacturers. Some dimmers have a small potentiometer on the wiring side. Others have a set-up mode accessed by turning and pressing the control knob in a specific sequence.
🕐 TIMESTAMPS 🕕
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00:00 How to select and LED lamp dimmer switch.
00:25 Understanding the maximum and minimum load.
01:50 Mounting depth of dimmer switches - they tend to need a deeper backbox.
02:40 Grid switch dimmers - retrofit options available
03:53 Low-end dimming / minimum light level
04:12 Setting low-end level of Hamilton LEDITB dimmer. (V-Tac lamp)
06:30 Does lamp choice change the low-end settings of a dimmer switch?
07:09 Setting low end for a different lamp manufacturer. (Ledvance / Osram lamp)
08:48 Setting low-end level of Aurora LED lamp dimmer (Aurora ICE Lamp)
11:00 Setting low-end level of Selectric lamp dimmer (Philips Lamp)
12:36 Setting low-end level of Knightsbridge lamp dimmer (Knightsbridge Lamp)
14:00 Mystery dimmer - no low-end set function
15:00 With careful selection and set up all LED lamps can be dimmed to low levels
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💡 THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO DIMMING LED LAMPS PLAYLIST⚡
• The complete guide dim...
Useful information on dimming LED lamps
www.efixx.co.uk/Know%20How/kn...
== AD ===========================
🧰 GU10 LED lamps - Parts listed below are warm white dimmable
** Beware manufacturers often produce different lamp families with alternative colour temperatures, beam angles, colour rendering and price-performance criteria **
** Philips Dim Tone GU10 (changes the white tone as you dim)
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** Philips Master LED - High colour rendering ra97
bit.ly/343kvUH
** Osram / LEDVance GU10
bit.ly/2T1a1Pi
** V-TAC Pro GU10
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Aurora GU10 lamp
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Literally just ordered a Knightsbridge dimmer. So this video has come to my attention at the perfect moment.
Halogen lights had a sort of standardised dimming curve by design: put more electrical energy into the glow wire, wire glows more.
Maybe the lamps need standardising so in the future any LED lamp will put out the same percentage of its maximum lumens when a certain percentage of the waveform is cut?
Sure it isn't that much of an issue with a programmable dimmer and using all identical lamps, but with technology changing constantly and LED lamps lasting for so long, the chances of finding a new matching lamp by the time one fails are slim, requiring to change out all lamps to get a matching set again. Also by that time I'm sure the manual describing the combination of tweaks required to reset the minimum level will be lost in a lot of households.
Why not put that little screw in the front, hidden behind the knob? That would allow easy and safe setting of the minimum level: turn on the dimmer, dial it all the way down, pull off the knob, set the level, push the knob back on, no need for morse code or working live on the backside of the dimmer.
Very educational video. Amazing!!
OK guys, very nice presentation and a wonderful line of products. It was great to show the reprogramming of the dimming features, but now I am completely unsure of what to do. We, my wife & I are in the States and not across the pond. We have a cooktop range we use often and bought a matched set of oven, cooktop and fan hood to help remove the smells and smoke. Now, I had a fan failure and diagnosed it as a run capacitor for a PSC 3 speed motor. The part arrived today and the unit uses two GU10+C lamps. They are bright so much my wife refuses to use them. I cook and prefer light but felt a pair of LED lamps by a reliable manufacture have been on sale and got me thinking. I can get the bulbs and have room to install a rotary controller for two LED bulbs. I now know I would have to write down the brand, model and info published at the home improvement store to pick the correct controller to all things well with the wife and I. To be honest, I am completely in the dark now as to what I need or can get reasonably priced to install the missing link. Nice little project I think, as a retired ASE master, or certified auto tech most of us live with an expensive Fluke 87 Type V True RMS Meter or better because we have to know 12-14 volt dc systems by voltage drop, Ohms law and the Power solving math. All this without mentioning hybrids at all and others. So well versed in electrical and electronics. I know I have work to do to complete my self appointed task of seeing the food cook without burning my wife's retinas. Thanks to the both and wish you where in the states, driving correctly and not discussing pounds instead of dollars. Tallyho and have a pint on me! Cheers! P.S. The GU10 must be popular but not here. 99% of every video I have found are all across from the Atlantic. Interesting?
Great video, cheers!
Great assessment and fix. I live in the US and see some correlation on the root causes. Thanks!
Great tips thanks fellas! :-)
Really good demonstration. I was slightly surprised you didn't mention about how to ensure you're choosing either leading edge and trailing edge dimmers. Or is that covered in another video you've previously uploaded? Cheers.
I have no idea how to choose a dimmer and nobody has made a video on if
Really good video lads thank you we use varilight dimmers With Osram GU10 Probably the best combination since Jimmy Floyd Hassel bank and Eidur gudjonshen
You can put OSRAM on any team! - We found the OSRAM lamps will
Dim to a low level on almost any dimmer - including ones not designed for LEDs.
@@efixx I like Philips myself.
Nice
Wow amazing review many thanks
Which led gu 10 the best work compatible with led dimmable or any dimmable also which module is better
hamilton vs varilight vs kingsbridge vs wessex intelligent led vs selectric vs aurora
I wish you reply I want help with best gu10 dimmable and module
Your video is really interesting for me to watch again and again. I'm an amateur electrician and this video reminds me of my days in the UK. Would you please try Varilight V-Pro, V-Pro IR, V-Pro Multi-Point, V-Pro Eclique and V-Com, in a new video? I'm not British myself but I believe Varilight is among the top UK dimmer brands. Due to the varieties of the Varilight LED dimmers present, you may consider gettin' one of each and do a dedicated video on comparing the performance of these Varilight products. You may even also get a V-Dim incandescent dimmer, a V-Dim fan regulator, and a V-Plus halogen dimmer to test out how INCOMPATIBLE they are with LED loads.
Hope this helps!
Thanks - we tried to get some varlight dimmers but the company didn’t seem interested in this series.
@@efixx Ah, sorry to hear that…
Great video. Have you come across 'Holder' dimmer switches from B&Q? Just had one installed for some Osram LED bulbs and the light turns off when only half turned off? Any suggestions? Thanks, D
Sorry missed this one ☝️- it sounds like the low end cut off needs adjusting on the dimmer switch .
@@efixx Thanks for getting back to me. We replaced the switch in the end as it didn't appear to be compatible with the LED lights we had. We live and learn! D
Seeing a use for those yellow reusable frames, need to fit a dimmer and only have a 16mm back box, fit a safety shroud 😁
It is about time the dimmer manufacturers gave us a 3 terminal dimmer with a neutral in. This would behave like a dimmer pack and can give an almost 0-100% waveform regardless of what the load is doing. This immediately takes away inter-dependence between dimmer and lamp and just leaves you with the lamp curve. Classic two terminal dimmers rely on the low resistance of the load to get power - fine with a an incandescent but totally arbitrary with LED lamps with switching supplies. Classic dimmers also cannot achieve full 100% of power as to do so they would short themselves out. Of course all new installations should now have neutral at the switch to allow for any electronic switching device to be fitted.
Hi Gents
I have just installed a dimmer switch, but unlike the ones you showed it's a bit different. The on and off switch is not a press one but rather you turn the lever to past the lowest setting for off position. In the off position the LEDs are low but not off. I tried to fiddle to get it completely off with no luck. It however did not come with a setting manual. My issue is to get it completely off.
Sometimes it’s the lamp which is the problem
Teco’s Classic GU10 dimmable spotlights are a perfect fit for spot lighting and deliver warm halogen-like light.
They are compatible with most existing fixtures are designed as a retrofit replacement for halogen or incandescent spots. LEDlamps deliver huge energy savings and minimize maintenance cost. They also has excellent compatibility to various dimmers provided by different manufacturers.
◆ Real replacement of 75W Halogen reflector
◆ Delivers 575lm light output with merely 7.5W power consumpion
◆ Four different beam angles: 10° 24° 36° and 60°
◆ Ra＞90
◆ Compatible with both leading edge and trailing edge dimmers
◆ L70 life up to 25000hrs, 3 years limited warranty
In summary, should we be installing leading edge dimmer switches for best results with various lamps from different manufacturers?
I job I saw the other day had a problem with there dimmers. A 2 gang dimmer was getting very very warm. Each dimmer was a varilight type for LED and capable of dimming 300w. The load on each dimmer is 5 x 40 watt LED ceiling panels (600/600) with dimmable drivers. Has anyone got any ideas as what could be the issue? The dimmers are pulling 200watt which is well within their range so I'm assuming lights or driver's ?
Often dimmers need to be derated for LED loads - check the data sheet for this model . A 300W dimmer may only be suitable for 100W of LED.
@@efixx many thanks... Starting to make sense now !
Will the same dimmer switches work with low voltage DC lamps assuming a dimmable led driver and lamps are used or should a specific other type be used? Cheers lads.
It’s all down to the driver / dimmer combination - we’ve had reasonable success with using LED strips and phase dimmable led drivers.
@@efixx this is a doozy; existing is 51 G4 halogen mini spots on a legacy dimmer and the request is to change to dimmable led 😬
@@rodgerq I'd have a conversation with the lamp manufacturer first and request some dimmer compatibility data. I've got some G9 LEDs at home which are always slightly dim even when the dimmer is technically off!
@@efixx I had that before at home but it was only on the fittings that were 2 way switched. Yeah, looks like I'll need to be doing some homework before I do anything else. Joy.
Also fitting some dimmers in to a grid switch system you can't get them side by side as they don't line up with the grid yoke ..
Great advice 👍
@@barnabybot it’s something to watch out for when choosing a grid / dimmer system
Does anyone make a high frequency dimmer to get rid of the 50Hz flicker (UK)?
The best would be dedicated LED fixture and driver using a protocol such as Dali for dimming.
Hiii all led lamps didn't work with dimmer switch right keep going efixx
Did you try zano dimmers
Not yet - how would you rate them compared to the ones we featured?
Doesn't appear to have tried the vpro either. Seems a massive omission.
@@efixx Yes there I would agree with @Adrian Moore. It would be massively better to include Varilight V-Pro standard dimmers, V-Pro smart dimmers, and V-Com.
@@adiemoore79 Agreed. I'm bringing a bunch of Varilight back to my home country to install and show my family what British dimmers are like...
We'd definitely say give them a try!
Isn’t Gaz fantastic 🥰.
who's dim and who's dimmer
Are there any vids on this topic done by people speaking US Midwest English? Can't understand them.
Sorry where did you say?
No earth fly lead on metal clad box and face plate 🤣
It was a bit of a joke 🤣 but there is an earth connector on the metal piece of the face plate if you look closely.
As much as just earthing the box is fine as it's going to earth the metal plate (on the decorative ones) when the plate is screwed on, as the plate has to be removed to adjust the low end on some of these, I'd personally be giving it a flying earth lead too.
I'd personally like to see stranded flying leads included with metal faceplates. You can always choose to not use them.