A wee bit miffed here.... 
I've installed 6 of the in ceiling led lights in my listening room (all controlled by one switch). I've gone through 2 dimmer switches so far and neither one will dim the lights fully (cuts them to about 70 percent). I now have a regular switch for the time being. The guy at the store says (after telling me that each two of the switches he suggested would work) that it's a common problem with dimming led's that hasn't been figured out yet. I think he's full of well .....you know
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The led's i have are dimmable for sure. Does anyone have any ideas as to what dimmer i should use? I'd like one with a wireless control too if they make something like that.....Thanks!
I've installed 6 of the in ceiling led lights in my listening room (all controlled by one switch). I've gone through 2 dimmer switches so far and neither one will dim the lights fully (cuts them to about 70 percent). I now have a regular switch for the time being. The guy at the store says (after telling me that each two of the switches he suggested would work) that it's a common problem with dimming led's that hasn't been figured out yet. I think he's full of well .....you know.The led's i have are dimmable for sure. Does anyone have any ideas as to what dimmer i should use? I'd like one with a wireless control too if they make something like that.....Thanks!
The way new LED theater lights dim LEDs is by modulating the DC duty cycle; at any instant they're actually 100% on or 100% off but the brightness is determined by the average of on versus off time, which works fine for human eyes but not always so good for still or motion photography. Recording digital video the lights can appear to modulate or the stage may appear to change colors. Many home SCR dimmers work by changing the portion of the 60hz AC waveform is passed thru to the light, so they do the on/off thing but at low settings I don't know if the 'on' pulse is full-voltage; and they often have a filter in an attempt to reduce the switching noise on input and output lines and deliver a 'nicer' waveform. The better the dimmer the better the filter and the worse dim-light performance for your LEDs. The typical dimmer expects to see an incandescent filament load which averages the power no matter that waveform. The LEDs will put out less light as voltage (and current) drops as you've seen (and will dim to below half-brightness), but below a certain minimum level you just have to switch them on & off too fast to see any blink. The LEDs just don't light up at all below some minimun voltage.
Usually they build a switching controller into the LED lights, and have a digital control interface that uses typical XLR connectors.
For a dimmable LED home theatre you can get an inexpensive LED DJ setup and the small flat PAR cans will recess into the ceiling nicely. Select the spread pattern you want; narrow with a deep shade tunnel to eliminate glare or broader if your ceiling is low and you need coverage. You wire the power. Then you wire the controls separately, to a small light board.
Good luck. LEDs just don't go very dim with a normal dimmer. Wrong combination of components.
Usually they build a switching controller into the LED lights, and have a digital control interface that uses typical XLR connectors.
For a dimmable LED home theatre you can get an inexpensive LED DJ setup and the small flat PAR cans will recess into the ceiling nicely. Select the spread pattern you want; narrow with a deep shade tunnel to eliminate glare or broader if your ceiling is low and you need coverage. You wire the power. Then you wire the controls separately, to a small light board.
Good luck. LEDs just don't go very dim with a normal dimmer. Wrong combination of components.
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Most household LED lamps use a small SMPS with a mains transformer. Now, a household dimmer uses a Triac and with a Diac controlled with a variable resistor and timing capacitor. This delays the point at which the power is switched on, with respect to the zero point on the full cycle.
Transformers don't like being switched on half way through a mains cycle. They get hot and go short circuit.
Using disco lights in the kitchen seem a good possibility and would be useful at a party!
Secondary duty cycle is the only way to successfully dim an LED at the moment.
Transformers don't like being switched on half way through a mains cycle. They get hot and go short circuit.
Using disco lights in the kitchen seem a good possibility and would be useful at a party!
Secondary duty cycle is the only way to successfully dim an LED at the moment.
We had some really nice LED ceiling fixtures installed when we redid what had been our son's bedrooms (they've all moved out to marital bliss). Turns out that you have to read the manufacturer's data sheet carefully with respect to dimmers. You can't just go into Home Depot or Lowes and expect an off-the-shelf unit to work with some of these lamps.
Sorry, I thought that they might have been 12v MR16 down lights with 120 - 12v smps. So they are 120v GU10 base lamps?
Do they?
Would they more likely use a dropping capacitor that consumes no power?
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But it has to drive enough LED junctions to provide useful room illuminations. I don;t read the articles on it in the engineering mags I get, but the impression I get is that cooling/dissipation is an issue in the "bulbs". Not sure you can drag that through a little cap. Not my area, but I'd suspect one of those little one tiny chip and three components SMPS would give solid control over a range of mains conditions.
I built my own main LED light and it is almost ready to be installed.
It has an 80VA laminated transformer hidden inside it.
The dimmer is several large FETs mounted on an extruded aluminum mounting bracket.
The 1W LEDs are in 5 banks of 10 and the FETs are controlled from a pot and a string of zena diodes so that there is never more than one that is not either hard on or off.
It has an 80VA laminated transformer hidden inside it.
The dimmer is several large FETs mounted on an extruded aluminum mounting bracket.
The 1W LEDs are in 5 banks of 10 and the FETs are controlled from a pot and a string of zena diodes so that there is never more than one that is not either hard on or off.
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