Robert Hardin Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 I’m having an issue that my LED bulbs will flicker and not ever go completely off when I turn off through my Control 4 system. In between dealers now..thoughts on why this is happening and how to fix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 What generation dimmers are you using? I bet you aren't using apd?Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Hardin Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 My dimmers were installed in 2010 when I first added downstairs light control to my system. Not a guru..so don’t know what apd means...but they are old! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 That is the problem. The old 2010 c4 dimmers that are adaptable phase dimmers. Apd. They work w ledSent from my BBF100-2 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 That is the problem. The old 2010 c4 dimmers that are adaptable phase dimmers. Apd. They work w ledSent from my BBF100-2 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopedogg88 Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 APD = Adaptive Phase Dimmers. They are the newer style ones...if yours were installed in 2010 then they aren't the new style. The APDs can handle more load types more gracefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkimedes Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 New to Control4, but did a lot of Lutron and LEDs. Are you running the neutral wire on the dimmers? There is always better performance with a neutral wire. Lutron and C4 dimmers never truly "turn off". They need to be powered on for the radios (Zigbee, ClearConnect, Embernet) to have power and the LEDs on the side to provide feedback. Consequently, there is a small micro current that "bleeds" onto your lighting circuit. You could try to source a Lutron LUT-MLC shunt capacitor (6mA @ 120V). This would remove the bleed and hopefully calm the LED lights down. It you want a quick test, throw an old school incandescent bulb in on the first fixture in line. If everything behaves, then try the shunt capacitor. You may need to move the incandescent bulb around if you don't know which is first on the switch leg. Also, what LED lights are you using? Verify that they are dimmable. Dimming a non-dimmable source is VERY bad in some instances. Like, burn your house down bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Thanks ari. Clearly typoed that Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLite Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 On 2/14/2019 at 2:50 PM, BakerBalay said: New to Control4, but did a lot of Lutron and LEDs. Are you running the neutral wire on the dimmers? There is always better performance with a neutral wire. Lutron and C4 dimmers never truly "turn off". They need to be powered on for the radios (Zigbee, ClearConnect, Embernet) to have power and the LEDs on the side to provide feedback. Consequently, there is a small micro current that "bleeds" onto your lighting circuit. You could try to source a Lutron LUT-MLC shunt capacitor (6mA @ 120V). This would remove the bleed and hopefully calm the LED lights down. It you want a quick test, throw an old school incandescent bulb in on the first fixture in line. If everything behaves, then try the shunt capacitor. You may need to move the incandescent bulb around if you don't know which is first on the switch leg. Also, what LED lights are you using? Verify that they are dimmable. Dimming a non-dimmable source is VERY bad in some instances. Like, burn your house down bad. Hi @BakerBalay, Will the Lutron shunt capacitor work with a C4 adaptive phase dimmer? I have had a long-running problem with one small bank of dimmable LED puck lights flickering from time to time -- they are controlled by a C4 Adaptive Phase Dimmer. My electrician tells me the flickering is due to the low load, but he didn't know of a solution compatible with a C4 dimmer. Might this Lutron hardware work? Thanks for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkimedes Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 16 hours ago, DLite said: Hi @BakerBalay, Will the Lutron shunt capacitor work with a C4 adaptive phase dimmer? I have had a long-running problem with one small bank of dimmable LED puck lights flickering from time to time -- they are controlled by a C4 Adaptive Phase Dimmer. My electrician tells me the flickering is due to the low load, but he didn't know of a solution compatible with a C4 dimmer. Might this Lutron hardware work? Thanks for your advice. It should work fine. It's just a capacitor- 6mA@120v. Designed to run in parallel with the first fixture, or jump from the dimmed hot off the dimmer to the neutral in the switch box. Really depends on why the LEDs are flickering. Usually I see them used when the first fixture is "ghosting" or staying slightly on when the switch/dimmer is OFF. I have seen the shunt cap quell flickering as well. They're cheap, give it a try. Should be no more than about $5. Amazon pricing is about $11-20. Maybe Lutron raised the cost after I left distribution. Check with your local Lutron wholesale house, may find better pricing. SnapAV did not show them on their website. I know several houses that stock them here in San Diego. Send me a message if you need help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLite Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Cool! Thanks very much for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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