Scrib Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Anyone using LED floods with C4 dimmers and switches? Any particular brands to stay away from, or ones that seem to work well?Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 If you're using LEDs, it may be in your best interest to use the control4 ELV dimmer instead of the standard dimmer, as the ELV only requires a 7w minimum load vs 25w. Best bet since you wont be dimming though is the C4 switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrib Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 OK, thanks. Most, if not all the dimmers would carry more than 25W on them. The LED floods are 13W, so I'd need two per to get me there. Is that the only benefit the ELV has over the traditional, the reduced load? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 There are a few other changes as well, namely reverse phase dimming:http://www.control4.com/files/products/data-sheets/Control4_120VWirelessDimmersSwitches_DS.pdfThere was some pretty good discussion a couple months back here with people talking about the Cree can lights, etc that you may find with searching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrib Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share Posted February 18, 2013 Thanks again. I searched through and found a few threads... Most seem to lead me to believe either dimmer would work, you just run into issues as the voltage drops below the minimum. As an example, I have six cans in my greatroom, 6x60W right now. I could replace them with 75W-90W equivalents, I'd be at roughly 13W each. That's 78W at full, well above the 25W min. So I figure that would work in my situation even with a dimming of the LEDs. I guess where you run into issues is probably a can or two @ 13W. Problems there...In the end I suppose I buy ELVs to replace the standard dimmers and reuse the standard dimmers somewhere else. Are the standard and ELVs the same price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecodeman Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 Yes, so far as I can remember.*edit* I've been told that there's a $10 premium for the ELV dimmers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 10$ more is correct. Note that that is however not the ONLY difference between them. As mentioned normal dimmers are forward phase, ELV reverse phase. Make sure you have the PROPER LED light bulbs - should state on the box of any dimmable LED. Note that I've seen flickering on low % dimming on LED bulbs that are stated to be "compatible with both". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrib Posted February 19, 2013 Author Share Posted February 19, 2013 This is making me rethink this whole plan... Having to buy ELV dimmers, adds to the already expensive price tag. Grrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 If you have areas you don't need to dim such as flood lights, you can set up c4 dimmers to work like a switch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Indeed to have dimming capability, they need to be dimmable LEDs - but if you don't care a dimmer can be essentially set to act as a switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
servpro Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I was wanted to chime and say I have begun switching out my light bulbs for LEDs and have not had any problems using the standard C4 dimmers. I would first try to use what you have and if it doesnt work find a solution. No reason to fix something that may not be broken Like mentioned above, make sure they are dimmable LED's. Also, from experience not all LED bulbs are made the same. I bought a few different brands to try out and some of the dimmable LED bulbs did poorly (not very good dim rates) while some brands performed better and actually worked. I had one brand have a split second pause before turning on (even though it was supposed to be instant on). It was very annoying because I liked the light color it produced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrib Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 Also, from experience not all LED bulbs are made the same. I bought a few different brands to try out and some of the dimmable LED bulbs did poorly (not very good dim rates) while some brands performed better and actually worked. I had one brand have a split second pause before turning on (even though it was supposed to be instant on). It was very annoying because I liked the light color it produced.What bulbs are you using that you find to work best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 i believe this will shorten the life of ur bulbs and c4 dimmers.......from what ive heard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 i believe this will shorten the life of ur bulbs and c4 dimmers.......from what ive heardWhat will? Not sure what you're refering to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Also, from experience not all LED bulbs are made the same. I bought a few different brands to try out and some of the dimmable LED bulbs did poorly (not very good dim rates) while some brands performed better and actually worked. I had one brand have a split second pause before turning on (even though it was supposed to be instant on). It was very annoying because I liked the light color it produced.Very true, not all are.On the split second delay, this could likely have been "fixed" by setting the dimmer to a (higher) minimum on level. Most likely there is just a minimum power requirement for the led bulb to fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 i believe this will shorten the life of ur bulbs and c4 dimmers.......from what ive heardWhat will? Not sure what you're refering to.Using wireless C4 dimmers with led bulbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CFUG Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 This is making me rethink this whole plan... Having to buy ELV dimmers, adds to the already expensive price tag. GrrrrI'm with you. I've revisited this whole LED thing a few times now and it still doesn't make 100% sense. Just to avoid an argument, I can't stand the color of even 3000K LEDs so call me difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 i believe this will shorten the life of ur bulbs and c4 dimmers.......from what ive heardWhat will? Not sure what you're refering to.Using wireless C4 dimmers with led bulbsAh ok. To a degree - depending on the load as well as the type of bulbs. Not tied specifically to C4's dimmers but many other similar types as well as I understand it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiam Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 This is making me rethink this whole plan... Having to buy ELV dimmers' date=' adds to the already expensive price tag. Grrrr[/quote']I'm with you. I've revisited this whole LED thing a few times now and it still doesn't make 100% sense. Just to avoid an argument, I can't stand the color of even 3000K LEDs so call me difficult.You can buy round filters from LEE FILTERS that fit in front of the MR16 LEDs. http://www.leefilters.com/architecture/arch-dl.htmlThey're $13 each so they're not cheap but they're optical quality and won't fade. They change the light to a warmer hue. They also make a $18 dollar thinner polycarbonate version)I have 25 glass ones (LEE Filters, 206 Dichoric Filter - MR16 206LDPMR16.) if anyone is interested. They'll take a 6500K bulb to about 4500.I'll let the whole bunch go for 225 including shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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