Jump to content
C4 Forums | Control4

Recommended Posts


Do any LEDs dim as well as incandesant or halogen?  I haven't tried the most expensive LED bulbs but it seems to me that while traditional bulbs will go from 0%-100% maximum brightness, LEDs will go from, at best, 50% to 100% maximum brightness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, zaphod said:

Do any LEDs dim as well as incandesant or halogen?  I haven't tried the most expensive LED bulbs but it seems to me that while traditional bulbs will go from 0%-100% maximum brightness, LEDs will go from, at best, 50% to 100% maximum brightness.

Yes they do. I have tried some expensive ones. Using Colorbeam drivers, you can go upto 1% dimming and even 0.5%.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, zaphod said:

Do any LEDs dim as well as incandesant or halogen?  I haven't tried the most expensive LED bulbs but it seems to me that while traditional bulbs will go from 0%-100% maximum brightness, LEDs will go from, at best, 50% to 100% maximum brightness.

Lots of good quality dimmable LEDs bulbs out there. The Megaman range I've used offer useable dimming right down about 4-5% and then max out at about 70% on the uncalibrated 0-100 dimming scale of the C4 dimmers.

Once the max and min levels have been set correctly on the dimmer channel's properties to much these lower and upper limits the C4 dimmers offer smooth and usable dimming throughout the 0-100 slider range.

So, either you are not buying good enough LEDs or your dimmers are not calibrated correct to match their input level/brighness ratios.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Crustyloafer said:

So, either you are not buying good enough LEDs or your dimmers are not calibrated correct to match their input level/brighness ratios.

Do you need special dimmers?  I am using whatever the basic C4 dimmer was about 13 years ago when my home renovations were done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, SMHarman said:

New reverse phase or adaptive phase dimmers chop the sine wave on the back not the forward.

Led prefer that.

Not all LEDs prefer that. I would check specs. If the LED spec sheet gives you an option, then you are good to go either way. But running a reverse phase dimmer on a forward phase driver is inviting failure.

 

Someone from C4 would have to chime in, but I believe most ELV/reverse phase/trailing edge dimmers are actually MOSFET and not Triac based. A lot of drivers dislike this type. Still a wave chopping form, just a different method. (I am using my experience with Lutron RA2 here).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, zaphod said:

Do you need special dimmers?  I am using whatever the basic C4 dimmer was about 13 years ago when my home renovations were done.

I'm assuming they are all forward phase dimmers, which whilst they work fine with some LED loads, however I have found most LED loads tend to prefer reverse phase dimming controls. I'm not sure what min and max level adjustments there are on those older dimmers, someone else with more experience of them may be able to contribute and confirm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi [mention=134442]SMHarman[/mention], What's the controller you used? Did you use RS232 DMX Engine by Engineering Solutions? In addition to RS232 DMX Engine, did you use any other controller?

 

 

My setup is 5 years old and precedes the ES solution. That ES solution is the option I'd use today and I've considered swapping out for it, but mostly time and some money have that as a lower priority. Mine works and with lighting and family if it works don't break it.  

Mine is the ENTECH solution that C4 / Extra Vegetables built.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/13/2020 at 1:45 PM, Crustyloafer said:

The Megaman range I've used offer useable dimming right down about 4-5% and then max out at about 70% on the uncalibrated 0-100 dimming scale of the C4 dimmers.

Thought I'd buy a couple of these to try out and have to say really impressed with the range of dimming. Opted for the Daylights and the colour is epic also,

Great recommendation 👍

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.