bebster Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 I understand this dimmer was announced at CEDIA, and that it will work with CFL and LED's. If so, that would be great.Is it available for sale, and is there more technical information available on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jberger Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 It's the ELV dimmer and it's been out for a while. http://www.control4.com/products/42/56/control4_wireless_elv_dimmer/How well it works is strictly dependent on the type of lamp and fixture it's driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebery Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Do they work better with dimmable CFL's or the same as the regular c4 dimmers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Yes, the ELV Dimmer can control dimmable compact fluorescent lighting. However, note that not all compact fluorescents are dimmable. Please review the CFL light fixture specifications to ensure compatibility with dimming. Also note that CFL lighting typically does not provide the same low-level dimming as traditional incandescent or halogen lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tebery Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thanks Matt. I currently have regular C4 dimmers with dimmable CFL's. And yes the range of dimming is very limited. My question is if the ELV dimmer will give me more range of dimming compared to the regular dimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 The issue with range is not due to the dimmer, it's due to the CFL technology.Any fluorescent (or neon, to a greater extent) technology requires a certain 'strike voltage' below which, the light will not 'strike', or start up. There is also a minimum voltage to maintain the plasma discharge that causes the light.Because of this, the lowest setting on a FL is much higher than incandescent.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvgvup Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 The issue with range is not due to the dimmer, it's due to the CFL technology.Any fluorescent (or neon, to a greater extent) technology requires a certain 'strike voltage' below which, the light will not 'strike', or start up. There is also a minimum voltage to maintain the plasma discharge that causes the light.Because of this, the lowest setting on a FL is much higher than incandescent.RyanEyeah but aren't the elv dimmers made to move through the usable voltage range more acurately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Yes, but if your minimum operating voltage gives you a light level of 30%, you're not going to be able to go any lower than that, and the range is pretty small.i.e. maybe 30% is the lowest you can have, and anything from 60-100% looks close to the same brightness.Not great dimming funtionality, unfortunately.RyanE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebster Posted September 26, 2009 Author Share Posted September 26, 2009 Would the ELV dimmer work just as well with incandescent lights as the regular dimmer? If so would it be better to generally install the ELV dimmer to gain more flexibility? (assuming the cost is the same as the regular dimmer). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jberger Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 That's the theory, I have not started installing ELV's standard yet, since they are a bit more expensive. But it is my recommendation to people who want to use CFL's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bebster Posted September 26, 2009 Author Share Posted September 26, 2009 Does anyone know the list price of the 2 different dimmers?I'd be interested to give an ELV dimmer to see how it works.It would be great if C4 (or some users) compiled a list of CFL light bulbs and their suitability for dimming and suggested properties for minimum firing levels, etc. I'd be happy to report my experiences with the ones I try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 The EVL's are about 10 dollars more then the standard dimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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