Dimmer for LED lamps

Very often, only one light switch for the interior or its simple functional use is not enough. This article will focus on the device, which greatly simplifies working with the light in the room - dimmer.

A dimmer, or dimmer, is called an uncomplicated electronic device that is capable of changing the brightness of a lamp and lighting, “cutting off” parts of a sinusoid of line voltage. The need for this device arose due to the fact that, unlike a standard incandescent lamp, the LED lamp contains a complex electronic circuit and a complex system. Because of this, with such a process as dimming, that is, with brightness control, everything is not so simple in it.

Due to the fact that dimmers allow not only to turn off and turn on the lighting in the room, but also to adjust its brightness, many find it very unusual to use them to create unusual interiors.First of all, room designers use various dimmers. Dimmer is able to make any, even the most banal interior room exclusive, individual and, of course, beautiful.

Dimmers can help when lighting the stretch ceiling. Having selected the right dimmer switch, you can equip several types of ceiling lighting to choose from: point, raster, central. You can also use the design "color pattern." Proper lighting of the stretch ceiling always looks stylish in design and pleases the eye of the hosts and guests.

In addition, a dimmer is an excellent tool to save on electricity and extend the lamp life, because its owner can always rationally adjust the power of the lamp voltage and not use excessive lighting.Studies have shown that the presence of such equipment as a dimmer at home can reduce electricity costs by up to 60% (!).

The word "dimming" comes from the English word "to dim", which, in turn, translates as "darken" or "dim". Because the word "dimmer" and called a device for regulating the brightness of the lamp. The design of the simplest dimmer consists of one rotary knob, producing regulation, as well as of two inputs intended for connection. This design allows you to adjust incandescent bulbs, LED and halogen lamps.

In the triac dimmer circuit is always the same, the only difference is the presence or absence of some additional details that can improve the quality of work. These very details increase the dimmer stability at low voltages,and also give smooth operation of the regulator.

Light controllers have a special operating principle. how they work. In order for the light bulb to start working and to light up with light, it is necessary that the triac, a current conductor, pass it through itself. For this to happen, it is necessary that a voltage appears between the electrodes of the two triacs. Dimmer just the same and helps this voltage appear, and also regulates the flow of light, thereby changing its brightness.

We consider the connection scheme of the most standard and common type of dimmer - rotary. In order to connect the regulator, you must pull out the light switch key. This should be done very carefully and carefully, taking precautions. Usually, the decorative cover of the key is held by two screws. They also need to unscrew. Next, you need to unscrew the spacer and mounting screws and carefully remove our switch from the socket.

The next step is to unscrew all the wires from the switch. One of them is feeding, the other goes through the junction box. Next, you need to install the dimmer itself, the installation scheme of which can be found, in fact, on its case.

At the end you need to install all the decorative plates. Dimmer is connected, it remains only to check his work.

The dimmer itself is an uncomplicated electronic device with a rather simple device circuit. But if the incandescent lamp is pretty straightforward, with an LED lamp, the opposite is true. Accordingly, dimming in it is a much more complicated process.

The second difference is that for the regulation of light in lamps with LEDs it is necessary that the minimum level of dimming is as low as possible.The difference also lies in the fact that to dimming incandescent bulbs, you can use the dimmer that will light up the bulb with a bright yellow color. LED lamps fit option with a dark red color, at the maximum level, it should not shine too brightly.

Due to the nature of the device, there may also be a problem such as the sound made by the lamps when dimming. It's all about the incompatibility of the device with the lamps. All dimmers have different levels, different individual features of the models. Therefore, the selection of the right device is a very important aspect when purchasing it.

Dimmers, although they always perform the same function, still have several varieties and are classified according to several criteria.

Among them are such varieties as mechanical, remote, acoustic and, finally, electronic.

The first type of mechanical. It is based on a potentiometer - a device that is connected not to a load, but to a transmitter through a signal control circuit (in this case, a rheostat, a thyristor, or a choke can be the power element).

The second is a wireless remote dimmer. Its peculiarity is that the switch and the switch in such a model is an individual remote control that is included in the kit along with the device itself. It is necessary to turn on such a dimmer using a radio remote control with a receiver and holder. This remote emits radio or in some cases infrared waves.

Third - acoustic dimmers. From the name itself it can be understood that such a device will respond to loud sounds or to commands that a person gives in his own voice. Simply put, the principle of operation of this design is voice control. It works thanks to a special acoustic sensor. Such a device is quite simple to manage.

The latest type of dimmer - electronic. It, in turn, is divided into two types: contact (or touch) and non-contact. In the first model, the control is performed using a sensitive sensor, while the contactless one is an infrared, ultrasonic or capacitive dimmer, depending on the model.

In addition to differences in control method, dimmers also have different types of location or installation. There are not so many varieties here, but you should pay attention to their differences.

The first type in this case is shield dimmers. They are usually installed in the distribution box. Sometimes you can find such a name for these devices as modular.

The second type is wall regulators. Their distinguishing feature is that they are installed in the place where the standard light switch was or should have been. Wall dimmers are very easy to install and replace with others when they break. They are also very easy to use. Thanks to all these advantages and advantages, they are the most common type of installation and location of dimmers.

Finally, the last species of all is instrumentation. They are installed in a box for installation. This is another convenient and functional option.

Light controllers with LED lamps can work both easily and without too much difficulty, and conflict with them. It is always very important to choose the right dimmer for working with lamps so that there are no problems with the use of light and electricity.

For a start, it is worthwhile to touch upon the problems that may arise when incompatible light adjusters with LED lamps. Very often, buyers prefer cheaper dimmers, which are usually intended only for "old" incandescent bulbs. Such devices are quite simple in design, but with LED lamps it is not so simple, because of this a number of problems may arise when installing an inappropriate light regulator.

First, the lamp may completely stop turning on and off. Secondly, it can only be lit at maximum brightness, ignoring the work of the dimmer, which should adjust the level of illumination. Thirdly, the LED lamp can begin to flicker periodically or make extra sounds like hum. Sometimes all these problems appear either not immediately, or only very rarely, but this situation can easily disable both the dimmer and the LED lamp.

Choosing the dimmer correctly and knowing which ones are suitable for lamps with LEDs is not too difficult, but very useful and important. To begin with, you should always look at the designations that are applied to the packaging of the lamp. Those models that are capable of dimming will always be signed in a certain way. These types of lamps can be bought without fear of problems in the future.

It is also worth noting that the so-called “smart” (or “smart”) bulbs are completely unsuitable for working with dimming, and if you try to do this process, irreparable problems may occur. Well, finally, if the lamp began to fail and to work irrationally when trying to dim, it is better to immediately complete a similar experiment.

At the moment there are a huge number of different companies and companies for the production of light bulbs in Russia and the CIS, and in the world.Most of them are also engaged in the production and development of dimmable diode bulbs.

The first company I would like to mention is the Russian Light company. It has 134 branches and the same number of regional representatives throughout Russia. It produces products such as, for example, cables and wires, electrical installation devices, safety devices, batteries, chargers, and more. Of course, just a huge list of its products include dimmire LED lamps.

Products of “Russian Light” are light sources created using a special, carefully developed LED technology. It can rightly be called revolutionary in its field. Russky Svet is one of the brightest and most recognizable brands on the Russian market of electrical products. Diode bulbs of this company are always distinguished by a special quality and long service life.

Many positive reviews also very often come in the direction of another well-known company in Russia, whose name is Ecola. Formed 11 years ago, the company is a manufacturer of a huge and diverse range of LED and energy-savingdimmable light bulbs and ceiling lights. Ecola is one of the leading manufacturers in the market. All this is due to the fact that the brand is focused on creating high-quality products at an affordable price, as well as constantly expanding its product range.

The slogan of the company Gauss, which produces energy-efficient lighting equipment -More than just a lamp. And it is true: its products are of the highest quality, efficient in their work. Gauss LED lamps are guaranteed for three years, they can be used up to 20 (!) Years. The special advantages of this manufacturer are the exclusive, individual, stylish design of products and its highest quality.

Among dimmer manufacturers there are also many companies creating very high quality products. Among them are companies such as Legrand, Werkel, Schneider Electric, Unica, Uniel, Makel, Jung, Gira and many others.

Legrand - is a French company that specializes in electrical products. She is a recognized specialist in electrical and information systems and a world leader in the manufacture of electrical products. Lengrand produces a huge amount of very high quality light regulators.

The next company is Werkelwhich is very popular in the Scandinavian countries. Werkel has a very rich experience in the production of various products related to electrical engineering. Also, this company is distinguished by its carefully developed strategy and production technology, which helped them to achieve such a stunning success. One of the branches of specialization of this company are such devices as dimmers.

Other firms, such as, for example, the above Schneider Electric, Unica, Uniel, Makel, Jung and Gira They are also distinguished by special production technology and excellent quality of their products. I would especially like to mention a company with such a name as Schneider Electric. This is a French company, one of the world's foremost experts in the field of energy management, as well as its automation.

Dimming is a much more complicated process than it might seem at first glance.Sometimes it happens that when working with the dimmer switches all sorts of problems occur, various errors occur.

One of the most frequent problems that occurs during this process is the blown light bulb. After such a dimmer simply stops working. Also at the instant of a direct burnout, a so-called short circuit can occur. Because of it, the most important element of the light regulator called the triac often suffers or even burns. Because of him, the whole device stops working. In this case, the owner of the device should check it and replace the defective parts, following the scheme of the device.

The second most popular reason why the traffic controller stops either turning on or even turning off the light is his work with the lamp with the energy saving system. In no case can these lamps be used for dimming, since it is completely useless: for LED and fluorescent light bulbs it is necessary to purchase devices with a special device.

Finally, the third reason is the incorrectly installed power of the dimmer, due to which the device cannot work correctly and efficiently.The main advice: you should always take into account the fact that the power of the dimmer should be 30-40 percent more than the power of all light bulbs. Following all these precautions and advice, using a dimmer will always be comfortable.

Review dimmer for LED lamps, see the following video.