Can you put a dimmer on rope lights?

Well? I'm going to put them on top of a shelf, between 1 x 6's to illuminate my antique bottle collection from the bottom. Was just wondering if a dimmer would work. It SHOULD.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

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Reply to
Steve B
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Yes. I have a rope light hooked up to a touch dimmer thing-a-ma-bob so I'm not blinded at night. It works beautifully.

Reply to
mike

Should work on most rope lights, however, LED ropes might cause problems.

Reply to
Art Todesco

Just to add to the conversation, I believe you can cut them to size every 18 bulbs. I did that for my camper awning. I had a few extra inches when done but it was better than having 5 extra feet.

Reply to
Thomas

When renovating a bar my brother put rope lights around the underside of it for mood lighting. They were too bright and he added a dimmer at about half brightness. The bulbs have lasted over 20 years so far. Not a single one burnt out.

Reply to
Tony Miklos

You can put them on a dimmer or you can wire 2 equal length strings in series to cut the light down a little more than half. Just be aware as soon as you cut into rope light, you lose the U/L listing. they removed listing for any field assembly or alterations of rope light a few years ago, although you can still buy the parts.

Being a wild man, I have the toe kick lights in my bathroom in a DPDT switch that allows me to run them full brightness or in series. They are also on a motion detector.

Rope light on motion sensors is great for night time walking around light. I also have it in the hall behind crown molding and in the kitchen.

Reply to
gfretwell

If it is a 12 volt string or a LED string dimming is a major problem, however, if it is a 120 volt string, then dimming is easy with a standard lamp dimmer.

Reply to
EXT

And dimming with a 12 volt is no problem at all if you use the right dimmer and it is a "magnetic" transformer. Dimming switch-mode, AKA electronic transformers is a bit mor problematic (unless you have a variable output "switcher"

Reply to
clare

I have a friend who is a union electrician. He gets lots of "stuff", a lot of it things that are designated for the dumpster.

When we built my MIL's casita, he brought a transformer the size of a shoe box, and lines of connected lights. Musta cost a lot, and probably would be hard to find. Anyway, we put them under and over her cabinets, and it provides the nicest subtle lighting. It is dimmed, too.

I don't understand what it is, but he does, and I trust him to install.

He brought me 5 metal halide lights with transformers that they took off the top of a hotel in Vegas. Absolutely makes night into day, and probably in the $400 per copy range. Really lights up my shop and container area without it being that harsh white sodium lighting.

And a huge frickin subpanel. And lots of other stuff. All destined for the dumpster.

It's nice to have friend in the business.

Steve

Heart surgery pending?

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Reply to
Steve B

You cant dim LEDs? Why not? They get dim in LED flashlights when the batteries are weak.

Reply to
jw

Well, this had been discussed here before. Actually, you can dim LEDs, but they are not easy to dim. What I mean is they dim differently from incandescent lamps. LEDs behave in a pretty linear fashion, i.e. half the current, you get half the light. But the eye behaves in a logarithmic manner, so you see a very small difference at half current. Also, if the voltage across one LED goes below the forward voltage of the LED, they will quickly go out. So, it depends on how many LEDs in a series circuit (the total of all the forward voltages of the LEDs) and how big the series limiting resistor is. Also, the dimmer might have a very, insignificant to an incandescent lamp, leakage current. But for LEDs, that might produce a very small glow at minimum setting. That might be nice for some thing, but not others. Once LEDs become very common for house lighting, dimmers and LED lamps will have to be designed to play with each other nicely.

Reply to
Art Todesco

replying to Art Todesco, lawrence alimo wrote: Where do I purchase a dimmer for led rope lights

Reply to
lawrence alimo

eBay

Reply to
DerbyDad03

replying to mike, andrea ordodi wrote: What type dimmer did you use and where did you find it?

Reply to
andrea ordodi

replying to mike, andrea ordodi wrote: What type dimmer did you use and where did you find it?

Reply to
andrea ordodi

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