Any recommendations please on panels/drivers that can be dimmed by "ordinary" (e.g. Varilight V-Pro) dimmers?
Background is I'm looking to fit LED panels on the kitchen ceiling for the general work lights as ageing eyes need ever more lumens. I want to be able to run them dimmed while/when the full Monty is not needed. But I'm struggling to see just which panels and drivers can be used with power (phase control) dimmers.
FTAOD:
a. I'm not in the market for dimming by control signal (0-10V etc) as I ain't ready to rewire. Nor for Smart Phone, Alexa etc.
b. I've already boosted under- and over- cabinet lighting and more of the same ain't going to avoid the need for more from the ceiling.
Difficult. Even best LED drivers dint respond to dimming in the same was as hot wire bulbs do.
The best bet is to get a trailing edge dimmer setup and buy panels on appro that claim to be dimmable and send them back if they dint meet requirements.
Probably not 'stylish' enough for some (we have two twin flouros in our kitchen because 'they give light' and they are off when we aren't in there <g>) but when I wired up my mates office, I ran them off two switches so they could have 50% (either set) or 100% of the lights on.
With half the lights on there was plenty of light to do most things in the office but if they needed to turn it into a stadium, they could turn the lot on (they had a fair quantity of the 2 x 32W CFL ceiling fittings).
Are you saying you can point me to fluorescent panels and dimmers currently on sale with comparable price, output, life expectancy and profile which don't require control wires? Comparable ease of cleaning wd help too in a kitchen.
PS
You have made clear frequently your views on the advantages of fluorescent for colour rendition but some of us may give priority to other features.
Not what you asked for, but have you looked at some of the Ikea panels:
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They're controlled by a battery-powered dimmer rocker-button. It comes with a magnetic wall mount so you can fix it like a switch. You can pair multiple panels to a single button.
The protocol is Zigbee so you can hook it up to a hub, Alexa, etc if you want, but if you prefer you can just use the button.
I think the LED dimmer/driver is a separate module that's mounted inside the light, so it looks like mains power in is all you need.
Was more wondering why you want panels. Which suggest to replace existing florry ones in a false ceiling? Otherwise a bit 'office' looking for a kitchen?
No, quite, I didn't really consider my reply as a specific answer to your question, but if you can't fulfil your specific demands in any way, doing some re-wiring might then become an RW option, when you
Thanks for that - an option I'd not considered. A bit pricey (£115 for the 600 mm panel alone with 2800 lumen from 34 W) given I don't want the ability to switch colour temperature. And not entirely simple for me as one kitchen ceiling circuit shares a switch plate a hall light. But I'll look at it further.
What you could do is replace the switch plate with a single gang, and wago the terminals for the kitchen light together. That means the light is permanently powered. Then you can operate it via the wireless dimmer control.
Some people have been busy with their 3D printers to create adapter plates to hold the control on an existing switch plate (it's quite a bit smaller than a regular switch):
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this one which holds the control that does colour temperature, which is a bit bulkier:
OOI, how often do you actually use any dimmers at anything other than full on or off?
We had a combined thumbwheel dimmer and rocker on/off switch for years but the dimming function was left on full and only the rocker switch part was used to control the light. When the second one failed in time we replaced it with a std rocker again.
I think the multi-light dimmers with a series of 'old radio project' knobs sticking out look tacky and again, nearly everywhere I've come across them the 'default' use is on/off.
The only place we have a dimable is the bedside light where it's typically set at the dimmest level so we (well, she mainly as 1) I don't need it and 2) it's her side <g>) can find our way round the room but can be turned up if we need a bit more light without turning the main light on.
What would you say is the main purpose of the dim lighting would be, when 'the full Monty is not needed'?
Is it when you are passing though that area in general and how do you use them with the under / over cupboard lights ooi?
As mentioned we (still?) have 4 x 5' x 75W flourous in the kitchen and unlike most other rooms where I would typically use localised lighting to do anything requiring to see 'detail', the kitchen is the one place that's not generally required.
Would that cause any fire safety issues, given PLA us likely to be very much more flammable than any plastic generally associated with electrical work?
That reminds me that whilst paying a rare visit to Ikea a couple of years ago I bought a couple of their remotely controlled lamps that came with little 'puck' style controllers that never seemed to work very well, even from new. I got them when my stepdaughter was ill so they had the option to dim the main room light if she was tired but didn't want to be in the dark (before going to the hospice). ;-(
I think the lamps themselves are still in use but only in on/off mode from conventional light switches (one in a bedroom main light and another a lounge uplighter).
I think they did sell a more substantial controllers for these lamps and is that what is featured in the links above (as it might be good for daughter to be able to use them as designed).
On 27/11/2020 13:41, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: ... snipped
... snipped I was concerned about the "office" look before fitting them but they look great in a "traditional" kitchen - that I still haven't finished :-(
Can't see how, given it's attached to the outside of an existing switch. You can still flip the switch through the slot. The controller is just powered by a CR2032 so no safety implications there.
I've replaced some grotty incandescent downlighters with these:
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's a reasonable price for a 100mm downlight including bulb, and integrate the Zigbee dimmer inside.
They're dimmable and colour-temperature-adjustable via the 'puck' controller (which was straightforward to pair). It's really nice to be able to tweak the brightness and colour temperature (only 2200K/2700K/4000K though) and I find myself doing so more frequently that I thought I would.
Since they're Zigbee I can always set up 'zones' so they don't all come on at once. But no major hurry for that.
No, I didn't mean it would be particularly ... just that I'm not sure I'd want to be selling anything used in that sort of scenario printed with PLA.
I actually stopped using home printed RPi boxes and am using 'commercial' plastic cases (Or metal, if WiFi isn't used) that stated they were made from a fireproof plastic instead.
Sure, and the existing plastic should retain any flames etc. ;-)
<snip>
I guess if your ceilings are already peppered with the holes ... ;-)
Is it just me but where does it state the light output?
"Use this smart LED recessed spotlight to create atmosphere in any room, including the bathroom. You can control the light via TRÅDFRI remote or a smartphone ? and set the scene for cooking or a long bath."
(I bought a s/h smartphone from eBay and two days later and before I'd even used it anywhere it died. It was still under warranty so I returned it to the PO who returned it to the manufacturer for repair / replacement. It came back that it had got damp (photos of the inside showing the water damage) and so wasn't covered. Their instructions suggested that the phone shouldn't be used where it could get dame or even exposed to condensation, such as found in a kitchen or bathroom!)
Yeah, that doesn't look bad.
Yeah, as were the one that came with the lamps I bought, but they didn't seem to last and weren't very predictable when new. I think I should have bought one of the 'alternative' pucks but they were about the same price as the lamps? ;-(
Where do you have them where the dimming / CT functions are worthwhile Theo?
I've not 'committed to any one of the (several?) standards for all this home automation stuff yet but do have a couple of the Google Home devices (gifts) and Alexa in the Portal (un yet configured) and Smartphones.
I did get an Amazon SmartPlug on offer but I think I should have got something that works with the Google Home?
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