Ability to be dimmed - able to have illumination decreased in brightness. Long ago, when only traditional incandescent bulbs were available on the market, dimmers were introduced in order to decrease the power consumption of the light source, thus a decrease of the monthly electrical bill. These times are now gone and honestly speaking, by introducing the LED light bulbs as the main light source, the feature of the dimmer decreasing the power consumption is no longer perceived as a single purpose functionality.
As introduced in the previous chapter, dimmers are devices that are used to adjust the amount of light. By doing so, the light intensity will decrease as well as the power consumption which leads to fewer costs. Another benefit of dimming down the light is increasing its life-time means fewer lamp replacements and so maintenance costs.
Besides cutting down costs - something you can count on, there are other priceless benefits. Check out the 2 nd part of the blog, about smart dimmers. There are different types of dimmers that one can find on the market:.
Do you want to control them by dimming the brightness from min to max level or do you only need them to switch on and off? In case you need your light only to go on or off, you can use a dimmable or non-dimmable bulb. But if you want to dim it, then only a dimmable bulb can be used.
You should always stick to the facts written by bulb manufacturers. Basically, all incandescent and halogen lights can be dimmed. Long story short, the dimming range you might get on a light bulb depends on at least three things:. It perfectly fits both use cases. Nowadays, it is quite common to find 3-step dimmable bulbs on the market. The whole story about these bulbs is actually very simple. Besides the light bulb, nothing else needs to change.
With a non-dimmable bulb, decreasing and increasing brightness is not recommended, allowed, or even is not possible. Keep reading to understand how dimmer switches work and how they can benefit your home environment. Dimmer switches simply raise or lower the brightness in electric light bulbs. They are often used in homes and businesses to conserve energy and to control the lighting environment.
You can automatically set the lights to dim at a certain time with timers or smart controls, or adjust the light level manually. The key to using a dimmer switch is knowing how to get the best results out of the device, so it helps to understand how it works. Dimmer switches use simple electrical principles to function depending on their type. Your basic dimmer switch simply reduces the amount of electricity flowing through a circuit to reduce the brightness of a light.
However, modern dimmer devices work differently. When this happens, it diverts electricity from the light bulb. The amount of electrical current flowing through the lightbulb is reduced. A dimmer switch changes the direction of electrical flow every time that it is used to dim or brighten the lights. The flow of electricity always alternates between positive and negative.
When the circuit alternates it will automatically shut the circuit off or on. Ultimately, the dimmer switch controls the electrical cycle for dimming a light. The brightness of the lamp is determined by the power transferred to it, so the more the waveform is chopped, the more it dims. Mains power is comprised of an alternating current that flows in one direction and then in the other, along the cable, at the rate of 50 or 60 cycles per second known as Hertz.
The value 50 or 60Hz is dependent on the countries power system. The current alternates back and forth changing direction at the zero point. Draw a line through the middle and this is what is called the zero crossing point. At this instant in time no current is flowing in either direction. By chopping the waveform at the zero-crossing point, smooth dimming can be achieved without the lamp flickering.
This turning on and off of the power device occurs every time the mains crossing point is reached half phase , or times per second. Electrical waveform for 50Hz mains power sine wave.
Electrical waveform for mains power output from a lamp dimmer using triacs. Typically light dimmers are manufactured using a Triac as the power control device.
These electronic parts are semiconductors not dissimilar to transistors.
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