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Original thread:
Post 7 made on Monday July 25, 2016 at 11:01
5l1v3r
Long Time Member
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June 2016
16
So I heeded your advice prior to investing money into this project. It's good to listen to experience.
I have been experimenting with switches and LEDs using gracious return policies with certain stores. Turns out that LEDs/CFLs and dimmers are really not ready for prime time - in general - due to a lack of UL direction or lack of cooperation in the fluorescent/LED community. It centers around mostly lowest acceptable wattage output and/or the TRIAC tech (google it) signal. Companies like Lutron choose to do testing and provide a list of LEDs that passed - if you use another bulb - they just point to their list (does not solve the problem). Others like leviton spew horse dung by advertising "universal" dimmers - but in fact they are simply not solving the issues either; my testing demonstrated that the Leviton "universal" dimmers still require the same input requirements as a standard Lutron while probably installing a resistor to deal with the low wattage "ghost load". I did not test GE dimmers, I have no access. THEY ALL LEAK!
My issues manifested in all my dimmers. All tested dimmers have a ghost load (or leak) of some low wattage that the track lighting uses to ever so slightly glow. In other words, they won't turn off, they are still ever so slightly dimmed. Fluorescent bulbs tend to "flicker" while track lighting LEDs tend to slightly glow. No dimmer I tried would turn completely off. The ghost load is due to 2-wire switches leaking to power the extra functionality offered by the switch (like a night light, zwave, etc). It is said that neutral (3-wire) switches can offload the extra current and prevent this, but my testing showed the several 3-way dimmers yielded the same issues. I mean, if you use a simple on/off switch with no functionality, your golden. This problem is all over the Internet. I've wired some fixtures with neutral specifically just to test. I am now attempting to calculate the proper capacitance and solder a false load - or considering installing a switch in series and prior to dimmer. I have other ideas too.
Anyway, this has become less of a URC remote issue and more of how much the commercial companies have failed the consumer in bringing to market good solutions while also not educating the public that conversion to CFL/LED is not such an easy venture as switching bulbs. The good old days are gone for us. For example, only just in 2011 the national code was modified to force installation of neutral lines into every switch box. Expensive approach indeed! You'll have to read as to why neutral is important to the LED dimmer yourself if your interested; its too complicated to discuss in this thead - just know its important especially for home automation devices. My guess is that most houses were built before 2011 and won't have that neutral either. I will find a solution, but please do share any field workarounds!

Last edited by 5l1v3r on July 25, 2016 11:36.
That's what toys are for...


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