Dimming Fluorescents
Lloydj
dimmable fluorescent ballasts and then dim them with a Home Depot
incandescent dimmer. It wasn't my project so I stood by and waited to
see what would happen. Naturally it didn't work.
\What happened next was interesting- there are a couple of types of
dimmable ballasts out there. One you can use a readily available
Lutron fluorescent dimmer on. Another common ballast uses the same
0-10vdc control signal as most older stage dimmers (TTI, Century,etc)
and requires a separate control wire. These things are special order
and take weeks to get.
Anybody got a shortcut to avoid all the choices, wrong thinking,
etc.?
Love to hear it.
LJ
Duncan Wood
1-10V is off the shelf over here, most dali capable ballasts will cope
with it, or you can use dmx-dali.
Rusty
flourecents.
"Lloydj" <ljef...@theclarientgroup.com> wrote in message
news:50d68b38-668b-4759...@m38g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
First bit of advice, check with the manufacturer of your dimming equipment
and see what kind of dimmable fluorescent ballasts it is capable of.
Second, find out what manufacturer of ballasts can provide the appropriate
ballast for your needs.
FYI, here is a simplified description of each type of dimmable ballast type:
Two-wire:
As it states, only two wires are needed and can work with _some_ dimming
systems, with a caveat, they have the worst dimming range of the lot. Most
newer household conventional dimmers will state if they can dim dimmable
fluorescents. I suppose a theatrical dimming system could work too, but
don't take my word for it.
Three wire:
Three wires - neutral, hot, and hot-dimmed. The hot keeps the ballast
powered and the hot-dimmed provides the dimming.
+10V : (previously mentioned)
the ballast is controlled with the +10V control wire. A simple demux can
connect to a DMX system.
Proprietary: the manufacturer will provide both the ballasts and dimming
equipment; dimming is done via a proprietary communication method.
DMX controlled: (Kino Flo, etc)
Ideal for theatrical use since it can interface directly with theatrical
systems, but most if not all are sold as a complete fixture rather than a
ballast.
RickR
I just saw two cool options from companies I deal with regularly.
DMX to DALI converter - http://www.dfd.com/2dali.html
DMX to 0-10 ballasts- http://www.pathwayconnect.com/content/view/149/29
Now all I need is the project...
Lloydj
>
> I just saw two cool options from companies I deal with regularly.
>
> DMX to DALI converter -http://www.dfd.com/2dali.html
>
> Now all I need is the project...
I looked at the product and it seems to have merit. What I'm
wondering is if we can simply use any 0-10VDC variable power supply to
run the whole sterling silver shmaggee.
Duncan Wood
Many a ballast runs on 1-10V (so that it knows it's being controlled by a
dc source) & you have to kill the mains to actually turn it off. As the
pathway does, or if you're in Europe the Zero88 make a similarly
functional 0-10V or Dali plus relays & distribution box ( Chilli pro HF)
--
Duncan Wood
RickR
> On Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:44:17 -0000, Lloydj
>
Most "quallity" dimmer makers have fluorescent dimmer modules. Lots do
DALI and other control formats. All the ones I've seen have adjustable
cut off levels. The integration with incandescent dimming is key when
I use them.
What I like about the Pathway device is the simplicity of DMX in and 3
wire dimming out. Granted you still need a breaker panel. Notice
however, no heat losses, clear line and low voltage separation, no
additional software/interface/stuff. For all FL dimming - simple makes
the grade!
---RickR
Lloydj
>
> > --
> > Duncan Wood
>
> Most "quallity" dimmer makers have fluorescent dimmer modules. Lots do
> DALI and other control formats. All the ones I've seen have adjustable
> cut off levels. The integration with incandescent dimming is key when
> I use them.
>
> What I like about the Pathway device is the simplicity of DMX in and 3
> wire dimming out. Granted you still need a breaker panel. Notice
> however, no heat losses, clear line and low voltage separation, no
> additional software/interface/stuff. For all FL dimming - simple makes
> the grade!
>
> ---RickR
explain to the "bigger brains" about the mains separate cut-off being
like any incandescent dimmer set-up, but they couldn't grasp the
concept. As a result, I'm currently sitting on about 30 unused
0-10VDC dimmable ballasts and wondering how I'm going to use them.
lJ
Thomas Paterson
A cheat solution to generate a 0-10V signal for dimming ballasts is to
bridge the signal terminals of the ballast (or series of ballasts with
a 100kOhm Exponential variable resistor (call it $0.25). This doesn't
switch it off, that's a separate switch, but it works just fine. We
have worked with a manufacturer to produce packages that do this for
museums which often don't have dimming systems and need to dim
showcases on a unit by unit basis balancing accent and fill light.
It'd be cheap at twice the price! Available off the shelf from
Birchwood Lighting in stand-alone, master/slave or remote formats in
the States. Not hard to do yourself though.
Thomas Paterson
http://www.luxpopuli.com
Thomas Paterson
A cheat solution to generate a 0-10V signal for dimming ballasts is to
Duncan Wood
I'm missing how that creates 1-10V?
--
Duncan Wood
Tomi Holger Engdahl
This creates that 1-10 voltage with the ballasts that ballast
feeds some current (fraction of mA) to the potentiometer.
It is a standard practice in dimmable fluorescent ballasts
that they feed some current from their 1-10V input so
that they can easily be controlled with just an external
potentiometer.
--
Tomi Engdahl (http://www.iki.fi/then/)
Take a look at my electronics web links and documents at
http://www.epanorama.net/
Thomas Paterson
wrote:
> This creates that 1-10 voltage with the ballasts that ballast
> feeds some current (fraction of mA) to the potentiometer.
> It is a standard practice in dimmable fluorescent ballasts
> that they feed some current from their 1-10V input so
> that they can easily be controlled with just an external
> potentiometer.
Exactly. It's also common with some of the LED power supplies. The
next trick is going to be to find a quick, cheap PWM circuit that can
be used in the same way - we're seeing more and more LEDs shift to PWM
along with some fluorescents such as Nippo and Feelux. If anyone has
a little circuit for that, it'd be great to know about! Presumably
some little PIC microcontroller on a board with a dial?
Regards,
Thomas Paterson
http://www.luxpopuli.com
Duncan Wood
Oh to preset them rather than work eith a dimmer, that's a standard
documented feature of European ballasts.
--
Duncan Wood
TKM
"Rusty" <russju...@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:hdhjr4$riu$1...@aioe.org...
There are some new dimmer systems out there due to the demand for dimming
CFLs. The 2009 Lighting for Tomorrow residential lighting competition
uncovered several and lists them at: www.lightingfortomorrow.com The best
dim lamps down to 1-5%; others to about 20% of full output.
Terry McGowan