Clipsal TPDL1C1 LED downlights

Has anyone used the Clipsal TPDL1C1 LED downlights with the C-BUS dimmers?

Do they work and dim without flicker etc on both the leading edge and universal C-BUS dimmers?

Do you need a minimum amount of these on the dimmer channel for them to dim correctly?

Thank you.

 

Hello johnr
You should contact Clipsal directly and see if they can provide some dimming data for those LED's on your specific dimmers.

Pierlite will have some suitable products with data sheets.
Some other manufacturers will also have test data.

Don't take the risk upon yourself.
Know what dimmers you have and lamps per channel.
Ask the supplier to guarantee suitable operation.

 

Thanks - I called Clipsal, they said they do not recommend any of their LED downlights to be used with C-BUS and instead suggesting finding another manufacturer with a high quality dimming LED downlight.

Seems they want to distance themselves and is disappointing Clipsal can't provide a complete solution for C-BUS and dimming LED downlights.

 

Search the forum for LED downlights.
I think it is then important to contact the manufacturer and ask if they will guarantee suitability for the specific dimmer and lamps per channel.

It may well pay to consult a local CBus expert and get them to do the job.
They should be aware of what works and what doesn't at various price points.

It's not really a simple job to specify the light fittings for dimmers and that goes right back to electronic transformers for halogens as well.

 

I dont know about anyone else but that seems more than a bit odd!

Couldn't agree more. I have said it before and ill repeat myself, it is ridiculous and more than a little embarrassing to have to tell a client that they cannot dim their readily available dimmable LED globe because their expensive lighting control system cant do it whereas an off the shelf $40 dimmer can!
And is it just me or does it seem strange to be told to "test' a light before you install it to make sure that it is C-bus compatible? What happens if the test fails and you ruin a dimmer-who reimburses that? In my experience, where exactly that happened, i was several hundred dollars out of pocket because i had to replace the dimmer.
Maybe a different name is whats in order-"Universal" conjures up a slightly exaggerated expectation.
This is not about bring the product down-far from it-but there is definitely an issue here that need to be addressed very soon.

 

CBus can dim led lights with specs and great reliability using Pierlite products
It's bull**** for people to suggest otherwise
There is other options for anyone else who can be bothered to look too.
There is no off the shelf $40 dimmer which works perfectly with every LED fitting and random number of LED fittings.

 

I bought some lights from these guys that I'm happy with. I think I learned about them from a post on this forum somewhere, but I can't find it.

https://moodled.com.au/

They state in the description for each fitting type what dimmers they are compatible with and have been tested with (including C-Bus).

I think they are very reasonably priced as well.

Rohan

 

Very much agree with this.

Sure you would hope that you could buy a Clipsal branded LED light and it would work with a C-Bus dimmer. However you need to remember that the purchasing departments are completely different and often not even in the same country.

Sure a $40 dimmer may work, but it may not. I do understand though that if you blow a dimmer mech up it is a lot cheaper than a cbus dimmer. On this note, I have found that the Clipsal mechs seem to work with a lot less LED drivers than say HPM do.

However as I have said so many times, if someone is forking out for a C-Bus system, do them a favour and tell them not to put in dimmers and use something like DALI or DMX instead. It isn't that much more expensive and will mean you wont have any matching issues.

Do a search on here and you will find many people sharing what their experiences are.

 

I have 2 installations using L5508D1A dimmers and the older clipsal TPDL103 and the newer TPDL1C1.

The 2nd installation is using the new TPDL1C1 is less than a month old but the down lights work flawlessly with leading edge dimmer.

They can sometimes flicker when the group level is between 1 and 5. So set a minimum of 5 on the level and stick to a minimum of 2x TPDL1C1 per channel unless using a 31LCDA (load correction device).

 

I have fully tested the TPDL1C1 on both Leading Edge and Universal Dimmer Units completed 26-11-2017.

Details and findings are as follows:-

LIGHT TESTED: Clipsal TPDL1C1

Test conducted using 1 x Light.

RESULTS
Leading Edge Dimmer Unit
Light glows when channel is set to 0%
Humming heard between 1% and 99%
Loud Humming between 10% and 90%
Flickering experienced up to 30%

Leading Edge Dimmer Unit with 31LCDA
Humming heard between 1% and 99%
Loud Humming between 10% and 90%
Flickering experienced up to 30%

Universal Dimmer Unit
Light glows when channel is set to 0%

Universal Dimmer Unit with 31LCDA
Lights works all fine with no problems.
Dimming very smooth.

SUMMARY
Light to used with CBUS for Dimming requires Universal Dimmer and 31LCDA.
A 31LCDA may not be required if 4 or more lights are connected.
As mentioned the test was carried out with a single light to cover the scenario of dimming a single light only.

Cheers,

Philip

 

I can't vouch for the technical accuracy but I think this video gives a little insight to why phase dimming for LEDs can be problematic.
Some LEDs eg Pierlite and I'm sure some others have specs and good performance on phase dimmers.
Including CBus din rail dimmers.

 

Hello Daniel,

Thanks for your post. Your welcome.
Yes it was done in Sydney in Turramurra NSW 2074 on Sunday 26-11-2017 at approx 11:30am which indicates falls in the peak times.
If Off-Peak Ripple Control Signal on Mains Supply is experienced than some sort of ripple signal filter would most likely fix the problem.

Cheers.