LED's on mirror flashing

Hi Guys,

Just installed a mirror with LED's all around it. Its a simple 240v connection. I was replacing a simple light attached to a CBUS 1A dimmer. I assumed that I could only run the mirror at 0% or 100% (this is fine) but when at 0% the LED's pulse on and off! Weird. I imagine its something to do with residual current in the dimmers or similar ? Anything I can do to make this work other than buying a relay instead (real pain to do this) ?

Thanks

Chris

 

You can't run the LED's on a dimmer. You will need a relay.

Think its because the dimmers sink some current through the circuit at all times. This makes the LED's turn on.

 

Do a search on the forum for Dimmer Leakage Current. A similar issue exists when some compact fluorescent lamps are connected to dimmer channels.

If you want Off to be genuinely Off you'll need to use a relay.

If you're having trouble fitting/wiring a DIN Relay unit into the job try a 5101R or 5102RVF instead.

 

If you could get a processor controlled filter then you could arrange it so that the load would drop out once the dimmer reached a certain level.

The cost of such a technology would run into the dollars (four or five) and could happily sit on the driver circuit of the LED drivers. But sadly, due to the dire state of manufacture these simple things get let out for profit.

I remember speaking to one of the largest LED suppliers in Australia and they made millions of excuses why they shouldnt sell LED's to the public and how you needed a PCB for the drivers .... once I told them I could have a prototype running in 6 days they decided to front up and tell me they didnt sell to the public.

 

Could this be solved by adding a 'normal' load to the circuit, something like a LV downlight or a 25W incandescant globe... that would absorb the leakage current without giving light output?

 

The Clipsal guys could confirm this but I would think that a 31CAP from clipsal could provide a path for the leakage current

 

All fixed - put a normal bulb in parallel.

Thanks for the advice.

Chris

 

don't you love it when simple things 'just' work