Pro series dimmers and Philips EHC 350 TX

Hi there,

Does anyone know if the C-Bus pro series dimmer is compatible with the Philips EHC 350 electronic halogen transformer ? (it says on the side of the TX that it is only dimmmable by a Philips 2350 dimmer).

Cheers Ian

 

Gday Ian,
The best way is to try to get the capicitance loading of the trani from the manufacturer . This is usually like trying to pull teeth because it depends what component where the cheapest this month when the chinese factory made the batch order.I Found the best way is to , if you can remove the cover off the trani and get the cap value across the power supply, it can range from 33 nan farads to 150 + nanofards .
the pro series dimmers have a maximum capacitance loading per channel of 1000 nano farads . so depending on the loading of the trani dictates how many you can put on a channel . If you go over 1000 nano farads per the channel , the dimming can become unstable and the output will flicker like candle light , Not desirable i think you will agree.Its a shame that this can sometimes limit the loading of the 5 amp channel to a half or a quater in some cases depending on the cap loading of the tranis.
This is a real bumer , especially if like i did you only learnt the importance of cap loading during the commisioning of the job while setting scenes.
At a recent trip to the adelaide factory it was indicated that in the not to distant furture the capactiance loading problem will go way but till then we just have to allow for it.

 

Thanks Nick,

Thats answered my question nicely and as I will be dimming around 100 dichroics the maximum nanofarad issue will be of some importance.

Ian

 

More importantly, make sure that the Transformer is dimmable with LEADING EDGE DIMMERS !

Almost all European electronic transformers can only be dimmed by Trailing Edge or IGBT dimmers.. I couldn't find any into on the Philips Part Number you mentioned, not even whether it was an European product or made for Philips US (Advance)...

Using Leading Edge dimmer on non-compatible electronic transformers almost always results in the destruction of one of the 2 devices - although in some cases they actually do work for a few months, then internally self-destruct

Cheers, John Cooper

PS: Why is it that we can get a 400VA Trailing Edge Dimmer mech from Clipsal, but not Trailing Edge in C-Bus which is FAR more likely to be used in a situation that requires it ?

 

Please be patient, we are on the case.