Yet another LED question

Discussion in 'C-Bus Wired Hardware' started by znelbok, May 8, 2013.

  1. znelbok

    znelbok

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    Sorry guys, but there are so many threads on LED's that it's going to take days to re-read them all to try and find my answer.

    I am looking at a dimming some LED fittings.

    The lamp is a Philips Master LED which according to Philips is dimmable. I have seen reference here that the older ones with the fans are noisy and the newer ones are not actually dimable (http://www.cbusforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8663) but this was late last year so that may have changed now.

    Other comments I have seen have them as being favourable.

    Will I get myself into hot water using this lamp and what transformer is recomended for use with a universal dimmer.

    I seem to remember there wa a table developed for LED's and dimmers - am I rembering correctly and if so where can I find it?

    Is the minimum load on a channel 20 to stop flickering when off?

    Thanks guys

    Mick
     
    znelbok, May 8, 2013
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  2. znelbok

    ashleigh Moderator

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    Last I know Philips use "Master LED" as a fairly generic term that covers quite a few different products.

    You may need to be more specific.

    If you are specifically referring to the MR16 format downlight, then my understanding is that these still have fans in.
     
    ashleigh, May 9, 2013
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  3. znelbok

    znelbok

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    Is there a MR16 LED that is suitable for a universal dimmer and what tranny is required.

    Mick
     
    znelbok, May 9, 2013
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  4. znelbok

    ashleigh Moderator

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    OK: we are not supposed to promote products. HOWEVER this issue comes up again and again.

    In the Australian market, the Pierlite Starburst range are known to work with the C-Bus Universal dimmer.

    These don't use a tranny, they have a LED driver which you MUST use. If you are replacing an existing downlight, you need to remove and ditch the tranny and use the LED driver.

    This applies whether for this range listed above, or pretty much any other LED downlight.

    There are some downlights that will use an existing (electronic) downlight transformer. Most of these are full of compromise - if you find a good one please post and let us all know. Personally, I'd not waste my time on them.

    There's a lot of rubbish out there. I've seen kits for around $35 - or less - which includes fitting, lamp, and driver (eg Jaycar, Bunnings). At those kind of prices, you are probably getting rubbish. Check the lumen output, input power, lamp colour, and look for an "SSL" certificate which gives some assurance of quality. COMPARE across products. Low $ for low light output is not a sensible way to go. SSL certificates don't ensure dimming performance but do give some indication of truth-in-claims of light output and colour performance.

    When it comes to dimming, there are no standards, and there is a lot of economy with the truth ("tell 'em anything.... move stock!").

    As a general rule, if you purchase a LED downlight that is supposed to be dimmable, ask at the point of sale if it is compatible with the dimmer you have in mind. If told that it is, and it turns out not to be - take it back. Pain for the retailer or wholesaler is the only way to drive an improvement in the quality of these products.

    Disclaimer: I have done some non-LED lamp related work for Pierlite and associated companies. At least I'm up front about it unlike some of the sock-puppets that appear here. (I'm also a moderator so I don't feel like censoring myself!)
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 9, 2013
    ashleigh, May 9, 2013
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