On 12/26/2010 05:38 PM, Don Klipstein wrote:
In , Nate Nagel wrote:
On 12/26/2010 05:15 PM, Don Klipstein wrote:
In , G. Morgan wrote:
Home wrote:
I'm seeing more LED lightbulbs turning up on store shelves.
I don't think I've seen one yet that is ok to use with a dimmer switch.
I can understand why CFL's can't be put on a dimmer - but why not LED
bulbs?
This is new, last 3 years. They had to develop a ballast that was
adjustable. CFL's and LEDS are not a good comparison.
They're crazy-priced as is. Not being able to dim them makes them even
less desirable as a replacement for incandescent bulbs.
L.E.D.S. Are going to difficult (impossible) to dim. Remember
they are DIODES that only need .7V to illuminate. AFAIK ---
LED's are not dim-able.
Brightness of LEDs is controlled by how much current flows through them
- same as with dimmable CFLs. All that is necessary is to make the
current control circuitry in the LED "bulbs" compatible with and making
use from the usual dimmers, similar story as with CFLs.
but it hasn't been done with CFLs yet, so don't hold your breath waiting
for it.
It has been done for CFLs. I have seen dimmable CFLs at Target for a
year or something like that already, maybe almost 2 years. They have
existed for much longer than that.
I've tried all of the ones available - at least four different brands -
at my local stores. (at significant cost, I might add.) They ranged
from unacceptable (really weird colors when dimmed, made dimmer hum,
only dimmed to maybe 50% brightness) to didn't even come close to
working as advertised (e.g. instead of dimming they would flicker and
hum and eventually shut off - no perceptible difference between them and
regular non-dimmable CFLs) This with several year old standard, off the
shelf Lutron dimmers.
I've heard tell of one particular dimmable CFL that is supposed to be
used with a special dimmer, I forget who makes it, sylvania maybe?
haven't cared enough to order them, and they're not readily available in
stores. In any case, the combination would be significantly more
expensive, if it did work (ever wonder why the demo displays in the home
centers don't simply show a CFL on a dimmer so you can try them? If
someone had something like that I would consider taking the plunge) than
simply shoving an incandescent in the fixture and replacing as
necessary. Wouldn't save enough in electricity or lifespan to come
close to paying for itself.
nate
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