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#1
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light
sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? |
#2
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote:
I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand I've seen), but they are expensive. Perce |
#3
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Sep 9, 10:59*am, Mr. Gardebner wrote:
I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness *and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. |
#4
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
In article ,
"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote: On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand I've seen), but they are expensive. Perce Yep and AIUI many CFLs can't be used upside down, either, as all the heat from them cooks the electronics in the base. |
#5
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote:
I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available. Perce |
#6
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Sep 9, 12:17*pm, Smitty Two wrote:
In article , *"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote: On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness *and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand I've seen), but they are expensive. Perce Yep and AIUI many CFLs can't be used upside down, either, as all the heat from them cooks the electronics in the base.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - interesting theory....... in our new house we bought one year ago we replaced all bulbs with CFLs, and 90% of them are " up side down" - even one of them has yet to fail |
#7
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
Smitty Two wrote:
Yep and AIUI many CFLs can't be used upside down, either, as all the heat from them cooks the electronics in the base. Maybe some fail, but most do not. Lou |
#8
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available. Perce And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight. |
#9
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Percival P. Cassidy wrote: On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available. Perce And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff I just bought 1000 gallons of #2 oil to get started this winter...Gasp. The next thing I did was to remove all of the CFLs that I'd installed. I can heat with incandescent bulbs this winter for about the same cost as oil. And, they work with all of my dimmers. Boden |
#12
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
Boden wrote:
wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: Percival P. Cassidy wrote: On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available. Perce And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. A simple pulse width controller will do it. Good, build us one to look at! Remember, the power is from the AC line passing thru a two wire dimmer which usually needs a 5 watt minimum resistive looking load just to work. Dang current mode solid state stuff. ;-) -- larry / dallas |
#13
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
In ,
RickH wrote: On Sep 9, 10:59*am, Mr. Gardebner wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness *and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. Unless you spend a lot of time in your closets, CFLs are likely to be uneconomical there. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. There is an incandescent ban coming up to be implemented in stages in 2012 and 2014. However, there are enough exceptions to make a set of loopholes wide enough to route the New Jersey Turnpike and maybe also the Mississippi River through. Paul Eldridge posted these exceptions, I believe in alt.home.repair on January 18 2008 in article . I have these exceptions at: http://members.misty.com/don/incban.html - Don Klipstein ( |
#14
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:16:24 -0400, Boden wrote:
wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: Percival P. Cassidy wrote: On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available. Perce And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. A simple pulse width controller will do it. No, it won't. |
#15
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia
wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: Percival P. Cassidy wrote: On 09/09/08 12:13 pm RickH wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? Unless the CFL's are the newer "dimmable" types, CFL's are not dimmable, they have to be explicitely labeled as dimmable. And even the new dimmable ones are not truly dimmable over the entire range of your dimmers. They only dim with maybe the top 60% of the dimmer travel, lower levels and the results are unpredictable with flicker, etc. I have the same issue, 80% of my wall switches are dimmers so I have not been able to jump on the CFL bandwagon except for closet and porch lights. If the govt does something un-American like make incandescent bulbs illegal, then I will stock up from foreign sources to last the remainder of my lifetime. IMO, CFLs are merely a stopgap until higher-output LEDs become available. Perce And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. |
#16
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
In article , wrote:
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) |
#17
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:12:41 -0400, "Percival P. Cassidy"
wrote: On 09/09/08 11:59 am Mr. Gardebner wrote: I recently put CFL bulbs in all my lamps, ceiling fans and light sockets. On the ceiling fans there are dimmers. When the fan lights are turned on at the dimmer and then turned all the way up, one fan light stays dim for about an hour, then will start to flicker and go to its normal brightness and does not flicker anymore. The other ceiling fan light flickers the entire time and also makes a buzzing noise. i had a dimmer on the kitchen light also and it would also flicker whenever the light was on. I replaced the dimmer with a simple off and on switch and this solved the problem. I only have the problem where there are dimmer switches installed. Why are the lights having this problem? The packaging of most CFLs says that they are not to be used in conjunction with dimmers. Dimmable CFL floods (BR30 or similar configuration) have recently come on the market (Philips is one brand I've seen), but they are expensive. Perce I found a link to one type of dimmable cfl on home depots page here http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100626049 How is it that it is not energy star compliant? |
#18
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don
Klipstein) wrote: In article , wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from that stage to full brightness. Try it, and you'll see. |
#19
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don Klipstein) wrote: In article , wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from that stage to full brightness. Try it, and you'll see. I believe you on that, because commonly available dimmers aren't exactly compatible with the relatively low currents drawn by LED bulbs, particularly when you're trying to run them "dimmed down". But, I still feel it won't take rocket scientists to design dimmers which DO work well with LED bulbs. But then, those dimmers might not work too well with incandescents. G I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in some of the rooms in that gorgeous place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr. and http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/ Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight. |
#20
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Wed 10 Sep 2008 02:34:20p, Jeff Wisnia told us...
wrote: On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don Klipstein) wrote: In article , wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from that stage to full brightness. Try it, and you'll see. I believe you on that, because commonly available dimmers aren't exactly compatible with the relatively low currents drawn by LED bulbs, particularly when you're trying to run them "dimmed down". But, I still feel it won't take rocket scientists to design dimmers which DO work well with LED bulbs. But then, those dimmers might not work too well with incandescents. G I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in some of the rooms in that gorgeous place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr. and http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/ Jeff IIRC, either Lutron or Honeywell marketing some type of variac as a dimmer control back in the 1950s. We had one installed in our family room to dim all the recessing lighting. I'm sure it was a variable transformer and not an electronic dimmer. -- Wayne Boatwright ******************************************* Date: Wednesday, 09(IX)/10(X)/08(MMVIII) ******************************************* Countdown till Veteran's Day 8wks 5dys 9hrs 12mins ******************************************* I cannot be bought. However, I can be rented. --Don O'Shaughnessy ******************************************* |
#21
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Missed a period......
(Good thing I'm a guy, not a girl)
That first hyperlink in my previous post needs a period at its end. (......Jr.) For some reason my browser didn't pick up the period. So if you clicked on it and Wiki said "no way Jose", and didn't give you the "John Hayes Hammond Jr." page, try adding a period to the end of what's in your browser's address bar. Computers...They do what they're told to do, not what you want them to do. Jeff Wisnia wrote: I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in some of the rooms in that gorgeous place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr. and http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/ Jeff -- Jeffry Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE) The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight. |
#22
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
In article , wrote:
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don Klipstein) wrote: , wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from that stage to full brightness. Try it, and you'll see. I don't have any dimmers installed in my home, so I can't. However, if current through an LED is varied, then the brightness varies roughly proportionately. That much I do know - I have done that a lot. It is much more expensive and difficult to make a high efficiency LED lamp appear as a resistor load than otherwise, so that is why many/most LED lamps do not dim really nicely with conventional dimmers. However, that does not mean that either of these is untrue: * LED lamps can be made to dim well with conventional dimmers, either with increase in cost or a compromise in efficiency * Dimmers can be made that dim LED lamps well - Don Klipstein ) |
#23
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:49:57 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
wrote: On Wed 10 Sep 2008 02:34:20p, Jeff Wisnia told us... wrote: On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don Klipstein) wrote: In article , wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from that stage to full brightness. Try it, and you'll see. I believe you on that, because commonly available dimmers aren't exactly compatible with the relatively low currents drawn by LED bulbs, particularly when you're trying to run them "dimmed down". But, I still feel it won't take rocket scientists to design dimmers which DO work well with LED bulbs. But then, those dimmers might not work too well with incandescents. G I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in some of the rooms in that gorgeous place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr. and http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/ Jeff IIRC, either Lutron or Honeywell marketing some type of variac as a dimmer control back in the 1950s. We had one installed in our family room to dim all the recessing lighting. I'm sure it was a variable transformer and not an electronic dimmer. My parents house had several dimmers like that in the 1950's. They were in the wall, but they were HUGE and made an audible hum. |
#24
Posted to alt.home.repair
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CFL Bulbs And Ceiling Fans
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:36:28 +0000 (UTC), (Don
Klipstein) wrote: In article , wrote: On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:46:23 +0000 (UTC), (Don Klipstein) wrote: , wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:58:09 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: wrote: On Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:42:39 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: SNIP to edit for space And dimable LEDs ought to be a no brainer. Jeff Not nearly as easily accomplished as you think, Jeff. I dunnno, you may be correct. This supplier says it can be a so-so thing when using conventional pulse width varying dimmers. http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/faqs But I'm reasonably sure that compatible dimmers will become available when LED bulbs really take off. Jeff The most reliable dimming at this point is to have an array of LED's and make it so you can use varying portions of the array. The delta from no light to full brightness is very short for LED's. That makes effective dimming tricky at best. Where do you get that idea? - Don Klipstein ) Well, Don, I think you'll find that when you try to use a dimmer with an LED, it's far from linear. You'll have to turn the dimmer up about half way, and then the LED will come on, but it will not be dim, it will start out at about half brightness. Then moving the dimmer a very short amount (with a very steady and precise hand) you will go from that stage to full brightness. Try it, and you'll see. I don't have any dimmers installed in my home, so I can't. However, if current through an LED is varied, then the brightness varies roughly proportionately. That much I do know - I have done that a lot. It is much more expensive and difficult to make a high efficiency LED lamp appear as a resistor load than otherwise, so that is why many/most LED lamps do not dim really nicely with conventional dimmers. However, that does not mean that either of these is untrue: * LED lamps can be made to dim well with conventional dimmers, either with increase in cost or a compromise in efficiency * Dimmers can be made that dim LED lamps well - Don Klipstein ) Please point me to somewhere I can buy these mythical LED dimmers. G |
#25
Posted to alt.home.repair
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Missed a period......
Show of hands. Who didn't read this? It got my attention.
On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:02:12 -0400, Jeff Wisnia wrote: (Good thing I'm a guy, not a girl) That first hyperlink in my previous post needs a period at its end. (......Jr.) For some reason my browser didn't pick up the period. So if you clicked on it and Wiki said "no way Jose", and didn't give you the "John Hayes Hammond Jr." page, try adding a period to the end of what's in your browser's address bar. Computers...They do what they're told to do, not what you want them to do. Jeff Wisnia wrote: I remember visiting the Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts and seeing good sized wall mounted variacs used for light bulb dimming in some of the rooms in that gorgeous place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hays_Hammond_Jr. and http://community-2.webtv.net/JohnDandola/HammondCastle/ Jeff |
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