Brochure: The best way to switch and dim LED lighting

The best way to switch and dim LED lighting: LED compatible solutions from Theben

LED sales have grown rapidly over recent years. Thanks to the improvements in the degree of efficiency and colour rendering index, there is almost no area of lighting technologies where they are not present: as retrofit versions, they are a welcomed alternative to unpopular energy saving lamps. Being illuminated strips and surfaces, they snuggle against every surface and thus allow completely new possibilities for light design. Even the first high-performance devices such as stage and studio spotlights are already available as LED version.
However, not every bulb can be easily be replaced by an LED retrofit lamp. This may lead to some issues with existing installations, even with straight forward switching. The reason for this is the short but extremely high starting currents. They can be more than a thousond times the rated output. Contacts could burn-through or fuse as a result.

The challenge of LED‘s and how to deal with it

There is general guidelines for LED lamps that apply, from the version of socket base, to Lumins output and Wattage consumption. However other factors are not. As apposed to a classic lamp with a simple spiral wound, LED lamps include a lot of electronics for control. Every manufacturer can decide the layout of this themselves. The manufacturer of switching and dimming devices currently do not have any indications as to which electrics it controls and as to how the lamp behaves. The respective standards currently only exist as a draft.

The challenge of LED‘s

Capacitive switching loads: Hard work for the contacts

A simple scenario: in the staircases of a large residential building, the building management replaces the light bulbs with LED retrofit lamps. A specialist measures and verifies the prescribed brightness. The potential for savings is promising: next to the more favourable energy consumption, the long service live should also ensure for less maintenance costs. But suddenly the staircase light timer switch fails. An examination had shown scorched or fused contacts: the devices were obviously overloaded although the rated output of the installation was reduced significantly.

You can find out about dimming LEDs infinitely and flicker-free on the following pages.

How to switch LED lamps safe and reliable

Dimming LEDs infinitely and flicker-free? That works with Theben

Not every LED lamp is dimmable. Even with those suitable versions, the dimming characteristics differ significantly and depending on the manufacturer. The LEDs flicker frequently and cannot be dimmed linear and harmonically as the electronic ballasts required react with great
differences to the phase control and phase alignment. This is why some manufacturers only explicitly allow one of the methods.

You can find out about dimming LEDs infinitely and flicker-free on the following pages.

Dimming LEDs infinitely and flicker-free