Help!! Dimmer

[winston1]

Where did you get that dimmer, it quotes 200 to 230 volts? Your supply probably exceeds that and may be as high as 253 volts.

He is very hard-of-thinking when it comes to voltages - no matter how many times people here try (and trust me - many people have tried many times) to explain the concept of "nominal" he just isn't bright enough to understand it.

Unfortunately for everybody else he does not see why his lack of intelligence and understanding should stop him from giving "advice".

Please don't insult other posters. Nothing on that dimmer says anything about nominal voltages. It clearly says 200-230v. That makes a nominal of 220v. Almost certainly a far eastern import from a country that uses 220v. Clearly not designed for up to 253v.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Please don't insult other posters.

I wish you'd take your own medicine, and stop insulting everybody with your persistent, ignorant, useless "advice".

It clearly says 200-230v. That makes a nominal of 220v.

Now please go away.

 

[winston1]

So what, in your opinion, does it mean then?

 

[RF Lighting]

It means the switch can be used on a supply with a nominal voltage of between 200 - 230V.

This really is the most basic of basic things.

 

[JohnW2]

So what, in your opinion, does it mean then?

Have you ever seen anything designed for domestic use which states the upper limit of the working voltage range as 253V (or higher)? 230V or 240V are common, 250V is seen occasionally, but I cannot recall having seen a higher figure.

Kind Regards, John

 

[winston1]

So what, in your opinion, does it mean then?

Have you ever seen anything designed for domestic use which states the upper limit of the working voltage range as 253V (or higher)? 230V or 240V are common, 250V is seen occasionally, but I cannot recall having seen a higher figure.

Kind Regards, John

I've seen 260 very occasionally.

 

[JohnW2]

Have you ever seen anything designed for domestic use which states the upper limit of the working voltage range as 253V (or higher)? 230V or 240V are common, 250V is seen occasionally, but I cannot recall having seen a higher figure.

I've seen 260 very occasionally.

Fair enough - but, as I said, IIRC, I never have. Indeed, I think it's a long time since I last saw even 250V.

Would you agree that most things sold for use with the UK (216.2V-253V) supply nearly always have a specified working voltage range which goes up to 240V, at most (sometimes 230V)?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And once more we see people attempting to change by reasoning opinions not arrived at by that method in the first place....

 

[JohnW2]

And once more we see people attempting to change by reasoning opinions not arrived at by that method in the first place....

I'm not sure that it is quite as simple as that in this case. What we are trying to do is explain to him "how it is", not (at least, not in my case) defend that status quo.

If I buy something with a stated range of safe working conditions (often just a maximum) I usually expect that statement to mean what it says. If I buy a capacitor with a working voltage of 50V, or a tyre with a maximum rated speed of 80mph, or silicone bakeware with a maximum working temperature or 225°C etc. etc., I don't expect that to mean that I can safely use it at 10% (or whatever) above those figures.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Do you not expect any tolerances?

You'd not be disappointed if the capacitor exploded at 51V, or the tyre disintegrated at 81mph etc?

 

[JohnW2]

Do you not expect any tolerances? ... You'd not be disappointed if the capacitor exploded at 51V, or the tyre disintegrated at 81mph etc?

Tolerances, yes, of course - but I would not expect to design on the basis of them. In other words, I wouldn't use a "50V" capacitor or an "80mph tyre" if I knew that the 'usual' operating conditions were going to exceed those figures, since I would thereby be eating into the 'safety margins' that existed in the product (to cater for manufacturing tolerances etc.). If a component was rated "up to 230V" I certainly would not use it in a design in which I knew that it would usually be subjected to 240V or 250V.

We all know, or at least suspect, that there are very substantial 'safety margins' built into the cable CCC figures that we work with - but that can't really be used as an excuse for deliberately exceeding those CCC figures in our designs.

Kind Regards, John