LED & CFL in dimmable bathroom harmony???

[ban-all-sheds]

I am sure of the difference between a cipher and a code.

 

[winston1]

Why on earth do you want to dim lights in a bathroom? You need to be able to see to wash and shave.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

And for any other purpose a bag of Ikea tealights works wonders (for the younger amongst us, candlelight is very flattering to wrinkles and old age muscle tone deterioration)

 

[saintpenfold]

thanks for the reply guys, and sorry for not being clear.

I'd read so much about drivers and retrofitting that I hadn't even realised a simple LED bulb was such a simple option. Duh!

I also meant controlling 2 different types of light source (one LED, one not LED) with one type of dimmer switch. But have enough to go on now, so thanks again

 

[saintpenfold]

Winston 1 - Relieving oneself at night without the glare, and romantic bath times!

 

[333rocky333]

Many LED strips are dimmable.

AFAIR, none of them work by using traditional dimmers on the 230V supply.

Yes as you say many have the dimming gear between the control box and the tape.
However I see this and they claim it works with a Constant Voltage driver
https://www.instyleled.co.uk/support/how-do-i-dim-led-tape/#single/0

 

[JohnW2]

Yes as you say many have the dimming gear between the control box and the tape. However I see this and they claim it works with a Constant Voltage driver

I'm not sure which of the many things in that link you're talking about.

However, common sense suggests that nothing on the 230V side of s decent constant-voltage driver ought to be able to effect the output (the clue is in "constant voltage"), since the driver will try very hard to maintain the output regardless of changes in the input.

I suppose that 'chopping' the input 230V waveform might achieve something (the hope being that the output would also get 'chopped') but, again, I would have thought that a decent constant-voltage driver ought to be able to largely 'overcome' that as well!

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

I'm not sure which of the many things in that link you're talking about.

However, common sense suggests that nothing on the 230V side of s decent constant-voltage driver ought to be able to effect the output (the clue is in "constant voltage"), since the driver will try very hard to maintain the output regardless of changes in the input.

I suppose that 'chopping' the input 230V waveform might achieve something (the hope being that the output would also get 'chopped') but, again, I would have thought that a decent constant-voltage driver ought to be able to largely 'overcome' that as well!

Kind Regards, John

Sorry i messed up the you tube link, it was refering to the use of an aurora dimmer

 

[echoes]

I'm not sure which of the many things in that link you're talking about.

However, common sense suggests that nothing on the 230V side of s decent constant-voltage driver ought to be able to effect the output (the clue is in "constant voltage"), since the driver will try very hard to maintain the output regardless of changes in the input.

I suppose that 'chopping' the input 230V waveform might achieve something (the hope being that the output would also get 'chopped') but, again, I would have thought that a decent constant-voltage driver ought to be able to largely 'overcome' that as well!

Kind Regards, John

@JohnW2 I don't understand why constant voltage LED drivers are even 'a thing'.
Unless it's down to penny-pinching, which would be upsetting.

 

[JohnW2]

@JohnW2 I don't understand why constant voltage LED drivers are even 'a thing'. Unless it's down to penny-pinching, which would be upsetting.

I suspect that what we're talking about are 'not particularly constant'-voltage sources (i.e. not very well regulated), the main point being that they are a 'voltage source', not a current one.

I also suspect that it is a matter of convenience (which may be reflected in cost). By having (appropriate) current control within an LED bulb/lamp fitting, a particular 'voltage source' can be used with a wide range of LEDs. If one used constant-current drivers, they would either have to have adjustable current (seems rare) or else umpteen variants would have to be manufactured, each with a different 'constant current' - which would presumably add to cost.

Kind Regards, John