How Do Wall Dimmers Work With Any Lights

A modern dimmer switch chops up the sine wave.

How do wall dimmers work with any lights.

This happens twice per cycle or 120 times a second. In this article we ll look inside one of these everyday devices to find out how it controls lamp fixtures. Dimmers are a great way to control the amount of light in a room giving you the option to change the brightness throughout the day without changing the bulb. The downside to using a 0 10v dimmer is that it requires two additional low voltage wires to be running from the dimmer switch to each fixture.

It automatically shuts the light bulb circuit off every time the current reverses direction that is whenever there is zero voltage running through the circuit. Instead of merely turning lights on or off get a wide range of light by installing a dimmer switch. A 0 10v dimmer sends an analog signal directly to either the led fluorescent driver or ballast. Most dimmers are designed to fit a standard wall box opening which makes it easy to replace the switch for any incandescent or halogen light with a dimmer.

They work by reducing the electrical current or voltage that s supplied to the light. In the kitchen lower lights for dining. In the bathroom dim lights to gently start your day. Enter the dimmer switch a handy electrical component that lets you adjust light levels from nearly dark to fully lit by simply turning a knob or sliding a lever.

As it turns out the inner workings are pretty cool and surprising. The driver or ballast then regulates the current going to the led or fluorescent fixtures.