These switches may also take up additional space inside the switch box due to the internal electronic components, while some models may have heat-sink fins built into them to help dissipate any excess heat. If replacing older incandescent lamps with newer, more energy-efficient lamps on dimmer switch circuits, care must be taken to ensure the correct style of bulb and switch are installed.

They are used in various types of lighting applications, such as street lights, indoor lighting, and outdoor lighting.The main function of an L. Newer style dimmer switches are made to work with certain styles of LED and CFL bulbs. LED Dimmers are a type of electrical device that can control the intensity of light emitted by an LED. These bulbs contain internal gear that expects to receive standard 120V, 60Hz sinewaves, and may flicker or simply turn off if the wrong dimmer switch is used. Incandescent lamps, which are resistive loads, will work with all styles of dimmer switches because their illumination level is directly proportional to the amount of current that flows through its filament.Įnergy-efficient bulbs such as CFLs and LEDs may not work properly with all electronic style dimmer switches.

Not all lamps respond to dimmer switches equally. Electronic Spices Dimmable LED Light Dimmer switch brightness manual adjustable controller pack of 10pcs. By blocking a certain fraction of the waveform from seeing the load, the dimmer switch can control the brightness of the lamp without wasting excess energy in resistive components. When we refer to dimmer switches, we are most often referring to the electronic style dimmer switches that use solid-state electronic components to “switch” the AC sine wave off and on for very brief periods of time. If the variable resistor is connected in parallel with the lamp load it acts as a voltage controlling device and is called a potentiometer.īoth rheostats and potentiometers are unfavourable choices for controlling the brightness of a lamp because the resistive components of the switch will dissipate a certain amount of wasted heat energy, and are rarely used in modern lighting installations. If the variable resistor is connected in series with the lamp load it acts as a current controlling device and is called a rheostat. There are two basic styles of variable resistor control devices, depending upon how they are connected into the circuit. The simplest form of dimmer switch uses a variable resistor to control the amount of voltage and current that the load sees. The dimmer switch can have a rotary knob or a sliding liner tab to control brightness. Dimmer switches can come with either single-pole single-throw or single-pole double-throw styles. Dimmer switches provide users with the ability to vary the illumination levels in a room by changing the characteristics of the voltage that the lamp receives.

Led dimmer switch