garybixler Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Hi Just wondering why Smarthome hasn't come out with Insteon dimmers that are designed for LED lights that won't cause flickering. One example of flicker free dimming is the Lutron DVELV-303P that I just installed on a Pixi 2x2 LED flat panel light. Would love to automate these and other LED lights without the flicker issue. Thanks Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Hi Just wondering why Smarthome hasn't come out with Insteon dimmers that are designed for LED lights that won't cause flickering. One example of flicker free dimming is the Lutron DVELV-303P that I just installed on a Pixi 2x2 LED flat panel light. Would love to automate these and other LED lights without the flicker issue. Thanks Gay To be fair to Smartlabs there are many different LED bulb designs and technology being used in the market place. There are also many name brand LED bulbs that operate perfectly fine with all Insteon products. Such as Sylvania, Lighting Science, Luminus, Cree, Phillips, etc. Ideals are peaceful - History is violent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bipto Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 The "flicker issue" does not necessarily lie with the dimmer. I have a house full of a variety of LED bulbs on Insteon dimmers, and no flicker to speak of. I have encountered this behavior on several bulbs that I have bought over the past couple years (Ecosmarts were the worst, IIRC), all were either returned or repurposed to circuits without dimmers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garybixler Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Two bulb types that I have don't work so well on Insteon dimmers. One is the Sylvania 19w dimmable on a micro dimmer and the Utilitech pro br30 on a 2477d. Both have the flicker issue when dimmed. I wish there was a list of LED bulbs that was compatible with Insteon dimmers. Probably a daunting task however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Two bulb types that I have don't work so well on Insteon dimmers. One is the Sylvania 19w dimmable on a micro dimmer and the Utilitech pro br30 on a 2477d. Both have the flicker issue when dimmed. I wish there was a list of LED bulbs that was compatible with Insteon dimmers. Probably a daunting task however. It should also be noted many people who purchased the Home Depot *Cree* LED bulbs also saw issues. Keeping in mind for example you had dozens of people touting how great they were and performed quite well. Later on maybe a month / year later the same exact bulb(s) exhibited noise, buzzing, flickering. So its clear there is no guarantee even with a proven LED bulb performer that it won't cause the above issues. I always purchase a whole box from the retailers and filter out any bad ones and return it back to the store. This saves time, travel, and effort and also provides a person a quick opportunity to review and test the bulbs with out much effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garybixler Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 I did a little research and found that the triac dimmer is not really compatible with LED bulbs and that is what the Insteon dimmers use. Their short comings are limited range of dimming and the flicker issue. Maybe Smartlabs should offer a more compatible dimmer for LED lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I did a little research and found that the triac dimmer is not really compatible with LED bulbs and that is what the Insteon dimmers use. Their short comings are limited range of dimming and the flicker issue. Maybe Smartlabs should offer a more compatible dimmer for LED lighting. I think you will find just as much variance in the *range* of dimming just coming from the specific bulbs. Some bulbs offer a wider range of dimming from 5% upwards. While other brands even big name brands start to cut off at 45% and below. Another perspective is some of the technology used is trailing edge vs leading edge for the dimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryllix Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 It should also be noted many people who purchased the Home Depot *Cree* LED bulbs also saw issues. Keeping in mind for example you had dozens of people touting how great they were and performed quite well. Later on maybe a month / year later the same exact bulb(s) exhibited noise, buzzing, flickering. So its clear there is no guarantee even with a proven LED bulb performer that it won't cause the above issues. I always purchase a whole box from the retailers and filter out any bad ones and return it back to the store. This saves time, travel, and effort and also provides a person a quick opportunity to review and test the bulbs with out much effort. My first CREE bulbs just crapped out. It sits in a set of five in my dining room chandelier and usually runs dimmed as part of great room scenes. It went completely out for a few nights and now it is coming on about 50% and going off again. I suspect one of their new string filaments has become disconnected although I can detect no loose parts shaking it. 9w, 5000K, I am currently trying to figure out the best way to take it back to HD without a receipt. About 6 months old. This is the third LED bulb I have had go defective, in about year, since introduction to my system. I see HD still sells the same style according to their online catalogue, well the photo anyway. All the other styles appear to have changed with the addition of more ventilation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedog Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Both Home Depot and Lowes accept returns without receipt of you used a credit card. The card will pull up all your purchases made on that specific card. Costco too. Plus costco is 90 day return policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryllix Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Both Home Depot and Lowes accept returns without receipt of you used a credit card. The card will pull up all your purchases made on that specific card. Costco too. Plus costco is 90 day return policy. Yeah but these bulbs are over the 90 days for sure ad HD doesn't keep records more than 30 or so. I will probably just buy a new bulb and return the old one in a few days. I may ended up with an extra but that's Ok too. For the $9 for one bulb I want my lifespan out of them. After spending many hundreds of dollars on new CFLs that all blew in less than a year I am getting a little tougher now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedog Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 This gives me an idea. I think the forums need a "bulb" section. Discussing the traditional, CFL, LED etc. what bulbs work well with Insteon. Color temps. Longevity. Dimmability (percentages and noise). Fixtures (flood light). Where to buy brands. Etc. Where would I run this up the flagpole to see if it's viable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teken Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 This gives me an idea. I think the forums need a "bulb" section. Discussing the traditional, CFL, LED etc. what bulbs work well with Insteon. Color temps. Longevity. Dimmability (percentages and noise). Fixtures (flood light). Where to buy brands. Etc. Where would I run this up the flagpole to see if it's viable? Create a POLL in the coffee forum and let the members decide. Perhaps with enough support Michel will create a sub forum for just that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryllix Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 This gives me an idea. I think the forums need a "bulb" section. Discussing the traditional, CFL, LED etc. what bulbs work well with Insteon. Color temps. Longevity. Dimmability (percentages and noise). Fixtures (flood light). Where to buy brands. Etc. Where would I run this up the flagpole to see if it's viable? Michel has created a few forums for me after requesting them if they seem reasonable. This subject does come up quite often and crowds other subject threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravedog Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 Thanks Teken - will do that! Update: DONE: http://forum.universal-devices.com/topic/16473-new-sub-forum-idea/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.