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Issue with dimmer for LED light strips


Culvdave

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Posted

I've got 12 ft of LED strip lights powered by a 60 watt dimmable power supply dimmed by a switchlinc. Hooked it all up yesterday and it worked great all night and the next morning it still worked fine but the administrative consul could not recognise it's status, now will stay on for 2minutes after being switched on then turns itself off at the switchlinc. I bought the power supply from Amazon and one reviewer said he was using an Insteon dimmer with no problems. Could it be the switchlinc, the reviewer was using an in-linelinc dimmer.

Posted (edited)

You may want to try a power cycle reset.

Pull the Set Button out to open the built in Air Gap Switch.

Wait thirty seconds.

Push the Set button back into its normal position using care not to go all the way in and do a Factory Reset.

You could also just turn the circuit breaker off for thirty seconds.

The Power Cycle reset would restart the electronics on the change they got scrambled. Maybe by noise.

You are not using the two wire 2474 Switchlinc are you?

Edited by Brian H
Posted

I think the dimmer may not be the issue, I had a program to brighten the led's when a switchlinc controlling the overhead can lights was either fade up or on and when I disabled that program they are working fine. This is the progam:Kitchen Lt Fade Up - [iD 0017][Parent 0001][Not Enabled]

 
If
        Control 'Kitchen Can Lts 1' is switched Fade Up
     Or Control 'Kitchen Can Lts 1' is switched On
 
Then
        Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 1' 35%
        Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 2' 35%
 
Else
   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')
Posted

I hope you are not running a switched power supply, with it's only job to maintain a constant voltage, off a SwitchLinc Dimmer.

 

If so you may have burnt out one of the two parts.

Posted

The power supply is hardwired to the switchlinc, switchlinc dims AC input to the power supply which then outputs DC to the LED's as per the schematic that came with the power supply. When I disabled the program above it's working fine. I have two other programs associated with this switchlinc and it's a member of a scene and those are behaving properly. Is there a problem with that program I wrote it up?

Posted
What's not working in the program and how do you want it to work?

 

 

If

        Control 'Kitchen Can Lts 1' is switched Fade Up 

     Or Control 'Kitchen Can Lts 1' is switched On

 

Then

        Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 1' 35%  <<-- this only sets the local control

        Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 2' 35%

 

Else

   - No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

 

 

 

Jon...

Posted (edited)

The power supply is hardwired to the switchlinc, switchlinc dims AC input to the power supply which then outputs DC to the LED's as per the schematic that came with the power supply. When I disabled the program above it's working fine. I have two other programs associated with this switchlinc and it's a member of a scene and those are behaving properly. Is there a problem with that program I wrote it up?

Not the program.

 

Switching power supplies do not like their inputs to have a chopped up waveform, as a SwitchLinc dimmer puts out. The inputs capacitors and circuitry would not be expected to last long. It may injure the SwitchLinc also.

 

A regulated power supply for the LEDS major job is to regulate the output voltage even if the input varies. Varying the input voltage to it should not vary the LED strip brightness right up until the power output fails.

 

If you leave the SwitchLinc dimmer on 100% all the time and vary the LED controller it may work OK but the SwitchLinc is a waste.

 

Perhaps your power supply is not a regulated type?

Edited by larryllix
Posted

Larry, I'm not sure if this is regulated, here's their website:                                                                                                                                                                        https://www.hitlights.com/12v-led-dimmable-driversLED wall dimmers

 

Jerlands, Here's what I'd like to do, I have the switchlinc in a scene that turns on at sunset, the switchlinc is dimmed low to provide soft lighting in the kitchen when no other lights are on there. When I turn on the overhead can lights they wash out the LED's in the cabinet so you can't tell they are on, so I would like the LED's to brighten when the cans are switched on. 

I have that same switchlinc in another program that turns it on late night if the motion sensor is switched on and it all works great until I enable the program with the can lights, then I get the erratic behavior

Posted (edited)

How long is the wire run from the switchlinc to the transformer? The problem is potentially transformer noise. I had a similar problem with some low voltage lighting transformers for halogen lights and yard lights. 

 

I used these to dampen the noise and that cured it in 3 different locations.

 

Paul

Edited by paulbates
Posted

Jerlands, Here's what I'd like to do, I have the switchlinc in a scene that turns on at sunset, the switchlinc is dimmed low to provide soft lighting in the kitchen when no other lights are on there. When I turn on the overhead can lights they wash out the LED's in the cabinet so you can't tell they are on, so I would like the LED's to brighten when the cans are switched on. 

I have that same switchlinc in another program that turns it on late night if the motion sensor is switched on and it all works great until I enable the program with the can lights, then I get the erratic behavior

 

If I understand correctly you need to add scene adjust for the cabinets and then following the adjust add a second or two wait and turn the scene on.

 

If
        Control 'Kitchen Can Lts 1' is switched Fade Up
     Or Control 'Kitchen Can Lts 1' is switched On
 
Then
        Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 1' 35%
        In Scene 'Kitchen Cab' set   Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 1' 35%
        Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 2' 35%
        In Scene 'Kitchen Cab' set   Set 'Kitchen Cab LED 2' 35%
 
     Wait 2 seconds
     Set Scene 'Kitchen Cab' On
 
 
 
Jon...
Posted

Larry, I'm not sure if this is regulated, here's their website:                                                                                                                                                                        https://www.hitlights.com/12v-led-dimmable-driversLED wall dimmers

 

<snipped>

It appears they are designed to do just what you are doing with them. This is a different situation than most power supplies.

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