insteon, what unit do i need for led accent light?

[neupane00]

hey guys, quick question. what unit do i need for led accent light strip?

 

I tried lamp module . didnt work. and then i tried appliance module. that seemed to work in the beginning (yesterday). but today seems like the accent light is just "blinking" on and off when the power is off. it lights nicely when power off.

 

pls help

[oberkc]

Your lights are plug-in? If so, your options are modules, outletlincs, or inlinelincs feeding outlets. Outletlincs and inlinelincs require permanent installation into your electrical system.

 

The problem you are experiencing has to do, I believe, with the "sense" capability of the modules and outletlincs. These devices send a small current through the load, in order to sense local control has been activated and to turn on, in response. Unfortunately, this small current is enough to cause some LEDs to glow, when off.

 

I don't believe the inlinelinc has this local control capability. If not, then this should be a viable option for you.

 

As an alternative, many have reported success by adding, in addition to your LEDs, a small (somwhere around 5W) load to the outlet of the module. The addition of a small nightlight or power supply can often be enough to alleviate the glow of the LEDs. Unfortunately, this partially offsets the benefits of using LED.

[neupane00]

thank u . i will try that

[apostolakisl]

The cleanest way to fix this is to use a resistor soldered in between the hot and neutral in the wire to the LED lights. Or to use an Insteon product that doesn't have the sense function.

 

The resistance needed is quite high. You could buy a few and test them out. It could be that 20,000 ohms or even higher is all you need. At full voltage (120v) that is about 3/4 watt. What size resistor will depend on the actual LED light set you have.

 

The resistor will "drain down" the current from the sense function so that it doesn't go through the led's (or at least less of it). This current that is provided as a sensor is present regardless of whether you have the resistor or not and is just a few milliamps so standby power consumption is not changed. When the light is on, however, the resistor will still "drain down" current which results in additional power consumption above and beyond what would have been there without it. But, as I mentioned, your resistor will probably be so high that it is less than 1 watt.

[neupane00]

last one sounds so complicated. but im sure its the right way to do it. i am more looking for plug and play kinda thing

[Brian H]

A power tap on the output side of the module. So you can add a small night light works well for many users.

If you don't like a small glowing night light when it is On. You could use a AC plug with the resistor carefully insulated in place of the night light.

 

X10 modules where worse than Insteon ones and a 47,000 Ohm 1/2 watt made almost all LEDs stop glowing.

[TJF1960]

Others have also used an old discarded wall-wart as a load to drain down the trickle voltage.

 

Tim