LED Brightness

[jmed999]

So it goes up to 255 but it doesn't seem to go up in 255 equal increments. What number is 20%, 50%, 80%, etc? I can't seem to figure the numbers out. 250 looks as bright as 100 but 255 is way brighter.

[apostolakisl]

0 - 255 is 256 possible values which is 2 to the 8th power which in computer binary talk is 8 bit which means ISY developers chose to reserve 8 bits worth of memory to store the value. 0-255 represents 0-100% brightness. You can do the math to figure out the percentage.

 

Be advised that just because the Insteon switch is turned half way up doesn't mean the lumens are 50% of full brightness. This mostly works with incandescent bulbs but fluorescent and led operate a bit differently.

[jmed999]

OK....that makes sense!

[LeeG]

Is the question about the device status LED brightness (which is what I thought) or the load brightness?

[jmed999]

Status LED brightness

[jmed999]

I was going to dim all of my switchlincs but when I put them at 200 some are way dimmer than others...it's kinda weird.

 

Anyone else run into this?

[LeeG]

Check the SwitchLinc firmware for those with different responses.

 

Run Tools | Diagnostics | Event Viewer at Level 3 and see if there is any difference in the commands being issued to set the LED status LEDs brightness level.

 

Right click SwitchLinc node, select Diagnostics | Query Insteon Engine can correct a command issue if the ISY has incorrect information regarding device capability.

[jmed999]

That didn't help.

 

Why is 100 brighter than 150?

[jmed999]

Some are way brighter than others when they are all set at 100. The brighter ones are dual band dimmable and relay switchlincs and the dim ones are not dual band relay switchlincs.

 

Also 100 is brighter than 150 on all types.

[LeeG]

Assuming the same commands are being issued the manufacturer will have to supply the explanation.

[apostolakisl]

Do they all have the same exact bulbs? LED's and compact fluorescents differ by manufacturer/bulb model as to the progression of lumen output as the input voltage goes up. Two bulbs may look the same at 100% but very different at 50%.

 

I would assume that 2 Insteon switchlincs at the same % brightness would both put through the same voltage, but Lee has indicated that different firmwares aren't the same. I don't really know anything about that. It seems to me that it would be pretty dumb for the Insteon folks to have done that. But I wouldn't put it past them.

 

OHH, I just read your post again. Relays are either on or off. There is no 50%. If you send a 50% on to a relay it just turns on. It is after all a RELAY, not a dimmer.

[jmed999]

It's really weird. I got them about even as far as brightness and found that some at 150 = some at 5.

[jmed999]

Do they all have the same exact bulbs? LED's and compact fluorescents differ by manufacturer/bulb model as to the progression of lumen output as the input voltage goes up. Two bulbs may look the same at 100% but very different at 50%.

 

I would assume that 2 Insteon switchlincs at the same % brightness would both put through the same voltage, but Lee has indicated that different firmwares aren't the same. I don't really know anything about that. It seems to me that it would be pretty dumb for the Insteon folks to have done that. But I wouldn't put it past them.

 

OHH, I just read your post again. Relays are either on or off. There is no 50%. If you send a 50% on to a relay it just turns on. It is after all a RELAY, not a dimmer.

 

I'm not talking about bulb brightness. I talking about the LED light on the switchlinc itself.

[apostolakisl]

OK, now I get what you are asking. ISY started supporting that function a while ago and that issue was discussed back then. There was never a good answer as far as I can recall about setting the brightness of the led's on the switch. It would make sense that 255 is as bright as it gets and 128 is half as bright and so on. But it doesn't follow that logic and I don't know why and I really don't know what the actual logic is. The handful of switches I have altered the led's on I just did random trial and error until it looked the way I wanted.

 

And you do have to realize that Insteon switches that are a bit older don't support that function at all.

[jmed999]

OK, now I get what you are asking. ISY started supporting that function a while ago and that issue was discussed back then. There was never a good answer as far as I can recall about setting the brightness of the led's on the switch. It would make sense that 255 is as bright as it gets and 128 is half as bright and so on. But it doesn't follow that logic and I don't know why and I really don't know what the actual logic is. The handful of switches I have altered the led's on I just did random trial and error until it looked the way I wanted.

 

I did the same thing...just trail and error.

 

I wish I knew what the logic was tho.

[TJF1960]

jmed999,

 

Some of my devices LED's also vary a bit in brightness when set to the same level. It got to the point before installing multiple devices in the same gang box that I would bench test them beforehand (esp. kpl's), side by side for LED brightness compatablility. But never have I had some as bad as you with the 145 point spread! Thats a pretty wide gap.

 

LED's can vary pretty widely in intensity even from the same batch after production.

 

Near as I could tell on my switchlinc's 255 seemed to be about 50 to 75% brightness. If I remember correctly setting to 0 was full brightness and setting to 1 was off (or the other way around).

[gfrancis0]

So has anyone figured out an actual method to setting the LED brightness on the Insteon switch itself or not? I found the method for setting this at the actual switch. You hold the set button three times until it beeps, then use the paddle to set the LED brightness, then tap the set button twice. I would rather be able to set a specific digital level for the LED brightness for the bedroom switches to the minimum. Whenever I select LED Brightness in the switch property is always shows as 0, even for the switches that I have manually reduced the LEDs using the set button. Any specific, definitive information about how to do this using the ISY99 web interface would be appreciated.