Just got the starter kit. Wired up a front door light fixture which contains 3 candelabra LED bulbs. These are 25W equivalent, and draw 4 watts each bulb. When I dim it to completely off, all 3 bulbs are still glowing. Dim, but pretty substantial. It actually looks kinda cool. Both of my plug-in modules do the same thing. I was reading somewhere that to use a dimmer in a two-wire configuration, the minimum load you can use is 25W. But this isn't two-wire so that limitation shouldn't apply. So why are they not OFF off? I've used LEDs many time and know that some of them are visible with very low current, and I'm thinking the leakage current through the switch must be more than a few milliamps. I don't plan on using these plug-in modules to dim the lamp -- I'll use some other wired in module in the fixture I think (this for a new construction). Would a different dimmer module have the same result? (These LED lamps were bought at Home Depot.)
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Plug-in Module Won't Dim LED all the Way OFF
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The Lamplinc modules have a Local Control Sensing feature. There is a small amount of current on the output even when off.
The On/Off Relay plug in module also has this small Local Control Sensing feature. The On/Off Relay module may also have a snubber network across the relay for contact protection. That would also pass a small amount of current to the load when Off. So some LEDs will also glow on an On/Off Module
If one of the bulbs is changed to an incandescent. Good chance they would no longer glow.
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Originally posted by BLH View PostThe Lamplinc modules have a Local Control Sensing feature. There is a small amount of current on the output even when off.
The On/Off Relay plug in module also has this small Local Control Sensing feature. The On/Off Relay module may also have a snubber network across the relay for contact protection. That would also pass a small amount of current to the load when Off. So some LEDs will also glow on an On/Off Module
If one of the bulbs is changed to an incandescent. Good chance they would no longer glow.
Could you explain what "Local Control Sensing" senses? The presence of a bulb in the socket, or burned out bulb? If some other parallel device is powering the bulb?
And BTW, I measured the current & voltage on the bulbs when off. The current is 1ma through the bulbs (so 0.3ma through each bulb) and the voltage is 78vac (measured with a true RMS voltmeter). The voltage would be much lower than this if I had a bigger load in the socket. And as far as incandescent goes, I'm sure the filament would hardly even get warm with 1ma through it. But these LEDs appear to be extremely efficient at very low currents. I like it enough that I'll be happy if it stays this way with an in-fixture dimmer.
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Another thing that can surprise you.
The FilterLinc can give you a shock. If you unplugged it when the AC was near peak of the AC waveform. The capacitors in it could discharge back through your fingers if you touched the output jack or input pins. Not sure if they now have a 1 Meg resistor across them as may other manufacturers do for safety.
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Originally posted by TFitzpatri8'Load Sensing' is a feature only found on devices that your loads can plug into--wall modules and outlets, not switches. Those modules run a very small current through the load when it is turned off. By watching the draw from the attached load, the module can sense if you flip the on/off switch built into the lamp while the module was off, and if you enable it as a trigger, can use that to trigger the lamp to turn on.
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