introduction (Page 1) - Womack Electric Supply Company

Dimming BasicsMatching the Dimmer to the LoadA wide variety of lighting sources exist on the market. These sources have individualcharacteristics which require special types of dimmers. It is important to use a dimmerthat is designed, tested, and UL listed for your specific lighting source.IncandescentLine-voltage tungsten filament lamps, including halogen lampsElectrical Characteristic: ResistiveSpecial Requirements: Rated for cold filament inrush (positive and negativeperiods may not be equal, resulting in a net DC voltage; do not use on MLV)Magnetic Low Voltage (MLV)Magnetic (core and coil, toroidal) transformer-supplied low voltage lightingElectrical Characteristic: InductiveSpecial Requirements: Symmetric cycles (VDC ≤ 2), smooth turn off(positive and negative periods are equal for safe MLV transformer operation)Electronic Low Voltage (ELV)Electronic (solid-state) transformer-supplied low voltage lightingElectrical Characteristic: CapacitiveSpecial Requirements: Smooth turn on at zero voltage (reversephase-control for no damaging current spikes), neutral wire connectionForward Phase-ControlSymmetric Forward Phase-ControlReverse Phase-ControlNeon/Cold CathodeHighly inductive boost transformer for neon/cold cathode lightingElectrical Characteristic: Highly inductiveSpecial Requirements: Very smooth turn off (positive and negative periods are equalfor safe magnetic transformer operation), symmetric cycles (VDC ≤ 2), neutral wire connectionFluorescentElectronic fluorescent dimming ballastSpecial dimmers are designed and UL listed to send power and control signalsto each type of electronic fluorescent dimming ballast: 3-wire, 2-wire and 0-10V.Single Pole 3-Way Multi-LocationSingle-PoleDimmer3-Way Dimmerwith SwitchesMulti-Location Controlfrom Each LocationDimmerSingle-pole dimmers providecontrol from one location.Dimmer Switch3-way dimmers adjust the lightlevel from one location. Whenused with 3-way and 4-wayswitches, the lights can be turnedon to the dimmer level or offfrom many locations.DimmerAccessory DimmersMulti-location dimmers canbe used with accessory dimmersfor full control of the lights fromup to 10 locations.198 Technical Support • 24 Hours/7 Days • 1·800·523·9466 • www.lutron.com

Dimming BasicsHeat DissipationDuring normal operation, dimmers do get warm to the touch. Wallbox dimmer efficiencyis typically around 99%. The other 1% is dissipated in the dimmer as heat. So a dimmer on a600W load would produce around 6 watts of heat. This is on the order of a small night light.Operating on it’s rated load, Lutron dimmers will stay below the UL limits of 140ºF (60ºC).Ganging and DeratingA typical dimmer is wider than a switch. This increased size helps the dimmerdissipate the internal heat normal to operation (see above).Dimmers can be ganged together such that the space between them is the sameas for switches. To do this, a portion of the fins (heat sink) must be removed.The fins are grooved to make the removal of fins easy with a pair of pliers.The removal of these fins reduces the capacity (load) the dimmer can control.Derating information is provided: Vareo®, NovaTa®, pg.51.Designer and Traditional products, pg.103.40080140120-20-40 -40°F °C4020060Fins BrokenDimming BasicsMagnetic Low-Voltage Dimmer RatingsThe stated VA (volt-ampere) rating is the rated capacity of the dimmer which includesthe magnetic transformer heat losses and the lamp load. A transformer dissipates lessthan 20% of the connected load as heat. Added together, the lamp load and thetransformer loss determine the dimmer capacity required. See the example below.= +1000VA 200W Heat 800WPower to transformer and Transformer Losses Lamp LoadPower through dimmer(UL limit: ≥ 80% efficient)Electronic Low-Voltage Dimmer RatingsElectronic low voltage transformers do dissipate some heat. These inefficienciesare small enough to be accounted for in the dimmer rating. A Lutron ELV dimmerUL approved for 600W can be loaded with a full 600W of lamp load.Fan ControlsThere are two styles of fan control, select the one that is right for your application:Fully Variable• Fully variable fan speed• Used for controlling one or moreceiling paddle fan or exhaust fanQuiet 3-Speed• Three speeds plus off• Won't cause fan motor hum• Used for controlling one ceiling paddle fan onlyTo Order/Customer Service • 8am–8pm ET (US/CAN) • 1·888·LUTRON1199