How dimmer switches work. The new and improved way.
Installing Dimmer Switch 3 And 4 Way Customer Support
How does a dimmer switch work diagram. How does a dimmer switch work. Todays dimmer switches modern ones meaning since the 90s dim your light very efficiently. Check the wiring diagram for the dimmer that you have purchased. The more power delivered the higher the light output. How dimmer switches work. Do you know which wire is the load hot.
Find out what this clever switch does with electrical current. Plus its convenient to use one bulb rather than a variety of bulbs with different watts to light a room. The less power delivered the lower the light output. If you are replacing an existing 3 way switch. Ac current has varying voltage polarity in an undulating sine wave. Many manufacturers are now producing dimmer switches that can be used for either single pole or 3 way switchesfor the single pole application the instruction sheet will have you cap off one of the wires which will not be used.
Locating dimmer switch wires is important. Not a big deal use a voltage tester to check which wire is hot. A triac is a small semiconductor device similar to a diode or transistor. Instead of diverting energy from the light bulb into a resistor modern resistors rapidly shut the light circuit off and on to reduce the total amount of energy flowing through the circuit. Through the use of a triode ac switch triac which is a type of relay the light circuit. What is a triac.
A light dimmer is a piece of equipment that lets you adjust the light intensity of a bulb from low to high through the use of a triac that restricts the flow of electricity to decrease the light of a bulb. A non contact tester is best. But you wont be able to dim the lights from every switch location unless you buy a set of special dimmers with advanced electronics and install one at each switch location. This includes n type material which. The light bulb circuit is switched off many times every second. With a simple switch we either turn the light on meaning we close the circuit delivering full power.
The switching cycle is built around the fluctuation of household alternating current ac. In the last section we saw that a dimmer switch rapidly turns a light circuit on and off to reduce the energy flowing to a light switch. You dont great what do we do now. A regular light switch takes care of off and on. Many dimmers need to be loaded a certain way to work properly. Essentially the technology inside the dimmer switch controls the flow of electricity to your lights by turning it on and off many many times per second.
If the switch youre replacing is the only switch controlling the light buy a standard single pole dimmer. Like a transistor a triac is made up of different layers of semiconductor material. Lets take a closer look at how a dimmer switch works. A dimmer switch handles off on and everything in between. If the light can be switched on and off from two or more switches buy a three way dimmer switch. By altering the amount of power delivered to a light source a dimmer directly affects the level of light output from that source.
This can make a room much more versatile. When replacing an existing 3 way switch take note of how the existing switch is wired before you remove the wiring then refer to your notes to help you wire the new 3 way dimmer switch. How does a dimmer switch work. The central element in this switching circuit is a triode alternating current switch or triac. The two extremes of light output range are of course achievable by a simple switch.
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