At Zano Controls, it’s important to us that we’re keeping up to date with industry news and understanding which problems most of our audience are met with, so we can continue to learn and grow. After having a search of which issues are most common within LED dimming, the top answer was clear. That’s right - drop out!
What is LED drop out?
Drop out is an issue most electricians, contractors or even homeowners will be familiar with. This is when you try to dim a lamp from 100% to 0%, only to find it cutting out somewhere along the midway point, whilst the lamp is still bright. You may experience flickering at these points, or even ‘dead travel’ where the knob moves without having an impact on the lighting level.
The use of LED lighting is prevalent throughout domestic, commercial and industrial jobs. Whilst we can all appreciate the level of brightness that is possible with LED technology, especially in industrial and commercial spaces like offices, showrooms or retail units, and in some domestic circumstances, however we also need extremely low light levels to create the right ambience for the room being lit.
How do we fix it?
The first thing to do is to assure your LEDs are dimmable and your dimmers are designed to work with dimmable LEDs. The lamp’s box will always indicate if it is dimmable, but your dimmers may not always indicate if they are compatible with LEDs. LED lights need a special electronic dimmer that standard dimmer switches do not contain, meaning they may not be able to dim your lights all the way, so it’s always worth checking.
Now we’ve covered that, there are other factors that can affect drop out. Leaking current can be one factor preventing low light levels. The solution to this can be simple - replace the lamp with a high-quality one, from a reputable manufacturer.
When referring to drop out, many will refer to the non-lit levels as ‘dead spots’. Luckily, many dimmers are now designed to meet these dead spots and cater to them. For example, Zano Controls’ ZBARLED and ZGRIDLED ranges feature a minimum level preset as a part of their Smart Settings.
The minimum level preset does as it says on the tin. It allows you to set the minimum levels of dimming you’ll require using your rotary controller, so rather than experiencing drop out or dead travel at these levels, the lamps will neatly switch off at the required level.
At Zano, we’re constantly adjusting and adapting our technology to meet the common issues faced in the LED dimming world, so we’re always ready to listen. If you’re experiencing any problems, give #TeamZano a call on 0345 519 5858 and we’ll be ready to help.