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0-10V Dimming in the AEL ATBS Street Light
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Turns out my AEL LED street light has 0-10V dimming capabilities. I don't have a compatible dimmer, so I decided to implement a simple toggle switch, which would act as a "0 or 10V dimmer" instead of a "0 to 10V dimmer". With the switch opened "OFF", the fixture is at full brilliancy. With the switch closed "ON" the fixture is very dim. Maybe like 5% of total output. If I had the proper dimming control I could make a full range of light levels between the two.
A couple of concerns came to mind though. I know with incandescent lamps, dimming them makes them last longer. Of course, dimming an incandescent is TOTALLY different from 0-10V dimming and I know that dimming the LED fixture will not INCREASE life (at least not the driver's life) but will it adversely affect the driver or does the dimming circuit really have no effect on the driver? Another question would be how to source a 0-10V dimmer and find out whether or not it is compatible with this driver. Or are all 0-10V dimmers the same?
What exactly does the dimmer do? The driver created the +10VDC voltage. And from what I understand, the "dimmer" lowers the voltage? Not like a household dimmer that changes the frequency. I'd like to explore the dimming capabilities of this fixture but don't want to risk frying anything since I wouldn't be able to source (or least I wouldn't be able to afford) replacement parts.
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