By altering the amount of power delivered to a light source a dimmer directly affects the level of light output from that source. How does a dimmer switch work.
How To Wire A 3 Way Switch Wiring Diagram Dengarden
How does a dimmer switch work diagram. 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. Do you know which wire is the load hot. What is a triac. Like a transistor a triac is made up of different layers of semiconductor material. Todays dimmer switches modern ones meaning since the 90s dim your light very efficiently. Lets take a closer look at how a dimmer switch works.
The new and improved way. 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. Many dimmers need to be loaded a certain way to work properly. The two extremes of light output range are of course achievable by a simple switch. Locating dimmer switch wires is important. 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. This can make a room much more versatile. How dimmer switches work. A triac is a small semiconductor device similar to a diode or transistor. The more power delivered the higher the light output. If the light can be switched on and off from two or more switches buy a three way dimmer switch.
Through the use of a triode ac switch triac which is a type of relay the light circuit. A non contact tester is best. Find out what this clever switch does with electrical current. 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. Ac current has varying voltage polarity in an undulating sine wave. Not a big deal use a voltage tester to check which wire is hot.
With a simple switch we either turn the light on meaning we close the circuit delivering full power. 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. The switching cycle is built around the fluctuation of household alternating current ac. A dimmer switch handles off on and everything in between. 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. Check the wiring diagram for the dimmer that you have purchased.
How dimmer switches work. 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. If the switch youre replacing is the only switch controlling the light buy a standard single pole dimmer. The light bulb circuit is switched off many times every second. 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.
You dont great what do we do now. If you are replacing an existing 3 way switch. A regular light switch takes care of off and on. The central element in this switching circuit is a triode alternating current switch or triac. How does a dimmer switch work.
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