cheap, dimmable drivers by "thomas research products" + display

[infosponge]

This wall mount dimmer can handle 12 drivers, according to their sales dept

https://www.ledsupply.com/led-drivers/d ... nt-control

[unkle_psycho]

They are reporting that the linear taper pots are easy to dial in.

yeah i imagine they are better for HLG drivers because they have a linear response curve (25K = 25% power, 50K = 50% power, etc.).
but these TRP drivers have logarithmic response curves. that should be counteracted/"linearized" by using a log. pot.
the idea here is that this A-type pot and its own log curve "neutralizes" the log curve of the driver, resulting in a (somewhat) linear dimming response when turning the pot.

so i made the test again, but this time with Fseries instead of Vesta. because 2x F562Bs don't reach the driver's max of 25V:
TRP 75w resistor test.png
so in this case a 10K pot only gives 90% power

I went to town and got a 5k and 10k logarithmic pot, because I was remembering that was advised... Does that mean I will only get 5-10% dimming? Will try to see what they do today.

[tazztone]

Does that mean I will only get 5-10% dimming?

no. you can dim from 5-90% (with F-series connected to the driver). so with 2x F562B as the load (because they have lower working voltage than vestas) you can only get up to 2.5A with a 5K pot, and 2.75A with a 10K pot. for the full 3A you would need a 50K pot, but it would be hard do "dose" the light.

with 3x vestas however: a 10K pot will let you dim all the way between 0.2A - 3A. With the 5K pot you can dim between 0.2 - 2.9A, so you lose 0.1 A but you can probably "dose"/dial-in/dim easier.

another dimming method would be to get a rotary switch and solder different resistors to the connections. this will let you have a few dimming level presets.

[sdfoster22]

Could you put resistors on the 10k ohm pot to get the full dimming?

[unkle_psycho]

Does that mean I will only get 5-10% dimming?

no. you can dim from 5-90% (with F-series connected to the driver). so with 2x F562B as the load (because they have lower working voltage than vestas) you can only get up to 2.5A with a 5K pot, and 2.75A with a 10K pot. for the full 3A you would need a 50K pot, but it would be hard do "dose" the light.

with 3x vestas however: a 10K pot will let you dim all the way between 0.2A - 3A. With the 5K pot you can dim between 0.2 - 2.9A, so you lose 0.1 A but you can probably "dose"/dial-in/dim easier.

another dimming method would be to get a rotary switch and solder different resistors to the connections. this will let you have a few dimming level presets.

My Vestas are driven at 25w, so I have 3 per driver. So 10k would dim one driver, thats great, I can get more of them for the other 5 drivers. Then I have 24 1foot strips for side lighting, I think I will run 12feet per driver at first. Any ideas on whats good for that? 90% dimming is more then fine, if I want to dim 100% I can put a switch or take out a wire... But I would like to have full power on offer, so I can flower with max red.

Is there something I could use to dim all three drivers at once (3strips per driver), so I could put one on each color temperature?

I just looked at the pots I got and they don't say anything about or or any stuff like that. The shop owner is an old guy who obviously knows his stuff though... So if I picked something wrong, I'm sure will get it right next time.

[tazztone]

Is there something I could use to dim all three drivers at once (3strips per driver), so I could put one on each color temperature?

yea a 10k pot (will let you dim 5-100%). but the more drivers u hook up to one pot the more logarithmic the response curve gets, so the harder it is to dial in.

[unkle_psycho]

ok, so the 10k works for one driver or three drivers? awsome

[tazztone]

maybe 20K potentiometer is a safer bet for dimming, as i have found out that a 10K pot does not always reach the full 3A of the driver. it depends on the load i guess

[unkle_psycho]

I just noticed that the driver says max 1A as an input. Does that mean something significant?

[tazztone]

I just noticed that the driver says max 1A as an input. Does that mean something significant?

that it will consume a max of 1A at 230V i suppose.