News

New EU Ecodesign Regulation Affects the LED Driver Industry

In September of 2021, a new regulation was passed in the EU impacting LED lighting: The Ecodesign Regulation. Every aspect of this new regulation is about maintaining high standards that enhance the wellbeing of those regularly exposed to LED light sources—especially concerning light flicker.

Light flicker is defined as rapid and repeated changes to the overall brightness of a light source over time. But what effect does this have on the LED driver industry?

Places all around the world have developed regulations designed to mitigate the effects of light flicker—including the EU.

Let’s dive into the new EU Ecodesign regulation, how it relates to light flicker, and what that means for LED drivers.

The New EU Ecodesign Regulation for Light Sources

In September of 2021, the new Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2020 for light source Ecodesign went into effect. Along with regulating other aspects of lighting, such as energy efficiency, one of the most important parts of the new Ecodesign regulation revolves around light flicker and stroboscopic effects.

Why is this important? 

Light flickering can cause numerous problems, such as migraines, eye strain, headaches, and more. The new regulation aims to eliminate these problems, among other things.

How Are LED Light Sources Tested for Flicker?

The EU Ecodesign Regulation introduces a brand new method for testing light flicker: PstLM.

PstLM is a metric used to measure flicker severity in the short-term. When testing light sources on the PstLM scale, it’s important to test in a lab-style environment to ensure maximum accuracy. Tests should be performed with no other light sources nearby that could interfere with the test. The testing device is known as a flicker meter.

With the new regulation in place, lighting products testing at PstLM ≤ 1.0 are deemed acceptable to be put on the EU market.

How Does the New EU Ecodesign Regulation Compare to the Rest of the World?

The EU regulation isn’t the first of its kind. As light flickering has grown into a larger issue, similar regulations have popped up around the world over the past few years.

For example, back in January 2017, the state of California introduced requirements for light sources to have less than 30% flicker when operating at frequencies below 200hz.

Similarly, Japan also has released documentation detailing how SSL products must not create a flickering sensation if the lighting fixture:

• Has a cyclic frequency of 100hz or more with no output failure
• Has a cyclic frequency of 500hx or more of light output

The EU isn’t the only area where awareness surrounding light flicker has grown.

What To Look For in an LED Driver

To avoid the detrimental effects of light flicker, the question is: What should you be looking for in an LED driver?

Putting it simply, you’ll want to select flicker-free LED drivers. LED drivers labelled “flicker-free” are defined as LED drivers that produce less than 5% light flicker.

Products such as GRE Alpha’s ELV Dimmable LED Driver take flicker-free LED drivers one step further, using patented technology to allow full range, flicker free dimming of LED lighting fixtures.

GRE Alpha and Our Partners Have Been Ahead of the Curve

GRE Alpha is proud to provide flicker-free LED drivers that adhere to the new EU Ecodesign regulations (and other light source regulations around the world). Our commitment to remaining ahead of the curve also extends to our valued partners, such as EnOcean. Together with our partners, GRE Alpha continues to produce high quality, reliable LED drivers that address these flickering issues.

Looking For More Information?

The GRE Alpha team is here to answer all of your questions regarding the new EU Ecodesign regulations, flicker-free LED drivers, and more. Reach out to us. We’re happy to help.

A New Milestone in Smart Connected Lighting

For over two decades, GRE Alpha’s diverse team of LED power conversion specialists have been building upon the latest in power management technology, providing customers with cutting edge, cost-effective, safe, adaptable and high performing LED powering products. Along the way, partnerships with innovative companies like EnOcean, Zigbee, XiCato, and Casambi resulted in advanced dimming modules featuring WIFI and BLE (Bluetooth low energy).

Now, in a collaboration with Tuya, a leading global IoT Cloud Platform that that enables smart home products to come to life, GRE is launching a new dimming module. It is among the first that supports both BLE and WIFI, so you no longer need to choose. We are very excited about this and will be sharing full details soon.

Simply put, Bluetooth allows for short-range data transfer between devices while WIFI allows devices to connect to the Internet. Together in a single dimming module, you get a complete, versatile, and user-friendly solution to turn your LED lighting into IoT connected smart devices.

• Works with the Tuya Smart app
• Has color temperature changing and color changing functions
• Can dim and set scenes via the app
• Will work with other Tuya WIFI eco-system products

As innovations in connectivity and AI shift into full gear, LED powering will become even more intelligent, connective, and efficient. Whether its dimming, color tuning, timing, linkage, sensing or voice control, GRE’s newest dimming module has what it takes to help put your lighting project on the forefront of the WIFI ecosystem.

If you have any questions about the new dimming module or any of our other high quality LED dimmers and drivers, we are here for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service and support teams are always eager to help.

Constant current or constant voltage, AC or DC powering – finding the right LED drivers and dimmers can be challenging. In these two LED product catalogs, you will find detailed specifications on easy to install LED drivers and dimming modules for a wide range of indoor and outdoor lighting applications, including:

• Architectural Signage & LED Strips
• Downlights & Track Lights
• Horticultural Lighting
• Street and Bay Lighting

You will also find some amazing products created in collaboration with leading partners in the lighting field like Zigbee, EnOcean, BLE and DALI. Those who want to match drivers with a particular chip on board (COB) should also check out our COB matching tool. As always, our GRE team of powering experts is here to help guide you.

Xicato's Award-Winning Bluetooth Mesh Solutions Paired with GRE Alpha Dimming Modules Bring Expandable Solutions to Iconic Hotel

As you know, we place great store in finding innovative solutions for your LED lighting problems. By teaming up with leading partners in the industry, we have been able to keep the momentum going toward the full data potential of intelligent lighting control.

Today we are excited to share the news that Xicato is shining a spotlight on our constant voltage BLE protocol dimming modules (SLD-DIM-XG series). Using Xicato Bluetooth wireless mesh technology, these high-quality LED drivers feature direct peer-to-peer communication between nodes, ensuring instantaneous response to input from switches, sensors, and mobile devices without the need for hubs or a central controller.

The SLD-DIM-XG4 played an instrumental role in the Bluetooth lighting system redesign for the magnificent Gran Melia Jakarta hotel in Indonesia. It was determined that Xicato's Intelligent Gateway with open API and Bluetooth mesh wireless controls (XIG), Intelligent Drivers (XID) and GRE Alpha's XG4 dimmer was the overall best solution for the project. Xicato's Bluetooth mesh scalability meant that not only could it address the hotel's current needs, but it could also easily be reconfigured and expanded as the need arises.

GRE Alpha's XG Dimming modules are part of the Xicato's GalaXi ecosystem and runs on Xicato's GalaXi app, allowing quick and seamless installation and commissioning of lighting systems. The performance benefits and costs savings are huge:

• Compatible with Xicato Controls devices and switches
• Easy setup and installation
• Instantaneous flicker-free dimming
• Performance monitoring and scene setting with app support
• Compact size, high reliability
• 3-year warranty

Unlike other controllers in the market, components in GRE's XG series empower OEMs with the flexibility to choose between several vendors to mix and match various solutions based on features, form, and pricing to meet an end customer's lighting control requirements. While the original SLD-DIM-XG supports one channel, the 400-watt XG4 supports four.

If you have any questions about the SLD-DIM-XG series or any of our other high quality LED drivers, we are here for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service and support teams are always happy to help.

Looking ahead: Lightfair 2021, the most anticipated event in the lighting industry, will take place at the Javits Center in New York City this fall. GRE is preparing for an in-person exhibit and, if you'll also be in attendance, we'd love to catch up. Keep an eye out for further details.

Today we are excited to be sharing news about the Tokyo Lighting Fair that took place from March 9th to 12th at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center (Tokyo Big Sight). Normally, one of the largest comprehensive lighting exhibitions in Japan, this event observed Covid protocols and attendance was strictly limited.

GRE Alpha at Nikkei Messe

As you may know, to further our goal of providing quality LED power solutions to different corners of the world, GRE Alpha opened a Tokyo office in 2017. The Tokyo Lighting Fair was a superb opportunity to exchange ideas with our Japanese customers and friends. It was GRE's first in person event since the Pandemic began, and we genuinely enjoyed the opportunity to make that human connection again.

On display at the GRE booth were some of our most advanced modular and dimmable LED drivers created by working with leading partners in the lighting field, like Citizen and EnOcean. These are lighting control modules that have been enhanced in multiple ways to provide more performance flexibility and meet specialized customer needs.

ENO-DIM-JP – GRE Alpha's EnOcean® dimming module, designed with 6 individual lighting segments, allows for smooth, flicker-free diming of lighting fixtures using any of EnOcean's® certified energy harvesting wireless switches. Compatible with any constant voltage LED driver, the diming module allows for seamless integration into existing LED lighting systems or new building automation projects with ease.

TUNABLE WHITE FOR CITIZEN – GRE's tunable white dimming module with EnOcean® energy harvesting switch seamlessly integrates with Citizen's white COB allowing for separate tuning of brightness and color temperature. This collaborative effort will lead to continuing new developments in greener, more effective lighting.

6-IN-1 DIMMING MODULE – GRE Alpha's 6-in-1 dimmer with built-in thermal shutdown provides full range 0-100%, smooth, high resolution diming performance for a wide variety of constant voltage LED diming applications. Flexible and easy-install, this unit comes with a multi-colored LED indicator and integrated strain relief and terminal cover.

Dimming modules which meet Global standards

Flicker-free dimming in action

Also on display were GRE Alpha's SLD/GLD Dali intelligent dimmer for home automation, the 95% efficient Smart-Dim-PWM (pulse width modulation) 240W LED dimming module, and the revolutionary XLD-Dim Eco-Dim DC variable resistor.

As promised, GRE's expert team will continue to work intensively to meet the worldwide demand for smart connected lighting with new power supplies used for smart and IoT lighting as well as upgrades to existing products. Thanks to events like the Tokyo Lighting Fair, we get the input and inspiration needed to develop new and better products.

If you have any question about the products mentioned here, are seeking driver selection expertise or anything else, we are here for you. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service and support teams are always happy to help. Looking forward to connecting with you in person soon.