The time is now for LED lighting—businesses, organizations, and municipalities worldwide are switching to LEDs to have maximum control over their lighting operations.
One of the most common and sought-after lighting controls is dimming. However, dimming LEDs requires a dimmable LED driver.
Below, we’ll highlight what dimmable LED drivers are, some of their requirements, and why you should use them.
An LED driver is a device that regulates the amount of power sent to an LED or a string of LEDs. There are two primary types of LED drivers: Dimmable and non-dimmable.
The primary advantage of dimmable LED drivers is that they give you complete control over the luminaire and avoid using too much light when it isn’t needed.
Diving deeper, there are two types of dimmable LED drivers:
Trailing edge dimming is most commonly used with electronic drivers and won’t result in a rush of voltage to the luminaire. Conversely, leading edge dimming is associated with incandescent bulbs and will produce a rush of voltage to the luminaire.
Many dimmable drivers give you the option to choose between two types of dimming—for example, the XLA Series from GRE Alpha.
LED drivers can facilitate dimming and color sequencing for their connected LEDs—however, not all drivers work with RGB color schemes. For this practice, the dimmable external drivers will often require some sort of external dimmer or any other dimming control device.
In many cases, you’ll be able to find applicable external dimming devices compatible with the driver on the data specifications sheet.
Both constant-current and constant-voltage LEDs and drivers can be made with intrdimming capabilities built-in.
Choosing LED drivers with dimming capabilities provides several advantages for building managers and lighting operators. Here are three of the biggest benefits.
The sheer control provided by dimmable LED drivers allows building managers and operators to create the exact aesthetic or mood they’re looking for.
For example, hotels often require a certain ambiance with their lighting to create a welcoming and smooth environment indicative of the luxurious or elegant nature of the hotel.
Dimmable LED drivers also allow managers to control lighting at different times of the day. This is a big help in a work environment—lights can be dimmed during the day and turned up higher during a night shift to make it easier to see.
The ability to dim your LED lights helps conserve a lot of energy. Instead of running LED lights at full power all the time, dimmable LED drivers give you control over your power consumption. You can dim the lights when not as much is required and turn them up whenever necessary, such as during peak work hours.
In fact, the amount of energy saved is directly proportional to the wattage chosen.
For example, if you dim the light down to 50%, you’ll actually be using half the amount of power.
With the ability to dim your LED lights comes a prolonged lifespan for your LED investments.
When you factor in the drivers and the luminaires themselves, LED lighting can be an expensive investment—it makes sense to protect them and keep them for as long as possible. Dimmable LED drivers help regulate the flow of electricity to an LED light and prevent damage to its internal components.
If you’re setting up dimmable LEDs, we can help. Browse the GRE Alpha catalog for our collection of dimming modules and dimmable LED drivers today.
Filed in: Company News