Problems With 0-10V Dimmer

[Little Bill]

I installed some 4' LED wrap lights that has a 0-10V capable driver. I used a Lutron Diva 0-10 dimmer. The customer is not happy with the low end of the dimming. It looks to be only 30-40% on the low end. This dimmer has an adjustment wheel to adjust the low end. Also has a small screw to adj the high end. I have the wheel adjusted all the way down, and that is just to get to the 30-40%.

They have the same lighting, except older, in another area along with the same type/brand dimmer. This area dims much better. So I decided to swap the dimmers. The results were the same, low end not good on the new area. This tells me it's either the drivers in the new lights or maybe the LEDs themselves.
Any thought on this?

 

[LarryFine]

Is it feasible to swap drivers, or entire lights? Depends on how important it is to know.

 

[Little Bill]

Is it feasible to swap drivers, or entire lights? Depends on how important it is to know.

Not very as there are several lights.

 

[hillbilly1]

Probably how the manufacture has the driver programmed, short of changing to a different driver manufacture or model, a call to the manufacture may be key, but I don’t think the program could be altered in the field.

 

[hillbilly1]

I don’t think it will show any difference, but short the driver dimming input wires together, and that will give you the lowest output the driver will do.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I thought the purpose of the 0-10v dimming was to get more control at the low end of the dimming. Otherwise I don't know what the advantage is to it especially with all the hassles it creates

 

[GoldDigger]

On the face of it, it sounds like a poorly designed LED dimming driver. But the fact that older fixtures from the same manufacturer seem to be working better is problematic. I would consider swapping a fixture from one area to the other just to confirm that it is a driver problem.

 

[LarryFine]

You'd only need to try one, if each type has the same behavior.

 

[Little Bill]

It would be easier to just try the driver. The lights are wired in MC, and removing that along with the low voltage cable, would be a major pain.

 

[LarryFine]

I have an idea: use some 2-conductor wire, like speaker wire or lamp cord, to temporarily control a light driver in one room from the control wires feeding a light in the other room.

In other words, see whether a new driver behaves alike or differently when receiving the same control voltage as the existing drivers. Just let the temporary wire lay on the floor.

 

[Little Bill]

I have an idea: use some 2-conductor wire, like speaker wire or lamp cord, to temporarily control a light driver in one room from the control wires feeding a light in the other room.

In other words, see whether a new driver behaves alike or differently when receiving the same control voltage as the existing drivers. Just let the temporary wire lay on the floor.

That sounds do-able!
What time can you be here?

 

[ptonsparky]

Have you put a meter on either of the dimming circuits to see what the applied voltage is?

Apples to oranges but the fixture I have in my basement with a CLICK PLC as a dimmer, doesn‘t dim at lower than 1.5 volts. 10%, I think.

 

[LarryFine]

Depends on where in TN you are, whether it's warm enough to ride my bike, and how close to the mountains you are.

 

[ptonsparky]

Use a battery. 9, 6, 1.5.

 

[LarryFine]

My idea provides a simultaneous result comparison on a known-identical control voltage.

 

[Little Bill]

Have you put a meter on either of the dimming circuits to see what the applied voltage is?


Apples to oranges but the fixture I have in my basement with a CLICK PLC as a dimmer, doesn‘t dim at lower than 1.5 volts. 10%, I think.

No I haven't checked any voltage

Depends on where in TN you are, whether it's warm enough to ride my bike, and how close to the mountains you are.

Going to be in the 60's, but raining
There are mountains everywhere here, but I assume you mean the Smokeys. I'm 100 miles west of them.

 

[ptonsparky]

My idea provides a simultaneous result comparison on a known-identical control voltage.

Use a 4 wire thermostat cable and check both ways at the same time.

 

[LarryFine]

Use a 4 wire thermostat cable and check both ways at the same time.

Slightly more work and overkill, but not the worst idea.

Control voltage wires and control input wires will all be accessible at both lights, one in each room.

 

[hillbilly1]

If you disconnect the purple and grey from the fixtures, (at the dimmer) short them together, (the run going to the fixtures) the lights will dim as low as the driver will allow. 0 volts is full dim, 10 volts is full bright. If you take a dc voltmeter, you will see the driver will create its own 10 vdc signal when the wires are open. Pretty simple. Any voltage between those will dim a certain percentage, such as using a battery bank. I have a homemade step switch that I can test entire zones (easily 50-100 fixtures) by stepping up or down the number of AA batteries in series. But the easy way to test a loop is just to short the wires together, if all fixtures dim, then your good to go.

 

[LarryFine]

His concern is dimming the lights he has using the controllers he has, and determine why they're not dimming equally.

I'm suggesting a process of elimination by driving both types of drivers from the same controller at the same time.

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." ~ A. C. Doyle