LEDs have progressed enormously in recent years. Thanks to the improvements in the degree of efficiency and colour rendering index, there is almost no area of lighting technology where they are not Present. As retrofit versions, they are a welcome alternative to the unpopular energy-saving lamps. As illuminated strips and surfaces, they snuggle against every surface and allow new possibilities for lighting design. Even the first high-performance luminaires such as stage and studio spotlights are now available in LED format.
However, not every bulb can be easily replaced by an LED retrofit lamp. This can lead to significant faults in the installation even with simple switching. This is due to the short, but also extremely high switching currents. They can be a thousand-fold and over the rated output, contacts could burn-through or fuse as a result.
Find out here what LED light switching and dimming is all about. And discover excellent LED-compatible solutions from Theben, such as time switches, staircase light timer switches, motion detectors and presence detectors, as well as dimmers and KNX dimming actuators, with which LED lights can be reliably, conveniently and efficiently controlled.
The general guidelines for lamps apply for LED lamps, from the type of socket to the measurement setup for the luminous intensity. However, what happens in between is not recorded. As opposed to a classic lamp with a simple spiral-wound filament, LED lamps include a lot of electronics for control purposes.
How can an LED lamp that only has a few watts of rated output destroy a switching contact that has been manufactured for a multiple thereof? Upon closer inspection, the answer is found in the switching currents: In incandescent lamps the typical switching currents of the cold spiral coil causes a tenfold of the respective rated current.
Not every LED lamp is dimmable. Even with suitable versions, the dimming properties are very different and depend on the manufacturer.
The best way to switch and dim LED lighting: LED compatible solutions from Theben