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Basic Dimmer 2 installation problem


FerranS

Question

Hi all, 

 

I have been using fibaro since many years ago, with more or less problems but I always made it work. 

 

Now I don't know why but I cannot make a dimmer 2 work with my led lights. It's a new installation of 23 (3w each) little garden lights and 4 bigger ones  (12w each) so a total of 117W. I tried it without fibaro bypass but as I saw the lights flickering I installed it in one of the lamps. With or without fibaro bypass the lights are not turning on. I tried to reset the device and also do the calibration with the B button, nothing works, in theory the result of the calibration is red, what in the manual means: 

 

"Calibration procedure failed. Possible reasons: lack of connected load or connected light source exceeds maximum power, which may be controlled by the Dimmer 2"

 

As I said the total of lamps are 117W so it should be enough and not exceed the limit. 

 

I attach here an imagine of the installation. I also have available the neutral wire but I tried with and without it and is not working in any case.

 

The strange thing is that the lights does not turn on with the dimmer2 attached. If I remove the dimmer, all is working fine. 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

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Hello
I'm assuming that you connected it like this.

 

 

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That would be the first part.
Then to the LEDs, they are always operated with an electronic power supply (electronic ballast).
There are some which can be dimmed and which not.
Are you sure that all are dimmable?

 

 

For electronic ballasts it is better to use this circuit!

image.png.844543f9f616a36baa7c98024fc2e6e9.png

Greetings from Germany
Frank

 

Edited by FBerges
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  • Inquirer
  • Hi Frank, 

     

    Thank you for your quick response! The leds I have are not dimmable but I thought it was not a problem for two reasons: 

     

    - Other led lights I have controlled with other dimmer2 are not dimmable and they work normally

    - In the dimmer 2 manual, when you do a calibration in theory it detects if are dimmable or not: 

     

    GREEN - Light source recognized as dimmable, dimming levels set, brightness may be controlled using the S1 switch.

    YELLOW - Light source recognized as non-dimmable, possibility to turn ON/OFF connected light with default parameters settings

     

    So are the lights must be dimmable to work? (could be an explanation maybe)

     

    On the other side, I also tried the last circuit you put (because I have available the neutral wire) but it does not work either.

     

    Thank you!

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    Hello
    The dimming of LEDs with normal ballasts does not work because the ballasts come out of the tack in the pulse pack controls of the Fibaro dimmer and then start to regulate like crazy.
    I could explain that better, but unfortunately only in German.
    Any attempt will fail.
    Since these ballasts are quite inexpensive, you could better buy new dimmable ballasts.
    Search times on the Internet, I couldn't say a German address where you can search.
    Greetings Frank

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  • Hi Frank, 

     

    Thank you! At least I know the reason now... The problem of getting new ballasts is that are built in lights IP 68 and I'm not sure if I'll break the IP68 opening them... Then I have another question, is any other fibaro component that I can use to just turn on and turn off lights instead of dimmer  2? (maybe fibaro single switch?)

     

    Thanks again for your help.

     

    Ferran

    Edited by FerranS
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    I agree with @FBerges  - it probably has to do with the nature of the power supply or supplies used...  The spec indeed says Dimmer 2 can handle "X" Watt but unfortunately it has a second limitation, which is actually quite high but based on your report you might be exceeding it. It is called "inrush current" and has to do with the amount of current needed to charge up the capacitors. You might be able to set parameters manually but if it keeps reporting "over current" then it is a no go. When dimmer 2 was new I did a test with two non-dimmable Mean Well 24 V power supplies, dimmer 2 could handle a 40 W version but struggled to turn on/off a 60 W version. Dimmer 2 uses an electronic switch and it is well protected so it does not destroy itself...

     

    2 minutes ago, FerranS said:

    is any other fibaro component that I can use to just turn on and turn off lights instead of dimmer  2? (maybe fibaro single switch?)

    You can try one of the newer single relays FGS-213 or 214, they have zero-cross switching (better for loads like this than the older models). The "single" relays have bigger relays than the "double" versions.

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  • Hi, 

     

    Thanks for you reply, well talking about the load, first I tried to just turn on and off the 23 lights (are stair lights) so only 69W without the "big" lights of 12W each. But if I'm exceeding that amout needed to charge the capacitors I guess I can do nothing. I think I will have to go for the FGS-213 or 214 then and use the dimmer 2 in another place. 

     

    Thanks you

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  • Hi again, 

     

    Ok I remembered that I had a FGS-213 bought by mistake a lot of time ago (and forgotten in a drawer), I just connected it and it's working like a charm... So your theories were correct. 

     

    Thanks again for your help!

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    If you want to switch one or more electronic ballasts with one relay, it is almost always necessary to install an inrush current limiter (VDR + thermal fuse).
    Otherwise the small relays in the switching module are quickly defective.
    I once looked for a maximum for 200W.
    Now you have to see how many you need so that the total performance is not exceeded.
    One module in front of each ballast !?
    The best thing to do is ask an electrician in front of the order. Let him see what we have written and he will know what to do.

     

    Sorry only in German.

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  • Hi Frank, 

     

    Thanks for your recommendations, by the way at the end I replaced the dimmer 2 with the fgs-213 and worked like a charm! Also as are very small built-in stair lights it's not possible to replace with the product you shown because the box is very small. 

     

     

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