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Enter the dimmer switch, a handy electrical component that lets you adjust light levels from nearly dark to fully lit by simply turning a knob or sliding a lever. In this article, we'll look inside one of these everyday devices to find out how it controls lamp fixtures. As it turns out, the inner workings are pretty cool -- and surprising.
- The Circuit
Turning the dimmer switch knob pivots the contact arm (or...
- The Triac
In the last section, we saw that a dimmer switch rapidly...
- The Old Way
Early dimmer switches had a pretty straightforward solution...
- The New and Improved Way
A modern dimmer switch " chops up " the sine wave. It...
- How Dimmer Switches Work
This "extra current" works to smooth out the sharp voltage...
- Halogen Lamp
A halogen lamp also uses a tungsten filament, but it is...
- The Circuit
Jun 3, 2022 · The entire process works around 100 to 120 times per second. Essentially, the dimmer chops up the waveform into sections, just as you see in the diagram below. The interval between the on and off functions determines the room’s brightness. And, that explains how do dimmers work.
A modern dimmer switch " chops up " the sine wave. It automatically shuts the light bulb circuit off every time the current reverses direction -- that is, whenever there is zero voltage running through the circuit. This happens twice per cycle, or 120 times a second. It turns the light circuit back on when the voltage climbs back up to a ...
A light dimmer switch is a device that helps to control the level of light output from a light source. By altering the amount of power delivered to the light source, the dimmer switch can directly affect the level of light output. The more power that is delivered, the higher the light output will be. Conversely, the less power that is delivered ...
Turning the dimmer switch knob pivots the contact arm (or contact plate) on the variable resistor, increasing or decreasing its total resistance. When the knob is set to "dim," the variable resistor offers greater resistance so it "holds up" the current. As a result, the necessary boost voltage doesn't build up as quickly on the firing capacitor.
Oct 29, 2023 · We’ve had many questions about dimmer switches and asking how they work.In this video we will look at the more common type of dimmer switch that is used with...
- 11 min
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- LEARN ELECTRICS
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The working principle of a dimmer switch is to control the amount of current flowing through a circuit thereby controlling the brightness. It controls the current by using a small motor to turn an internal resistance up and down quickly, between live and neutral wires. When there is more resistance in circuit, more voltage is required to pass ...
