Dimming electronics

[tim]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section for this question. Can you use a regular dimmer on a flouresant ficture with an electronic ballast? If not, what is the easiest and cheapest way to dim this fixture?

Tim in central Illinois

 

[rb]

Re: Dimming electronics

You have to use a dimming ballast and it ain't cheap.

 

[iwire]

Re: Dimming electronics

Originally posted by tim:
what is the easiest and cheapest way to dim this fixture?

Replace it with incandescent.

There are a lot of new products out there you may find some electronic ballasts for compact fluorescent lights that can be dimmed with a normal dimmer but the ballast will not be cheap.

Most times you need both a dimming ballast and matching dimmer.

We retrofitted a lot of 4 lamp 8 foot fluorescent fixtures for dimming.

1)New Ballasts
2)New lamp end sockets (original sockets were internally shunted, would not work)
3)A new 3rd conductor from fixture to dimmer
4)Fluorescent Dimmer

Lamp life is low

Good luck

 

[tim]

Re: Dimming electronics

Thanks for the info guys. I thought this would be the case. I guess I was just hoping that the newer electronic ballast would be different.

Thanks, Tim

 

[charlie tuna]

Re: Dimming electronics

one of our customers recently requested dimming four 2x4 parabolics so that the lights could be dimmed while the class uses their computer monitors in a training room. the ballast cost $100 each and the dimmer had to be matched for the number of ballasts and cost $100. five hundred bucks and they say they will dim the fixtures to 10 per cent output - but it doesn't dim down like an incadencent lamp. it would have been cheaper and better control just to add some recessed fixtures on a separate dimmer!

 

[peter]

Re: Dimming electronics

Another approach would be to use fixtures with two ballasts and say three tubes. Thus you could have full, 2/3rds, 1/3rd and all off.