Hey man! This is the third video in row I'm watching from your channel and I'd just like to thank you for such awesome educational content. I would never be able to get myself to test stuff so methodically as you did here :) And you putting it out in such a well finished video, man. So cool. I really appreciate your work. Thank you.
I use a mosfet module with an esp32 running ESPHome to dim and switch my pre-lit Christmas tree from my phone or smart speaker! The esp32 emits a pwm signal, and the mosfet module is AFTER the power supply, in series before the LEDs (replacing the little box it came with which only had annoying blinky patterns). The esp32+mosfet is acting just like your "pwm dimming module" with a knob 😃 The tree LEDs are 29V like yours - if it was 24V, this would be so easy, but alas, custom solutions are needed! Note that 2000Hz+ pwm frequency is recommended, to reduce the visible flickering.
Really excellent balance of dealing with our wonderfully complex new World problems with a practical but specific Real world focus. I think I've gone through the same processes. I believe I've heard PWM attenuation of LEDs is problematic in digital photography... I love playing with cheap electronics!
Many of the LED dimmers have an adjustment that lets you set the minimum voltage. The earliest dimmable LEDs cut off with 25% or more left on the dimmer. The adjustment would let you set it to the lowest level before they cut off.
I have also noticed that some bulbs seem to behave differently with leading edge vs trailing edge dimmers. Almost like some bulbs are 100% brightness at 50% trailing edge. And some LEDs flicker at low brightness with leading edge.
I have two dim able lights that use a pulse with modulation to dim AC 120 volts they were used in the old torch lights that had the halogen lights. now I will have to find how they work. the 130 volts does cycle from 0 to 120 sixty times every second so do these switches just change the frequency.
@@alexanderquilty57050.7071 is the INVERSE of √2 but yeah, that's the idea. Said differently, 120 V (omitting the sign) is the *average* voltage of the US grid.
You have solved a mystery for me! Wife had a star with colored bulbs and asked me to swap with clear bulbs. What could be easier? lol. I cut a strand to the amount I needed and it fried them. I now know, after your video, it was due to the strand I cut from was set up for straight 120v.
@HackMakeMod There is not much high quality content like yours about electronics.. I'm starting the hobby and would love to see more videos on your channel to learn from. You make the subject fun and engaging.
Are you happy with your Klein DMM? I have the MM700 and do not like the display. It’s very positional. You have to look at the screen within a small cone to read the readout. I replaced the first under warranty and the second is just the same.
Hello again. Well this video could have been about 1/10 as long as it was, I listen to the whole thing while driving. The reason I clicked on it is because I was hoping you would go over pulse with modulation and the flickering that is common on LED Christmas lights. Much like you and every other human, I find tungsten lights to be orders of magnitude more appealing than any LED that has ever been made. In the Christmas light department, if the darn lights didn't flicker, it would go a long way in making them more acceptable. I was hoping you may have come across a current modulation dimmer instead of pulse width in order to battle the flickering. Even though the topic is quite bland and not broadly attractive, the production value is top-notch as usual with your work.
You’re absolutely right about the concerns regarding LED lighting and flickering. In the realm of LED dimming, there are primarily two methods: Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and Constant Current Reduction (CCR). In the video, I focused on PWM because it’s the most widely available and commonly used method for LED dimming. Most PWM dimmers, like the one used in the video, operate at a frequency well over 1 kHz. This high frequency is key to why PWM dimming typically doesn’t cause perceptible flickering. The rapid cycling of the LEDs - turning on and off faster than 1,000 times per second - means that the ‘off’ time is incredibly short, shorter than the time it takes for the LED to visibly fade. As a result, our eyes can’t detect the brief intervals when the LED is off, and we perceive a continuous light. I didn’t delve into Constant Current Reduction (CCR) in this particular episode, primarily because it’s not as commonly available for general consumer use as PWM dimming solutions. I apologize if this wasn’t made clear in the video. Your interest in CCR highlights an important area of LED lighting technology, and it’s something I might explore in future content. The flickering you are referring to is most likely the alternating current version of the LED Christmas lights. These operate at 50hz-60hz. I also covered this in the video. I haven’t been able to see any flickering at all with the PWM dimmer I featured, even when recorded at 240fps. Thanks for engaging with the video and sharing your thoughts. Insights like yours help shape the content for future episodes!
My guess is that the LED approved is a - sorry for my German - Phasenabschnittsdimmer rather than a Phasenanschnittsdimmer. Phasenanschnitt is basically a Triac that is switched on at a certain time of the phase and switched off by the current going through 0. Phasenabschnittsdimmer have the power switched on at a certain time before it reaches the top voltage, and switched off at the same voltage after the peak, so it always goes through the main peak of the voltage compared to lower voltage at the other option.
who's still using fluorescent bulbs? Tech-averse younger boomers and older gen-x-ers. Generally they're younger than the people who only trust incandescents, but older than the people who were young enough to adjust to LEDs. I've tried explaining to so many customers that you can get LEDs now that match whatever look you want, but it's always something about eyestrain or uv light or psychosomatic headaches or just generally not liking them (this is a generalization of course, I've run into older boomers who love LEDs and millenials who love incandescents, but when it comes to still using fluorescents it's generally people who already remember changing lighting methods once when they were already old enough to be a little stubborn about that kind of thing, and now really don't want to change for a second time)
I blame cheap, low-quality LED bulbs... I wish everyone could try GOOD led bulbs. My fav is the GE Reveal HD+ which looks just as nice as incandescent, high CRI with nice tint (no green!), and is dimmable.
I don't get how the LED would need a smooth voltage increase (so no triac) but are perfectly happy with PWM (which is the sharpest of them). Is it because of the in-rush current in capacitive dropper power supplies?
Trailing and leading dimmers are on the AC side and PWM are on the DC side. That’s the difference I guess. The pwm are switching at much higher frequencies and therefore creating a “constant” dc voltage for the leds.
Here's a challenge for you. Can you create a wireless 3D printed switch that you can mount to , for example, your bedroom light switch. Then use the wireless signal to turn your bedroom's light on and off. The idea is to flip a manual switch wirelessly
Chart not true. Dimmable LED bulbs running on old triac dimmers can easily damage your bulbs over time from my experience. Also mention incandescent bulbs running on led dimmers have a way lower amp rating.
All dimmer will work if you place it straight to the actual bulb/LED (after the driver. If it has). When you use dimmer to undimmable LED bulb, you actually dimming the driver, not the LED. And common LED driver are designed in which it need a tight range AC input voltage.
Hey man! This is the third video in row I'm watching from your channel and I'd just like to thank you for such awesome educational content. I would never be able to get myself to test stuff so methodically as you did here :) And you putting it out in such a well finished video, man. So cool. I really appreciate your work. Thank you.
I use a mosfet module with an esp32 running ESPHome to dim and switch my pre-lit Christmas tree from my phone or smart speaker!
The esp32 emits a pwm signal, and the mosfet module is AFTER the power supply, in series before the LEDs (replacing the little box it came with which only had annoying blinky patterns).
The esp32+mosfet is acting just like your "pwm dimming module" with a knob 😃 The tree LEDs are 29V like yours - if it was 24V, this would be so easy, but alas, custom solutions are needed!
Note that 2000Hz+ pwm frequency is recommended, to reduce the visible flickering.
Really excellent balance of dealing with our wonderfully complex new World problems with a practical but specific Real world focus. I think I've gone through the same processes. I believe I've heard PWM attenuation of LEDs is problematic in digital photography... I love playing with cheap electronics!
Just got this recommended great production quality and content just subscribed 🙂
Many of the LED dimmers have an adjustment that lets you set the minimum voltage. The earliest dimmable LEDs cut off with 25% or more left on the dimmer. The adjustment would let you set it to the lowest level before they cut off.
✨🙏🏼✨you know Sir, you are such a Beautiful Teacher, ✨Thank you, Sir, 🙏✨for your All Beautiful videos 🙏🏼✨
Crap I only just found this channel! Looks like I'm too late :( damn! that's sad. this is awesome!
Yeah same
I have also noticed that some bulbs seem to behave differently with leading edge vs trailing edge dimmers. Almost like some bulbs are 100% brightness at 50% trailing edge. And some LEDs flicker at low brightness with leading edge.
I have two dim able lights that use a pulse with modulation to dim AC 120 volts they were used in the old torch lights that had the halogen lights. now I will have to find how they work. the 130 volts does cycle from 0 to 120 sixty times every second so do these switches just change the frequency.
Great topic. Interesting result. Have to read up on the LED dimmer circuitry. Thanx.
120 V AC is not -120 V to 120 V, it's 120 V *RMS* and the *peak* voltage is 170 V
120 × 0.707 = ~170V for those wondering. 0.707 is sqrt(2). This is for sinusoidal signals only (which is true for AC from the grid).
@@alexanderquilty57050.7071 is the INVERSE of √2 but yeah, that's the idea.
Said differently, 120 V (omitting the sign) is the *average* voltage of the US grid.
@@NicksStuffthe average is 0 V. 120 V is the root mean square of the Line voltage.
Thank you. My first thought when he said this too. Then again, I took college level electronics classes.
Thank you Sir, for this wonderful Video
Hi, Where I can buy the PWM Driver you show in your video (very good!!!!)
You have solved a mystery for me! Wife had a star with colored bulbs and asked me to swap with clear bulbs. What could be easier? lol. I cut a strand to the amount I needed and it fried them. I now know, after your video, it was due to the strand I cut from was set up for straight 120v.
Why do you stop posting, my friend, your work is very wonderful, keep it up
Still posting plenty of shorts. Trying to decide the best long form content to create :)
@HackMakeMod There is not much high quality content like yours about electronics.. I'm starting the hobby and would love to see more videos on your channel to learn from. You make the subject fun and engaging.
Are you happy with your Klein DMM? I have the MM700 and do not like the display. It’s very positional. You have to look at the screen within a small cone to read the readout. I replaced the first under warranty and the second is just the same.
Hello again. Well this video could have been about 1/10 as long as it was, I listen to the whole thing while driving. The reason I clicked on it is because I was hoping you would go over pulse with modulation and the flickering that is common on LED Christmas lights. Much like you and every other human, I find tungsten lights to be orders of magnitude more appealing than any LED that has ever been made. In the Christmas light department, if the darn lights didn't flicker, it would go a long way in making them more acceptable. I was hoping you may have come across a current modulation dimmer instead of pulse width in order to battle the flickering.
Even though the topic is quite bland and not broadly attractive, the production value is top-notch as usual with your work.
You’re absolutely right about the concerns regarding LED lighting and flickering. In the realm of LED dimming, there are primarily two methods: Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and Constant Current Reduction (CCR).
In the video, I focused on PWM because it’s the most widely available and commonly used method for LED dimming. Most PWM dimmers, like the one used in the video, operate at a frequency well over 1 kHz. This high frequency is key to why PWM dimming typically doesn’t cause perceptible flickering. The rapid cycling of the LEDs - turning on and off faster than 1,000 times per second - means that the ‘off’ time is incredibly short, shorter than the time it takes for the LED to visibly fade. As a result, our eyes can’t detect the brief intervals when the LED is off, and we perceive a continuous light.
I didn’t delve into Constant Current Reduction (CCR) in this particular episode, primarily because it’s not as commonly available for general consumer use as PWM dimming solutions. I apologize if this wasn’t made clear in the video. Your interest in CCR highlights an important area of LED lighting technology, and it’s something I might explore in future content.
The flickering you are referring to is most likely the alternating current version of the LED Christmas lights. These operate at 50hz-60hz. I also covered this in the video. I haven’t been able to see any flickering at all with the PWM dimmer I featured, even when recorded at 240fps.
Thanks for engaging with the video and sharing your thoughts. Insights like yours help shape the content for future episodes!
Can you make some projects using bc 547 transistors 😊
i have some older dimmers and i wonder if they’re chopping the leading or trailing edge. how could i identify them?
The best way to tell is with an oscilloscope
Can you pls make a video of for a pwm dimmer design and assembly 😅
Please make videos regular
"now if it's on UA-cam i believe it"😂
Me and the H&H boys are enjoying this video
WHATS COOKIN
My guess is that the LED approved is a - sorry for my German - Phasenabschnittsdimmer rather than a Phasenanschnittsdimmer.
Phasenanschnitt is basically a Triac that is switched on at a certain time of the phase and switched off by the current going through 0.
Phasenabschnittsdimmer have the power switched on at a certain time before it reaches the top voltage, and switched off at the same voltage after the peak, so it always goes through the main peak of the voltage compared to lower voltage at the other option.
who's still using fluorescent bulbs? Tech-averse younger boomers and older gen-x-ers. Generally they're younger than the people who only trust incandescents, but older than the people who were young enough to adjust to LEDs. I've tried explaining to so many customers that you can get LEDs now that match whatever look you want, but it's always something about eyestrain or uv light or psychosomatic headaches or just generally not liking them
(this is a generalization of course, I've run into older boomers who love LEDs and millenials who love incandescents, but when it comes to still using fluorescents it's generally people who already remember changing lighting methods once when they were already old enough to be a little stubborn about that kind of thing, and now really don't want to change for a second time)
I blame cheap, low-quality LED bulbs...
I wish everyone could try GOOD led bulbs. My fav is the GE Reveal HD+ which looks just as nice as incandescent, high CRI with nice tint (no green!), and is dimmable.
So... You're making a list, will you be checking it twice? ;)
Of course! 🎅
I don't get how the LED would need a smooth voltage increase (so no triac) but are perfectly happy with PWM (which is the sharpest of them).
Is it because of the in-rush current in capacitive dropper power supplies?
I wonder if its a stretch to say that the pwm rise time is long enough to not have the negative effect of the triac rise time for a given LED.
@@alexanderquilty5705I doubt that's the case but I'm no electronic engineer
Trailing and leading dimmers are on the AC side and PWM are on the DC side. That’s the difference I guess. The pwm are switching at much higher frequencies and therefore creating a “constant” dc voltage for the leds.
Here's a challenge for you. Can you create a wireless 3D printed switch that you can mount to , for example, your bedroom light switch. Then use the wireless signal to turn your bedroom's light on and off.
The idea is to flip a manual switch wirelessly
Now sometime else he could have done here is connect a solar panel to a scope and see how much strobing you get from the LEDs.
the wife is right was awesome :p
Hi i am Anmol from India
Im 15
Chart not true. Dimmable LED bulbs running on old triac dimmers can easily damage your bulbs over time from my experience. Also mention incandescent bulbs running on led dimmers have a way lower amp rating.
All dimmer will work if you place it straight to the actual bulb/LED (after the driver. If it has).
When you use dimmer to undimmable LED bulb, you actually dimming the driver, not the LED. And common LED driver are designed in which it need a tight range AC input voltage.