Regulating AC with what?

Hello all,

I have LED rails that are wired to run off of AC. However, I need dimmability of said LEDs–what are some components I should look into to regulate AC? My limited knowledge here is telling me PWM AC relay controllable via MCU?

Thanks in advance.

-Ara

Hello Ara,

Before knowing what to do with the voltage i would need more information on the LEDs that you are using. Not all are created equal and made for dimming. Also depending on the input specifications of your rails it may limit you on what you can do as far as dimming goes. Do you have a part number or better yet a data sheet available for your LEDs?

As for more of a universal solution take a look at the datasheet for part CPC9909NE. If you take a look at page 9 it should get you headed in the right direction.

Thank you
-Robert

“It Depends…” truly is the most correct answer to the question as posed.

If re-phrased as “what are quick & easy ways of making an adjustable average voltage from standard utility power” then variacs and proportional-control solid-state relays are both decent options. The cheapest/easiest however, is an plain old dimmer switch from the hardware store. Note though, that many of them won’t function properly if their minimum load requirements aren’t met.