Switch Module for Complact Fluorescent Bulbs
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Posted by Stan Rinkunas on March 19, 2007, 11:39 am
Please log in for more thread options a true switch or relay with open contacts - not a solid state switch. I want to use the new commonly available CF bulbs and have my control modules mounted in the outlet boxes. I am open to consider any HA system that has these modules. I prefer not to have to buy "special" CF bulbs. Thanks. Reply here, but if you must, you know how to read the email address. | ||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Marc_F_Hult on March 19, 2007, 1:47 pm
Please log in for more thread options There are INSTEON has wall-switches with relays. I use two (one master, one slave = remote) in my basement to control a mixture of about a dozen CFls and T12 and T8 fluorescents. Works perfectly. In my experience, CFLs also work flawlessly with the four types of INSTEON dimmers I've used when operated in an ON-OFF fashion. However if the CFLs are not designed and sold to be dimmed, there will/may be obnoxious flashing and buzzing as the lamp is _dimmed_ below ~15-20%. This could harm the CFL, dimmer or both (I dunno yet). X-10 dimmer switches are a different matter in part because many (eg WS467) X-10 dimmers don't have a direction connection to neutral and derive the power they need to operate through the lamp filament. These characteristically do not work with only typical fluorescent lamps in the circuit. Adding a small incandescent in parallel can solve the problem. There are, of course, also fluorescent-friendly X-10 switches. They should/will be identified as such by the manufacturer and retailer. ... Marc Marc_F_Hult www.ECOntrol.org | ||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Marc_F_Hult on March 19, 2007, 2:44 pm
Please log in for more thread options On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:47:28 -0400, Marc_F_Hult
>On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:39:46 -0400, Stan Rinkunas
> >>Does anyone know of modules for fully in-outlet-box mounting that has
>>a true switch or relay with open contacts - not a solid state switch. >> >>I want to use the new commonly available CF bulbs and have my control >>modules mounted in the outlet boxes. I am open to consider any HA >>system that has these modules. I prefer not to have to buy "special" >>CF bulbs. >> >>Thanks. >
one
>There are INSTEON has wall-switches with relays. I use two (one master, >slave = remote) in my basement to control a mixture of about a dozen CFls
harm
>and T12 and T8 fluorescents. Works perfectly. > >In my experience, CFLs also work flawlessly with the four types of INSTEON >dimmers I've used when operated in an ON-OFF fashion. However if the CFLs >are not designed and sold to be dimmed, there will/may be obnoxious >flashing and buzzing as the lamp is _dimmed_ below ~15-20%. This could >the CFL, dimmer or both (I dunno yet).
WS467)
> >X-10 dimmer switches are a different matter in part because many (eg >X-10 dimmers don't have a direction connection to neutral and derive the
>power they need to operate through the lamp filament. These >characteristically do not work with only typical fluorescent lamps in the >circuit. Adding a small incandescent in parallel can solve the problem. >There are, of course, also fluorescent-friendly X-10 switches. They >should/will be identified as such by the manufacturer and retailer. > >... Marc >Marc_F_Hult >www.ECOntrol.org I just re-read what you wrote and my response. All X-10 and INSTEON ON-OFF (= "appliance") modules of the sort mounted on duplex outlets (Is that what you meant?) should work jist fine with all CFLs. No "special" CFLs required (or available) to work with appliance modules. But see my comments above for using fluorescents (compact or otherwise) with _dimmers and X-10 wall switches/dimmers that don't use a neutral connection. ... Marc Marc_F_Hult www.ECOntrol.org | ||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Dan Wright on March 19, 2007, 10:08 pm
Please log in for more thread options
>
> All X-10 and INSTEON ON-OFF (= "appliance") modules of the sort mounted on > duplex outlets (Is that what you meant?) should work jist fine with all > CFLs. I would add Z-wave appliance modules to that as well, available from multiple vendors In terms of in the outlet box solutions (controlable outlet) they are available for X-10 in several flavors and rumored to be coming for Insteon and Z-wave (someone will surely correct me if the Insteon one is out already) With CFLs do not forget to add noise filters if you are using X10 | ||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Robert Green on March 19, 2007, 10:56 pm
Please log in for more thread options > On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:47:28 -0400, Marc_F_Hult
> > >On Mon, 19 Mar 2007 11:39:46 -0400, Stan Rinkunas
> > > >>Does anyone know of modules for fully in-outlet-box mounting that has
> >>a true switch or relay with open contacts - not a solid state switch. > >> > >>I want to use the new commonly available CF bulbs and have my control > >>modules mounted in the outlet boxes. I am open to consider any HA > >>system that has these modules. I prefer not to have to buy "special" > >>CF bulbs. > >> > >>Thanks. > >
> >There are INSTEON has wall-switches with relays. I use two (one master, > one
> >slave = remote) in my basement to control a mixture of about a dozen CFls
INSTEON
> >and T12 and T8 fluorescents. Works perfectly. > > > >In my experience, CFLs also work flawlessly with the four types of > >dimmers I've used when operated in an ON-OFF fashion. However if the CFLs
> >are not designed and sold to be dimmed, there will/may be obnoxious > >flashing and buzzing as the lamp is _dimmed_ below ~15-20%. This could > harm
> >the CFL, dimmer or both (I dunno yet).
> > > >X-10 dimmer switches are a different matter in part because many (eg > WS467)
> >X-10 dimmers don't have a direction connection to neutral and derive the
> >power they need to operate through the lamp filament. These > >characteristically do not work with only typical fluorescent lamps in the > >circuit. Adding a small incandescent in parallel can solve the problem. > >There are, of course, also fluorescent-friendly X-10 switches. They > >should/will be identified as such by the manufacturer and retailer. > > > >... Marc > >Marc_F_Hult > >www.ECOntrol.org >
> > I just re-read what you wrote and my response. > > All X-10 and INSTEON ON-OFF (= "appliance") modules of the sort mounted on > duplex outlets (Is that what you meant?) should work jist fine with all > CFLs. > > No "special" CFLs required (or available) to work with appliance modules. > But see my comments above for using fluorescents (compact or otherwise) > with _dimmers and X-10 wall switches/dimmers that don't use a neutral > connection. I found that when using X-10 appliance modules with recently purchased GE CFL's it was necessary to disable the "local sense" feature to prevent the bulb from flashing after being turned off. In many cases, the lamp would even turn itself back on. We have quite a few antique table and floor lamps running CFL's and this behavior was particularly noticeable on the latest batch of GE 26W 26HT3/2/SW CFL bulbs purchased at Target. In addition to having their "local sense" diode circuit snipped, these lamps often require plug-in X-10 filters so that the lamps can be turned off *after* they have been turned on. In the ON state some CFL lamps begin emitting enough noise in the X-10 signal range to prevent the module controlling those CFL(s) from properly receiving a remotely transmitted "off" signal. I believe CFL's have been implicated in a number of the "I can turn the lamp on, but not off, remotely" scenarios we have read about here. There has also been some speculation that the trickle current that does no great harm to incandescent bulbs may indeed lead to premature failure in CFL bulbs. The flashing that occurs when the small current used by the appliance module to sense the toggling of the local control switch (typically found on table and floor lamps) tells me that CFL's were probably not designed to tolerate even a small leakage current passing through them. -- Bobby G. | ||||||||||||||||
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>a true switch or relay with open contacts - not a solid state switch.
>
>I want to use the new commonly available CF bulbs and have my control
>modules mounted in the outlet boxes. I am open to consider any HA
>system that has these modules. I prefer not to have to buy "special"
>CF bulbs.
>
>Thanks.