Dimmable LED bulbs can be dimmed using two kinds of dimming methods; potentiometer and PWM. There are special considerations to be made because of the fact that LED lights function differently.
A potentiometer can be connected to dimmable LED bulbs GU10 and by varying the settings on the potentiometer, you can vary the brightness of the bulbs. So what exactly is a potentiometer and what does it do? Well, as the name suggests, a potentiometer varies the potential difference, more commonly known as voltage. Potentiometers are commonly employed in electronic devices. We can see potentiometers in devices where they have to control intensity of current, like in volume control and ceiling fan regulators. Dimmable LED bulbs can also be controlled using potentiometers, but the special consideration to be made here is that the voltage range has to be very precise. According to Ohm’s law, current is directly proportional to voltage. Simply put, if you double the voltage, current will also double. If you triple the voltage, the current will also be threefold. But this law does not hold good for diodes. The current variation here is exponential. That means in dimmable LED bulbs, even a small change in voltage can result in a drastic change in current flow. This means that the voltage here has to be regulated very carefully and precisely. And the potentiometer can be used for only one kind of LED lights, as different lights can react differently.
Another method of dimming LED lights is the PWM or Pulse Width Modulation method. Here, the dimmable LED bulbs are dimmed by altering the frequency of the input current. Even in this, there are two subdivisions– leading edge and trailing edge. Often, lights and dimmers are available separately and this means that you might have to check for compatibility because LED light settings have to be especially accurate. A non-compatible dimmer can destroy your LED lighting.
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