Dimmer Types
Older lighting controls used either resistors or large variable transformers
called auto-transformers, These units had hand wheels mounted on top that needed
to be turned in order to adjust the level of output. Needless to say these devices
were very inefficient, large and expensive. Modern Triac or Tyristor based dimmers
are either ON or OFF and hence dissipate very little heat. A typical voltage
drop from these units when the power is transferred to the load is only a few
volts with most of this being lost through the electrical noise suppression part
of the circuit. The power devices have 3 connections a) Power in b) Power out
c) Gate. The units conduct when a low power control signal is provided to the
gate.Read more on
Radio
frequency interferance
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