TECHNOLOGY

The Old “Phase-Choppers”

Most dimmers operate by “phase-chopping”, which means they cut out part of the sine wave twice each cycle.  This is similar to turning a switch on and off very rapidly.  The following graphic shows the operations of a “phase-chopping” dimmer.  The black line is the sine wave of a single cycle at 100% power.  The red area shows how the power is “chopped” off for part of the cycle.

Although this does dim the light output, this interruption in power causes elements in lamps to vibrate, creating an annoying hum, and also causing line interference with other electronic devices in the area.  Additionally, dimming lights 50% does NOT result in a 50% of power consumption as a great deal of the extra energy is simply dissipated as heat.  Phase-choppers CANNOT be used with HID or fluorescent lamps.

The New Sinewave Technology

The ESD Series dimmers reduce the power output by reducing the amplitude (height) of the sine wave.  The following graphic shows the sine wave of a single electrical cycle.  At 100% power, the cycle amplitude follows the black line.  At 50% power, the cycle amplitude follows the red line and at 30% it follows the green line.

This keeps the sine wave totally intact at all power levels and does not “chop” power.  The lights see continuous power and thus do not have the problems experienced with “Phase-choppers”.

The ESD uses a microprocessor controller to check and adjust the power control more than 20,000 times per second!  The precision of the ESD in controlling power is unmatched.

Advantages of the New Sinewave Technology

The ESD Also Dims Fluorescent Lamps