LED intensity Settings.

[Dennis Cherry]

What maximum intensity setting do you use for LED's? Especially if you want to do fades properly.

I know incandences work fine at 100% level and still fade properly but what about LED's using LOR?

Dennis

[Denny]

I have used the LED strings from both Walmart and Home Depot and have had no problems fading them from 100%. They seem to fade just like the incandescent lights.

[Don]

Dennis,

As Denny mentioned a large number of LED strings will work with LOR. From personal experience, I would think twice about using C9/C7 retro fit LEB bulbs with LOR. I've witnessed many tests where the bulbs do not last through basic testing.

However, most LED strings are going to work just fine.

[Dennis Cherry]

Don:

Your correct on the retro-fit bulbs, they will not work.

I am using both G12 and C6 LED strings. I have noticed with the G12's that the fade ,when using a chase sequece, on a arch does not look right. LED's do not have a good linear curve on intensity as incandences. When you reach somewhere aroung 50% of the voltage you will not see much difference in the intensity.

This is why I am asking what others have used to do fades. Yes if I just turn on the LED at full brillance and then just let it fade it looks just fine, but the chase is the issue to get the comet tail affect.

Dennis

[taybrynn]

I have a sequence where I noticed that a bunch of LED spiral trees are set to 50% intensity ... do you think that will be a problem?

[Dennis Cherry]

taybrynn wrote:

I have a sequence where I noticed that a bunch of LED spiral trees are set to 50% intensity ... do you think that will be a problem?

No, if it looks right then leave it alone.

Dennis

[Jim S]

I have had some problems fading, not with led’s, but specifically led’s on a long (100’) extension cord. A terminating resistor at the end of the extension cord was all it took to fix it. (A cheater plug worked too....)

[taybrynn]

what is a cheater plug?

[Jim S]

A plug that disconnects the ground. (So you can plug a three prong cord into a two prong outlet.)

[taybrynn]

Thanks -- got lots of those, just didn't know the correct name !

[Dennis Cherry]

I do not understand what the cheater plug would fix? It just isolates the safety ground on a three wire plug which the LED strings do not have as the plugs a two wire not three wire. A cheater plug allows you to plug a three prong plug into a two prong receptacle.

Can you explain how it fixes a LED problem?

Dennis

[Jim S]

Essentially the extension cord was acting as capacitor holding a charge that kept the led’s from dimming “normally”. Once the fixed ground plane was removed (by using the cheater plug), the led’s would dim normally. I prefer to use a small termination resistor to dissipate the trapped charge while maintaining the safety of a fixed ground. The cheater plug or termination resistor is NOT a fix for all led problems. Essentially they are something you can try if a problem shows up AFTER you start using a long extension cord.