When it comes to adding LED dimming control to a big lighting project, you might be under the impression that it’s not worth the hassle, or simply can’t be done without an expensive lighting control system. We’re here to tell you, that’s not the case.
LED dimming for BIG installs
LED dimming is perfect for open-plan offices, industrial warehouses, hotel lobbies, conference rooms and even big retail units...Providing control over the atmosphere of a space opens a whole new opportunity for lighting design in commercial spaces, and adding an LED dimmer(s) to a big LED project means that the light levels can be easily adjusted, for:
- wellbeing and productivity of employees
- safety and comfort of customers
- reduction of costs and energy consumption by up to half
- improved look and feel
- ambience
- security
How to choose the right LED dimmer?
When pairing LED with a dimmer that works, it provides an impressive range of lighting control. So, let's talk a bit about LED dimming technology and how to select the right LED dimmer for your commercial, retail, or industrial application.
Firstly, when calculating the total load of your installation - whether you’re working with a mixed load of high wattage fittings or a very large number of the same lamp - if you want to add dimming control, you need a dimmer that can cope.
Take for example, LED tape in a large retail unit, restaurant or hotel lobby. With wattage per meter - and a hefty inrush current - it's notoriously difficult to dim.
Or higher-wattage fittings, such as high bays in a warehouse, just five 200W/VA LED high bays bring you to a total wattage of 1000W/VA.
Or 50+ LED spotlights in a restaurant wired up to one circuit, with a combined total wattage of well over 500W/VA.
Or LED panels in an open-plan office with drivers that consume a huge inrush current at start-up and skew the wattage listed on the label significantly.
No matter the setting, commercial, industrial or retail, when dealing with large loads, you need a dimmer that’s powerful enough to handle the various complications of Inrush and can provide flicker-free, silent and reliable lighting control.
This brings us on to the ZBARLED
It’s an off-the-shelf solution that can cope with extremely large loads - inrush and all. What’s more – for loads exceeding 1000W/VA all you need to do is wire multiple ZBARLEDs in parallel, making sure you leave 15mm gaps between units to cope with the total load of the installation.
If all that isn't enough, it's multi-point too and you can add up to 32 ZBAR controllers to any ZBARLED installation.
ZBARLED - it’s for the BIG LED installs
For commercial and domestic projects that require 0-1000W/VA or more of dimming capability, you need our ZBARLED range.
It’s the only product on the market that can dim such a huge volume of LED outside of expensive lighting control.
The ZBARLED is a remote dimming pack that enables contractors to install full dimming capability from multiple points, on one single circuit. Working with existing twin and earth wiring, all you need to do is install the ZBARLED out of sight and connect a controller.
The ZBARLED has built in thermal protection and will automatically reset when cool. It also has built in short circuit and overload protection, meaning that if the unit detects a fault, it will automatically shut down and will require the supply to be switched off and the fault rectifying before switching on the supply.
How to add lighting control to BIG LED installs
Outside of multi-point dimming, which requires our ZBAR rotary controllers (more on that below) our ZBARLED remote dimming packs can be controlled by two different types of push to make retractive switches; the first type being push to make only, the second type being a rocker push up and down.
Looking to dim BIG LED loads from multiple control points?
To add multi-point dimming control to the ZBARLED, as mentioned above, you need our ZBAR rotary controllers. These are specifically designed rotary controllers, made for the ZBARLED that add multi-point dimming control to the powerful technology built into our ZBARLED remote dimming pack. What’s more, you can add up to 32 control points to each ZBARLED.
To find out what (or how many) ZBARLEDs you need for your next BIG LED project, use our interactive product finder to get the right dimmer delivered straight to your door, or pick up from your local wholesale branch.
For further expert advice on the capabilities of our ZBARLED get in touch with our technical team. Don’t forget we can test all our products against the LED drivers you are planning to use. Call 0345 519 5858 or email sales@zanocontrols.co.uk to find out more.
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