Load Adapter for LED Tape Light Dimming?

[tabraham]

I've attached a PD-6WCL In-wall dimmer switch to an existing undercounter LED tape light. I've been getting flicker when dimmed (no flicker at 100%) and when off there is residual flicker as well. Would adding a LUT-MLC load adapter help with the flicker?

[Brian W.]

I've attached a PD-6WCL In-wall dimmer switch to an existing undercounter LED tape light. I've been getting flicker when dimmed (no flicker at 100%) and when off there is residual flicker as well. Would adding a LUT-MLC load adapter help with the flicker?

The LUT-MLC was never meant for use with the Caseta dimmers, just with the PD-8S-DV switch. We don't know how it will affect the dimmer and that load. If this is an LED tape light, you may get better results with the neutral-wired based PD-10NXD Caseta dimmer.

[vqvqv]

I've attached a PD-6WCL In-wall dimmer switch to an existing undercounter LED tape light. I've been getting flicker when dimmed (no flicker at 100%) and when off there is residual flicker as well. Would adding a LUT-MLC load adapter help with the flicker?

What type of transformer does the LED tape light use? It's important to make sure the dimmer is compatible with the transformer. If the transformer is magnetic low voltage (MLV), then you can probably get it to work with the Caseta Pro PD-10NXD dimmer. However, you will need a neutral wire.

[jgib01]

Similar problems for me with two sets of LED "undercounter" lights in my recently finished basement development. (I admittedly didn't do my homework before starting the install of Caseta, and unfortunately am now starting to see some frustrating limitations of this system)

1) I have one set installed as stair lighting; connected to a plug-in dimmer, with two 2-button picos at the top and bottom of stairs. I fully expected the dimming function to not work with these (these lights are not specified as dimmable), but assumed a lamp module would be able to do a simple on/off function. I have the lights plugged in to the plug-in module, and have tried with the module in both dimming mode and straight on/off mode. I get the same behaviour... lights turn on fine, but when the lights are turned off, there is a residual flash every few seconds.

2) The second set I have are installed at my wet bar & hardwired to a dimmable driver, and switched by a PD-6WCL in wall dimmer. These lights turn on fine and do work well with the dimming function, but don't turn off. I tried adjusting the low-end trim on the dimmer as low as it will go, but lights never fully go out.

Any possible solutions for these type of lights, or am I simply out of luck controlling them with Caseta? Seems like Brian believes the LUT-MLC would be a crapshoot, and may not be easy to source anyway. As another possible solution, I could fairly easily switch to different lights at my wetbar (ones I know for sure work with Caseta). But this would not be very easy to do with my stair lighting... would a Maestro lamp module likely produce the same results? Given the proliferation of LED lighting products these days, one would think a "cutting edge" product like Caseta would be well-positioned to tackle the challenges these LED's present.

[Brian W.]

For #1, we've seen something as simple as plugging a phone charger into the other plug be enough to pull in any residual voltage and make the plug in dimmer work properly.

For #2, I would recommend calling the driver manufacturer and finding out what they would recommend using to control it, or if they have any suggestions on controlling it with a digital/microchip based dimmer.

[jgib01]

For #1, we've seen something as simple as plugging a phone charger into the other plug be enough to pull in any residual voltage and make the plug in dimmer work properly.

For #2, I would recommend calling the driver manufacturer and finding out what they would recommend using to control it, or if they have any suggestions on controlling it with a digital/microchip based dimmer.

Cheers! The cell phone charger thing did the trick for my stair lighting. Haven't looked into the second suggested solution yet; I may switch these lights out for ones I know for certain work.

[tabraham]

Brian - i've been having a similar issue with a LED tape light. Would an ELV dimmer ( # PD-5NE-__) resolve this?

[Alan In Az]

See suggestion in this similar thread: https://forums.lutron.com/showthread...ro2-tape-light


Alan

[3D Design]

I've attached a PD-6WCL In-wall dimmer switch to an existing undercounter LED tape light. I've been getting flicker when dimmed (no flicker at 100%) and when off there is residual flicker as well. Would adding a LUT-MLC load adapter help with the flicker?

There are two types of LED Tape Drivers, dimmable and non-dimmable. If yours is non-dimmable, you would need to change the driver.