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Thread: Thoughts on using Pico instead of dimmer/switch

  1. #1

    Thoughts on using Pico instead of dimmer/switch

    I have some rooms where I have an option of using a Pico remote for in-room light control instead of a RR2 dimmer or switch.

    Part of the motivation for doing this is that Pico's are 1/4 the price of RR2 dimmers and switches.

    In the case of replacing regular on/off switches with a basic two button Pico it's a purely financial consideration. But I actually think the Pico's with dimming buttons might be more intuitive for a lot of people than a Lutron dimmer. Even with regular exposure to Lutron dimmers I never really figured out how they worked until I had to install my own.

    Thoughts on doing this? I know most people think of Pico's as something you use when you can't hardwire a switch. Not the case for me, I can use a wired switch but wonder if there is a reason I haven't thought of why you wouldn't want to rely on a Pico?

    If I use in-room Pico's they would be wall mounted on Pico wallplates so they will look like a wired switch.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by uscpsycho View Post
    I have some rooms where I have an option of using a Pico remote for in-room light control instead of a RR2 dimmer or switch.

    Part of the motivation for doing this is that Pico's are 1/4 the price of RR2 dimmers and switches.

    In the case of replacing regular on/off switches with a basic two button Pico it's a purely financial consideration. But I actually think the Pico's with dimming buttons might be more intuitive for a lot of people than a Lutron dimmer. Even with regular exposure to Lutron dimmers I never really figured out how they worked until I had to install my own.

    Thoughts on doing this? I know most people think of Pico's as something you use when you can't hardwire a switch. Not the case for me, I can use a wired switch but wonder if there is a reason I haven't thought of why you wouldn't want to rely on a Pico?

    If I use in-room Pico's they would be wall mounted on Pico wallplates so they will look like a wired switch.
    You do understand that a Pico is just a remote, right? It's not a switch or dimmer at all. It's just an RF remote that can control other actual dimmers/switches.

    I've used Pico remotes in several situations where I wanted additional control of lighting but wanted them to look like 'real' wall switch locations. The Lutron Claro series wall plates are perfect for this. They're just deep enough to accommodate the Pico remotes without a detectable gap. I've even used simple 3M picture-hanging strips (sort of like plastic velcro) to attach them to the wall. Even right in front of them you don't realize it's not an actual in-wall box. Great for a prep area in the kitchen, but even better placed along-side the kid's bunk bed sleeping position. They're also handy when used with the Lutron table-top pedestals.

    Any lighting that you want dimmed or switched will REQUIRE an actual dimmer or switch, a Pico will not serve as an alternative.

  3. #3
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    Bill, this is a recurring theme, that not only me but many others wonder, and not always due to cost considerations. a 1-button Pico would open exactly this use, to add a switch-like remote control option where no wires or switch exist. I am clear how a Pico activates a scene and is not a toggle, but that limitation is artificial. And toggling a scene on or off if already is on is not conditional logic, as much as it sounds as one.
    And yes, any load to be programmed to a Pico would need an actual dimmer or switch somewhere to be controlled.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by lleo_ View Post
    Bill, this is a recurring theme, that not only me but many others wonder, and not always due to cost considerations. a 1-button Pico would open exactly this use, to add a switch-like remote control option where no wires or switch exist. I am clear how a Pico activates a scene and is not a toggle, but that limitation is artificial. And toggling a scene on or off if already is on is not conditional logic, as much as it sounds as one.
    And yes, any load to be programmed to a Pico would need an actual dimmer or switch somewhere to be controlled.
    It's been a while since I looked at the programming docs, but I don't recall there being a toggle command for devices/scenes. You explicitly send an on or an off to command a device/scene. Thus is would require a conditional to first know, and then change the state. A device itself can do this because it already knows it's own state.

    As much as /you think/ it doesn't sound like a conditional... it still is.

    This is an age-old hassle with lighting automation systems. It's dumb, it's annoying and it shouldn't still be a problem. But it is.

    I gather that's why there are two-button Pico remotes. Likewise why the single button (wired) keypads that DO exist from Lutron don't work with Ra2.

    I don't disagree with the sentiment of having a Pico that doesn't look any different that a one-button paddle dimmer. It'd be a nice option, but I don't know how many would actually use it.

  5. #5
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    This thread was resurrected by a spammer, and it seems the posts with links were removed.
    A lot has changed since we asked for 'single' button PICOs
    in retrospect, I was more after a matching design to complement the dimmers and switches of RA2, than truly the toggle functionality of a single button.
    recently Lutron released a 'single' button PICO to match the RA3 design, but I believe it is actually just a paddle mechanism married to 2-button PICO under the hood to appear as a single button.
    fortunately there are other options

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