In the past, home automation was considered the trend of the elite. Today, home automation technology is becoming more common among the masses. Home automation gives automatic control of all the devices and gadgets to the house owner, and enables him to control the workings of the security, lights, heating and cooling systems of the house with the help of an interface like the computer or the phone.
There are many advantages of installing a home automation system. It is convenient for a person with a busy schedule as it takes off the pressures of doing the daily household chores and provides him ease and comfort. Secondly, home automation systems create a sophisticated impression of your home on other people. It can combine the security, lighting and all other systems in your home by using remote control.
One example of home automation device is a light dimming system. This system different moods and adds elegance to the room with the help of lights. You need not change your furniture or interiors, but just use a light dimming system to create an amazing effect to enhance the interiors of your home.
It is possible to use the dimming system for neon, halogen, fluorescent and incandescent lamps. Compact fluorescent lamps need outer dimmable ballast whereas metal halide lamps cannot be dimmed. The light settings can be programmed into the system to create great looking spaces in your home. You can also use the light dimming feature to conserve electricity.
The following are the advantages of using the light dimming system:
- Mood Lighting: As mentioned earlier, you can use light controls to create the proper ambience in a room with the correct amount of light, thus reducing eyestrain.
- Saves Energy: Lighting control can help to save electricity and improve the life span of the light fixtures.
- Easy installation: The light dimming systems can be easily installed by an electrician. It reduces the number of light switches and cabling, thus saving time and money.
- Enhances Interiors: Lighting helps to beautify the space and enhance the interiors of the house.
- Convenience: It is easy to operate through a remote control and also convenient for use.
The light dimming concept may appear to be simple to most people but it is much more complex than merely replacing a wall switch. For example, incandescent lamps can be dimmed only when voltage is low. As the voltage decreases, lamp powers decrease. The human eye observes the intensity of light based on the on-time to off-time proportions. This means that 240 volts is the actual voltage but the average voltage is reduced. There are two categories of cut dimming:
1. Forward phase cut dimming: This energizes the lights only during the final half-cycle portion of the power line. This uses electronics suited to various loads and is cheap.
2. Reverse phase: It energizes the lamp during the first half-cycle portion of the power line. It operates silently and is expensive because of the complicated electronics used.
The dimmers are either Triacs or Thyristors. These may be used for resistive or inductive loads like cold cathode, low volt incandescent lamp sources. Depending on the load and application, the analog or digital method of dimming lights can be used. Light dimmers can create a wonderful ambience in your home.
No comments:
Post a Comment