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Fluorescent Tubes - Instant On Off Control


Steve Adam

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Just simply get readily available 1-10v dimmable ballasts and feed it from a DMX demux, this will take the tube from 100% to as dim as it can go (but not dark or off), if you want it off you will need to feed it mains from a DMX relay or make some kind of opto-isolated relay that runs off the same 0-10v line so that at 0% the juice gets cut.

So you're saying that there is no way to dim these down fully to zero even with a demux?

 

Bugger.

 

David

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Just simply get readily available 1-10v dimmable ballasts and feed it from a DMX demux, this will take the tube from 100% to as dim as it can go (but not dark or off), if you want it off you will need to feed it mains from a DMX relay or make some kind of opto-isolated relay that runs off the same 0-10v line so that at 0% the juice gets cut.

So you're saying that there is no way to dim these down fully to zero even with a demux?

Bugger.

No, that's no correct. I have used 0-10V ballasts that go from full on, right down to off.

I used them to flash UV tubes on and off in a tourist attraction.

I'm sure that they would be available from any electrical wholesaler.

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I have used 0-10V ballasts that go from full on, right down to off. ... I used them to flash UV tubes on and off in a tourist attraction.

What are the response times like for these ballasts? Most of the ones I noted so far (which have been DSI or DALI) have inbuilt response rate limiters, so they wont flash. Did yours? i.e. flash well enough you could strobe at say 5Hz?? Can you remember the make...????

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I have used 0-10V ballasts that go from full on, right down to off. ... I used them to flash UV tubes on and off in a tourist attraction.

What are the response times like for these ballasts? Most of the ones I noted so far (which have been DSI or DALI) have inbuilt response rate limiters, so they wont flash. Did yours? i.e. flash well enough you could strobe at say 5Hz?? Can you remember the make...????

I was a couple of years ago but thinking about it now they may have been rate controlled as you say. It does ring a bell that they may not have been as "snappy" as I would have liked. (maybe 250ms ??) They were obviously fast enough for the client - I got paid! :-)

 

I don't recall if the DSI ones I used for another project had that limitation - the firmware I wrote to control them was for (not too fast) cyclic fading so it would not have been an issue! I think the DSI ones were Tridonic. Email to remind me to look them up at work if you like.

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