LED Dimmer and Installation Questions

I am installing the CENTRIC HOME™ 3000K / 12V DC with a TRIAC Dimmable Power Supply. Can you suggest the best dimmer to use? In terms of this installation, I plan to reuse the existing wiring from my old under-cabinet fixtures. I think that I may need to attach leads to the old wiring so that the wire is stepped down to a size small enough to solder on the LED strips - any advice/tips/tricks for a neat(er) install? This install will have 7 discrete lamp sections ranging from 8" to 32" in length - altogether it's under 12' - all lamps will be housed inside the channel that I purchased from you too. Is the power supply I selected capable of driving this load? Lastly, the track comes with 5 end cap pairs - can you provide an additional 5 pairs so that I have a few extra for the installation? 

First of all, with respect to dimmer compatibility, our TRIAC dimmable power supplies are designed to work with virtually all phase dimmers so you should not have any significant issues with compatibility.

That being said, below is a list of the dimmers we have tested and their dimming range results:

https://www.waveformlighting.com/files/DC_3093.pdf

We do see that the Lutron DVCL series is a popular choice among our customers and we have not received any reports of flickering or other compatibility issues.

Second, for soldering, I do not believe there should be any significant challenges regardless of the incoming wire type or size. Since the solder pads are quite large, they should take solder quite readily without any issues.

One recommendation, however, would be to consider using our PN 3070 solderless connectors. The two wire ends can be joined together using standard twist-on wire connectors (aka "wire nuts")

As long as the total connection length is at 16.4 feet or less (you mentioned 12 feet), you will be fine with the single power supply unit.

We, unfortunately, do not have any additional mounting hardware on hand for the aluminum channels, but I'll be more than happy to see if we have any extras available to send to you!

I’d prefer solderless connectors but I think I read in your literature that they don’t fit inside the tracks. can you clarify this - or perhaps send a photo of an install so I can plan for it?

You are correct that the solderless connectors are too wide for the aluminum channels, unfortunately. I'm sorry for the oversight here as I had not realized that the LEDs would be installed in the aluminum channels (I should have reviewed your order in greater detail!)

​The "workaround" would be to have the LED strip protrude from the end of the aluminum channel by about half an inch, thereby allowing the connector part of the solderless connector to connect outside of the aluminum channel. I would imagine that this would not be ideal from an aesthetics perspective in most cases, but at a practical level, this would technically work.

Otherwise, the alternative solution would be soldering the wires directly onto the copper pads, as was originally proposed.

Question posted under:

LED power suppliesLED strip lightsLED dimmersLED Drivers

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