Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

CelticDude wrote:
Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help.
Are there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz
of the standard one?

Yes, they will be marked "Includes radio frequency interference
suppression circuitry" or similar.

Presumably it would be more expensive,

Yes

CelticDude wrote:

Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

I buy them for neighbors. In your own house, they're still audible but not
nearly as bad as the economy dimmers.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

bob
k5qwg

Bob Miller wrote:
On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:

The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.
Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

*Generally*, only when the light is being dimmed. The better switches
have a detent for full on and full off, thus bypassing the dimming
circuitry. They typically use a thyristor or SCR for the dimming
function and it works by varying the width (chopping off) part of the
sine wave. As you get away from the pure sine wave (full on/no dimming),
the waveform becomes more and more distorted and causes the interference.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

There is a very good chance of that being a true statement. Easy enough
to check by just turning them all the way off and see if the noise goes
away.

Good luck and HNY...
73,
Carter
K8VT

To check all your old (and otherwise) dimmers, get an AM portable, tune
between stations and sniff around outlets and switches with it. You will
find the culprit(s) fast!!!
Al

"Bob Miller" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better,
with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

bob
k5qwg

I use General Electric Reveal 60 watt light bulbs in my table lamps and
my floor lamps.Each of the ceiling lights hold three light bulbs.No
dimmer switches here.
cuhulin

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 20:39:57 -0500, "AL"
wrote:

To check all your old (and otherwise) dimmers, get an AM portable, tune
between stations and sniff around outlets and switches with it. You will
find the culprit(s) fast!!!
Al

Good suggestion -- my Sony 2010, tuned to about 800 kHz, picks up a
good buzz on my dining room dimmer, and also on my energy-saving
flourescent lights -- maybe I need to re-think all of the
flourescents. The dimmer buzzes only when in use, so that's not so
bad.

bob
k5qwg



"Bob Miller" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:03:14 GMT, Carter-k8vt
wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:


The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better,
with
more RFI suppression than usual.

Interesting! Didn't know Lutron had an upscale ($30) version. The Lutron
I am waiting to put in was 15 bucks at Home Depot, about triple the cost
of the cheapies they sell.

Dumb question, do the dimmer contraptions make noise only when a light
is on, being dimmed, or do they also produce noise when the light is
off and/or not being dimmed.

I've got a few old dimmers that came with the house, and this may be
one of my noise sources.

bob
k5qwg

In article ,
Ron Hardin wrote:

CelticDude wrote:

Hello all,

My wife seems to be using the dimmer switch more in the winter just
when I'm listening to SW. The noise blanker doesn't seem to help. Are
there dimmer switches made that don't produce the "pleasant" buzz of
the standard one? Presumably it would be more expensive, but might be
worth it.

Thanks,

DWP

The upscale Lutron dimmers are pretty good (around $30) Diva or better, with
more RFI suppression than usual.

I buy them for neighbors. In your own house, they're still audible but not
nearly as bad as the economy dimmers.

I've tried them and they do reduce the RFI but the noise is still there.
The Lutron switches also get worse with age.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California