Light switches are so common we rarely think twice about them. We walk into a room, flip the switch without looking and carry on. In the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, the light that comes on in an instant is a bit of a shock to eyes that have not quite adjusted. Lights are often a little too much for certain occasions and you are forced to choose between too much or too little. Or are you? Your California electrician has a better idea. The team at The Electric Connection can help you take control of the light in your life by installing a dimmer switch.

For a long time, dimmer switches were a common feature for chandeliers installed in the dining room area. This allows you to dictate just how much light you want to shed over the dinner table. Cheery breakfasts and lunches are best served with plenty of light. Evening meals that are meant to help you unwind or connect with your friends and loved ones over a delicious entree are best served with low light. It gives the space a more intimate feel.

You can have that same luxury of light control in every room in the house. There is some very minimal electrical wiring that will need to be done. It is a fairly easy switch to install a dimmer in place of your existing light switch. You can have one in the living room that allows you to turn down the lights while you are watching television. Another in the bathroom gives you the ability to have low light for those middle of the night visits instead of blinding light that wakes you up and interrupts a good night’s sleep. An electrician in southern California is ready to help. Just give The Electric Connection a call today and schedule your dimmer switch installation.

Like upgrades in the cell phone industry, the electrical industry has developed great new ways to serve and protect home owners. One of the best inventions of the past few decades is the GFI outlet.

What is a GFI outlet?

GFI stands for fault circuit interrupter. In layman’s terms it is the little button that sits between the two outlets in a double wall outlet. Some of these have a red test button and white set button and others have two white buttons.

What this means for those who have these new breakers is that instead of blowing a fuse or tripping a circuit breaker during an overload, the button will pop out and there will be no electricity in that outlet. It also will react if an electrical device comes in contact with water eliminating the possibility of shock.

You will find these safety devices around areas that may be subjected to damp areas like bathrooms, kitchens, hot tubs, swimming pools and outside plugs.GFIs are installed on electrical outlets to regulate power and direct currents. In most areas they are required by code to be placed in strategic areas.

What could be wrong?

There could be several different issues. However, we need to inspect a unit. It is not an answer we can readily answer over the phone. It could be the actual receptacle and it could be wiring leading to the receptacle. It is not a DIY job. This is a job for someone who knows how to cut the current so there are no live wires and investigate wall deep.

Underwriter’s Laboratories, LLC says, “By installing GFCIs in every home in the United States, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than two-thirds of the approximately 300 electrocutions occurring each year could be prevented.”

A working unit could save your life or the life of one of your family members. You want a license, bonded professional to handle this repair.

Things to tell your electrician

There are things you can check prior to the arrival of your service professional which may give him a head start on repairs. Are all other outlets in the area active or not? Have you checked your circuit breaker to see if it has not shut down the zone?

There is another thing to keep in mind. If you have an older home or condo you can have new GFI’s installed where you need them – in the bathroom, kitchen or wherever. It is an investment in the value of your home and your peace of mind.

constant-current LED driver or constant-current driver is used to regulate the amount of current that is supplied to an LED or LED array to maximize LED lifetime. If current is not regulated, LED brightness can fluctuate and life span can be shortened. The constant-current driver is used for LEDs or light fixtures that require a stable output current and operate within a range of voltages. Most finished LED products already have a constant-current driver or resistors to regulate current. If you’re building an LED fixture or replacing a constant-current driver, it’s important to verify that the output current and voltage of the driver is compatible with the LEDs’ current and voltage. If your LED product already has a constant-current driver or uses resistors in the LED array, you might need a constant-voltage power supply.

If your LEDs are dimmable and you want to change their brightness, choose a Magnitude Dimmable Power Supplies. These dimmable power supplies work by varying the power on the AC input side of the power supply by means of a TRIAC dimmer. This change in power on the AC input side will vary the voltage on the DC output side and control the intensity of the LEDs. TRIAC dimmers are common hardware store and household dimmers, which include brand names such as Lutron and Leviton.

Pulse-Width Modulation Dimming: Pulse-width modulation (PWM) dimming can be used to control dimmable power supplies such as Mean Well LPF Series. This type of dimming control adjusts the output current based on the duty cycle. As the duty cycle increases, current will increase and the LEDs will be brighter. Conversely, if the duty cycle decreases, the current will decrease and the LEDs will be dimmer. Pulse-width modulation for these drivers is based on a 10-volt signal level with a frequency between 100Hz-3KHz. The MLD-5A are compatible for this application.

Resistive Dimming: Resistive dimming can be used to control dimmable power supplies such as 12-Volt Mean Well HLG-40-240 Series or 12-Volt Mean Well HLG-600 Series or here.

The efficiency of a power supply or driver indicates the percentage of power that goes toward making your LED product function. An efficiency of 80 percent or higher is recommended for operating LEDs. 

When choosing a driver or power supply, the size of an LED product’s housing or area of installation is important. If you wish to put a constant-current LED driver inside of a product, the driver must be small enough to fit in the product’s housing. Similarly, if the driver or power supply is used outside of the product’s housing, it should fit the area of installation. Drivers and power supplies are available in a variety of sizes to suit your needs.

A Class 2 driver or power supply is in accordance with limited power levels defined by the National Electric Code (NEC) and fulfills the requirements of Standard UL 1310. Output is limited to 60 volts DC and 100 watts. Because power sources with this rating have limited output, it might not be possible to power as many LEDs or lights as those that don’t have a Class 2 rating. However, these power supplies and drivers provide protection from fire and electric shock.

A Class II rating refers to a double insulation layer between AC input and DC output wires. These drivers and power supplies do not require a ground connection.