Dimmer sensitivity to mains tone-frequency modulation

  • Here in the Netherlands, our energy company does regularly send tone control signals on the mains. If you are near a 50Hz transformer, you can hear the modulation.

    Some (most?) dimmable LED are susceptible to these signals.

    I have wall lights with dimmable GU9G9 LEDs. Their design is temperature challenged and they do breakdown a lot. I have replaced a defective set with Halogen bulbs.

    To my surprise, the Shelly dimmer is also extremely susceptible to these signals, also when using only Halogen 230V lights. At that time the (Halogen) lights are blinking irregularly and violently, between off and max brightness.

    Those transmissions usually happen near 21:00, 22:00, 23:00, 00:00, so that is bedtime for any of us.

    ref:

    Deutsch: Tonfrequenz Rundstuererung Anlage (TRA)

    Nederlands: see toonfrequent.nl

    Questions:

    Has anyone experience with this?

    Are there settings possible to mitigate the issue?

    What can I expect from the Dimmer2 'calibration' or LE/TE dimming ? (in my experience calibration fails a lot and needs several tries; sometimes it results in poor dimming range, e.g. not going to max light but only 1/4 or so)

    2 Mal editiert, zuletzt von Plain#Hall#31290 (7. April 2021 um 00:19) aus folgendem Grund: edit: GU9->G9

  • Hello. I have one light with fixed installed LEDs, where I can see slight flickering every full minute. I think it is caused by the tone control signals. Many other dimmers have this behaviour as well. My other GU10 LEDs are working without disturbance with Dimmer 2.

    I think, there are no GU9 bulbs existing, do you mean G9?

    I understood, the Dimmer 2 setting for anti-flickering debounce is intended to help here. I think you can set values between 50 and 150 ms. In my case, I did not observe any effect or improvement.

    New firmware obviously has a kind of safety mechanism in case of wrong dimming method, which limits the brightness, as you describe. And new firmware tries to „auto detect“ the suitable dimming method, I have some doubts, whether this always works correctly, as it was introduced just recently, with FW 1.9.6, and many troubles are reported. 230VAC LED bulbs should be controlled by TE, for halogen it should not matter, but the classical way is LE.

  • Indeed GU9 is a mashup of GU10 and G9.

    I am using G9 LED's of 2.6W and G9 Halogen of 18W , 230Vac.

  • If anyone manages to find a solution, I'd be happy to test it. I'm in NL as well.

    - Dimmer 2

    - Bypass added

    - Dimmable LED bulb

    - latest firmware

    - Debounce set to max

    By the way, it seems the TF signal is being removed as per july 1st

    Einmal editiert, zuletzt von furby (15. April 2021 um 09:29) aus folgendem Grund: https://www.technieknederland.nl/nieuwsberichten/einde-toonfrequent-schakelen-elektrameters-openbare-verlichting-en-boilers

  • Hi! I have a Dimmer 2 (with neutral wire) and a Philips dimmable LED bulb. The light sometimes flickers a little. Once or twice a night, while it is on. It is very fast, it just reduces the intensity and returns to the maximum in the moment. Does this look like what happens to you or is it something else?

    I live in Spain, I don't know if we also have Tone-frequency modulation here.

    I have set the debounce to maximum, but it remains the same. Latest firmware, too.

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