Z-Wave Upgrade for LED-driver with integrated dimmer

[Woozy]

I have four LED lights controlled by a LED-driver with a 0-10V potmeter attached to it so the driver can dim it.

Now I would like to be able to upgrade this system with Z-Wave control. But I would like to keep using the LED-driver and especially the potmeter for dimming control. So it should be like: if you turn the potmeter then it just dims as usual but if you dim using Z-Wave controls then it should disregard the potmeter's current setting, until it is changed again.

Would this be possible, for example using the Fibaro RGBW-dimmer? (For example by attaching the potmeter as a sensor to the module, and the LED-driver's potmeter input also to the module, at a low voltage level? Or is that a stupid idea?)


Sorry for the cross post

[raymonvdm]

I think this is you`re only choice. I don`t know about another z-wave device which handles 0-10Volt

[GertK]

I assume this will work fine. I did a test with a Fibaro RGBW controller and a 12V DC LED lamp. I used openHAB and a dimmer widget (software slider) controlling the white channel of the Fibaro. It worked, but dimming was not smooth enough. Of course this can be solved, but i decided that i need only a plugin switch, because the full light is needed in that corner of the room.
I do not know which software you use, but give you my openHAB item during the test anayway:
Dimmer RGBWControllerW "RGBW Light White [%d %%]" <slider> (Huiskamer,Licht) {zwave="17:5:command=switch_multilevel"}

Gert

[Woozy]

Thank you both. I'm surprised that no-one has done this before. To enhance an existing potentiometer (essentially an analogue sensor) with Z-wave control. It seems like a textbook Z-wave expansion scenario.

Does anyone have some ideas, hints or tips that may be useful here? Otherwise I will just buy the Fibaro RGBW module and fiddle around with it; it seems like a versatile piece.

[raymonvdm]

Thank you both. I'm surprised that no-one has done this before. To enhance an existing potentiometer (essentially an analogue sensor) with Z-wave control. It seems like a textbook Z-wave expansion scenario.

Does anyone have some ideas, hints or tips that may be useful here? Otherwise I will just buy the Fibaro RGBW module and fiddle around with it; it seems like a versatile piece.

Just by the RGBW module and test it like i did, however i did not yet test the 0-10v input

[Woozy]

I did a test with a Fibaro RGBW controller and a 12V DC LED lamp. (...) It worked, but dimming was not smooth enough.

In this case you are directly dimming the LED by its main power input. However, my LED driver has a dedicated dimming potmeter input in addition to the power. Smooth dimming could be done by utilising this dedicated input. The question here is if you can use Z-wave for that... does anyone know?

[raymonvdm]

Sometime you just need to read the manual to see if it will suit you

It is possible to use the potmeter to control the RGBW module. But because the RGBW performs PWM it it not the same as a potentiometer (adjustable resistor) and therefore not usable to control you driver. However the led driver is just a 12v power supply you can remove the potentionmeter from the driver to make it a 12v output device. Connect the RGBW to the driver and connect the leds to the RGBW as stated in Figure 10 of the manual

Note:

When i google i found this device but it is no potentiometer

[Woozy]

Assuming the driver doesn't understand PWM, I agree it would be best to just use the LED-driver as a power source for the Fibaro RGBW and let the module itself handle the dimming of the LEDs directly.

However, the driver's output (and hence my LEDs) are 55V, not 12V or 24V... what do I do now?

[Woozy]

I agree that it is probably best to perform the dimming directly using the Fibaro RGBW and not the LED driver. Provided, of course, that the LEDs can be dimmed directly by PWM. I guess milleage may vary here?

But in my case there's another caveat: apparently my LED-driver (and hence my LEDs) are operating with 55V, not 12 or 24V. I'll attach a photo.
So what do I do now?

[raymonvdm]

I think you should by a Z-Wave switch on the primary interface and stop dimming because apparently thsi is a very strange light fixture ?

[Woozy]

I guess so, though I think that a possibile solution could still be a potentiometer (a variable resistor) with a physical button and Z-Wave support. I think this must exist somewhere... does anyone know???

Otherwise would it really not work to connect a PWM dimmer to the LED-driver's dimmer input? Is there no chance of that working?

[Woozy]

Or perhaps would a normal high-voltage Z-Wave dimmer work on the LED driver? Or is it not possible to dim the lights that way?

(I possible then I can connect the potentiometer to the Z-Wave system (e.g. using the RGBW) and connect it to the LEDs via software?)

[raymonvdm]

U cannot use a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) output to an input which is expecting Resistance (Ohm)

[Woozy]

Just an update to this project, since I still haven't found an acceptable solution.

However, I came across a device that does what I want: http://www.klikaanklikuit.nl/shop/nl/pr ... cm-lv10-1/ (it's in Dutch, but look at the picture)
Unfortunately, it's an RFXcom implementation. I have no idea how to integrate this into a Z-wave installation.

Any ideas? Or are there better solutions?

[raymonvdm]

It is possible to use Z-Wave and RFXcom as long as your controller (software) supports both. You can for example use the status of a Z-Wave device to contol a kaku device using a script in HS3 / Domotiga / OpenHAB