LED flicker, what a nuisance and why does it occur?
Well let's start with the TYPES of “flicker” in LEDs and then let’s discuss the CAUSES, and the SOLUTIONS.
Firstly, there is visual flicker and as the definition states, the bare eye can see the LED flicker directly at various times. Then there is Non-visual flicker, which is harder to detect as the flicker experience typically can only be seen with the use of a smart phone, camera, or persons that are sensitive to artificial light sources and in some cases the flicker can be observed only via your peripheral vision.
There are many causes of flicker, however, the consistent causes that arise are typically:
(1) poor luminaire construction and or low quality LED components,
(2) compatibility of the light source and a connected dimmer device, remember there is no international performance standard for the combination of dimming and LED devices, hence compatibility issues can sometimes be a challenge
(3) connected inductive loads within the electrical circuit eg: fans, air conditioners, which can disrupt the circuit harmonics
(4) ripple induced circuits, typically found in QLD and NSW, where the electrical provider sends a signal through the electrical system to control the off-peak hot water functions and
(5) the use of off-grid power (diesel) supplies and or solar supply sources, which can cause harmonic distortion if the system is not filtered correctly.
So, what are the SAL solutions?
For commercial panel and commercial downlight applications, the selection of a premium control gear system, such as the SAL flickerCONTROLLED series will respond to non-visual created flicker.
Examples of SAL product solutions are - PANELS DOWNLIGHTS INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL
For residential applications, the key is to identify the source of the flicker and then respond with a suitable flicker-controlled solution.
For ripple induced flicker the SAL (premium) solution is the rippleSHIELD series, which uses a combination of a dedicated dimmer and downlight to completely eliminate ANY flicker experience. This system has no equal and has been proven to address all flicker influences, whether it be mains connected ripple induced or inductive load supplies. Examples of SAL rippleSHIELD product solutions are.
Now for non-visual and visual harmonic induced flicker, the SAL solution is the flickerGUARD series, which uses an advanced circuit design, responding to both visual and non-visual harmonic induced flicker experiences. Unlike the rippleSHIELD system, this solution utilizes the existing dimming device, which naturally carry third party design tolerances. Examples of SAL flickerGUARD product solutions are .