Cheap touch dimming: here's how to do it!

• Posted on 2 August 2023
• 0

In addition to dimming with a traditional push/pull dimmer, touch dimming is increasingly used nowadays. You can do this by buying a complete touch dimmer, but did you know that this can also be done (cheaper) by using a dimming module + pulse switch? Here, you can choose normal control or smart control.

What is touch dimming?

Touch dimming is also called pulse or push dimming. By keeping the control rocker pressed, you can dim the light or make it burn harder. You can also use the same rocker (by briefly pressing it) to switch the lighting on and off. What you need for installation is a touch dimmer and a control rocker of the same brand. Touch dimming is stepless. This means that any position between 0 and 100% can be set, provided the lamps are suitable for this. A disadvantage of touch dimmers is that they are very expensive. Fortunately, there is a solution!

Cheap and high-quality touch dimmer

In general, touch dimmers are not cheap. But did you know that you can create a cheaper alternative with a dimmer module + a pulse switch? A great example is the ECO-DIM.14 dimmer module, which is suitable for all brands of push-button switches such as Busch-Jaeger, Gira, Jung, Berker and Schneider Merten. This allows you to always use your favourite brand of cover material and still enjoy excellent dimming qualities, adjustability and a friendly price. After installing the dimmer and pulse push button, all you have to do is install a control rocker, just as you would with a touch dimmer.

In terms of dimming quality, the ECO-DIM.14 dimming module is suitable for all dimmable LED lamps and can dim a lamp group of 0-250W LED. In addition, the recessed depth is only 15mm which means that the dimmer, together with the push-button, easily fits into all U40 and U50 recessed boxes.

This dimmer module also has unique adjustment options. With the MIN & MAX potentiometers, you easily set the optimal dimmability and ensure that the lighting burns stably in the high and low light levels. The dimmer is also equipped with a Speed potentiometer. With the Speed function, you set the speed of dimming with the push-button to your liking.

Connecting the ECO-DIM.14 is very easy. It can be connected both 2-wire and 3-wire. This makes this dimmer suitable for situations with and without a zero wire. You can also use this dimmer in a two-way switching circuit with several push-buttons. This allows you to dim the lamp group from multiple spots.

Unique: Push-button dimming in a smart home

Smarthome is the future. If you want to realise an installation that allows you to touch dim but also control a group of lamps with a smarthome app, you can choose the ECO-DIM.10 Zigbee, ECO-DIM.10 WiFi or ECO-DIM.10 Z-Wave. These three dimming modules work the same as the ECO-DIM.14 and can therefore also be used i.c.w. one or more pulse push buttons, again creating a touch dimmer.

Depending on the smarthome protocol, the dimmer can be linked to a smarthome app. The three protocols (Zigbee, WiFi and Z-Wave) differ from each other. First, for the WiFi protocol, you do not need a hub. This makes WiFi a low-threshold protocol to start with a smarthome installation. With Zigbee, you can link the dimmer to your hub (such as Philips Hue, Homey, Trust, etc.) using the Zigbee protocol, or you can link it to other devices using Touchlink - without using a hub. For example, you can link wireless wall switches to your Zigbee dimmer. Finally, with Z-Wave, a hub is always required. If you want to read more about the different protocols and smart dimming, read: Zigbee, Z-Wave or WiFi for smarthome?

In short, with touch dimming you are not limited to the more expensive touch dimmers, but you can also create your own touch dimmer by means of a module + pulse push button. EcoDim offers excellent adjustment possibilities, universal applicability and the choice between normal touch dimmers(ECO-DIM.14) or smart touch dimmers(ECO-DIM.10 WiFi, ECO-DIM.10 Zigbee and ECO-DIM.10 Z-Wave).

Do you still have questions about touch dimming and/or our modules? Then feel free to contact us!