New LED Lighting with dimmer issue

Carpediem44DB

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2015
3,230
Sanfransico Bay area
Boat Info
2000 Carver 506
2006 44 DB Sedan Bridge
Engines
Volvo TAMD 74 P
SO... I know its not a Sea Ray but, I replaced the cheap halogen flush lights in my Salon with some new LED light assemblies. They are solid aluminum bodies and bezel linked below. When I first put them in they worked great from full bright to off with the dimmer switch. Last night I left them on all night as night lights at the lowest position but this morning they wont turn off. They go full bright and ramp down to minimum but won't turn off. I cycled the CB to see if the dimmer needed a reset but to no avail. The dimmer is a Reddford Technologies dimmer system apparently made especially for Carver. I looked them up the other day because the system was completely inop. They were closed down in after the 08 crash when Carver went under before reorganizing. The former owner actually answered the phone and told me how they work. I simply had to cycle the CB to reset a watch dog function and they came back alive. Anyway now that they won't go off I am thinking I will need to replace the dimmer. Question is does anyone here have a recommendation for an LED dimmer system they like? I will eventully replace most of the fixtures. These light bodies however are 1/16 of an inch in diameter larger than the originals so each hole heeds to be widened by hand! Oh and there are 68 light assemblies on the 506!
Thanks Amazon.com: ALOVECO LED RV Lights, 12V Led Lights Dimmable Camper Interior Lights 3000K Ultra-Thin RV Lights Interior Waterproof 12 Volt LED Ceiling Lights Motorhome Sailboat Yacht Case of 8 Packs : Automotive
 
On my last boat, silverton 39my, I had to leave one halogen in the circuit. If I replaced all with LEDs, it had problems.
 
Hey Rusty - a couple of things about dimmers - for the resistive lamps like halogen the dimmers can either change the voltage or interrupt the voltage. For LED the voltage and current cannot be changed, only interrupting works. Interrupting is called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). Your original dimmers were probably an old generation of PWM and questionable with LED technology, especially the modern constant current LED's. I have the Blue Sea Systems PWM dimmers for the bridge lighting and think they are so so; they are very coarse on dimming and brightening but they work fine. I haven't tried this yet but you might look at the IMTRA dimmer module and find switches that match your boat's switches. https://www.imtra.com/products/product-search?quicksearch=ILIM80120&productid=33204
 
Thanks Tom, Looking at the wiring schematic it looks like I would need to by IMTRA power LEDs with four wires. My current lights just have to wires with all lights in parallel. Running additional wires is not an option in this life time. I may call IMTRA and see if they have an option as a direct replacement for my dimmer. As always, I appreciate the help and the technical explanation in layman's terms as to how the dimmer works.
Cheers
Rusty
 
Thanks Tom, Looking at the wiring schematic it looks like I would need to by IMTRA power LEDs with four wires. My current lights just have to wires with all lights in parallel. Running additional wires is not an option in this life time. I may call IMTRA and see if they have an option as a direct replacement for my dimmer. As always, I appreciate the help and the technical explanation in layman's terms as to how the dimmer works.
Cheers
Rusty
I thought I understood, probably incorrectly, that the IMTRA dimmer would work with both configurations. A call to them is the right thing. The four wire BTW is for controlling red, blue, green, and white.
 
Bumping this old thread.

@ttmott it looks like you have some in depth knowledge on this subject.

I’ve started down the rabbit hole of changing all of my small recessed lights throughout my boat with LEDs.

First thing I noticed was that if I don’t look directly at the lights I noticed flickering.

I googled this and found a whole list of health concerns associated with the flickering.

The first thing that comes to mind is that we’re in the early stages of planning a trip to the Caribbean.

The last thing I need is lights causing us headaches and nausea on the ocean.

Thoughts….????
 
Are these LED lights AC or DC powered? Some of ChiCom ones have power supplies that are sub par.

There are kits that add capacitors to the power feed of the LED's. They are used on automotive LED headlights. I guess some alternators put out a not so clean DC.

I originally thought this was primarily a problem with AC power fed LEDs that are sensitive to line frequency and a cheaper power supply circuit would supply an unstable output to the LED
 
LED lamps typically require a driver to ensure constant current and constant voltage. Some lamps have the drivers integrated with the lamp and some LED lights like strips require separate drivers. It is the quality of the driver that determines the quality of the light output of the lamp. Flickering can come from insufficient power sourcing and/or from drivers that are insufficient quality. Flickering is noticeable below around 100 hz so it's essential the electronics for the LED lamp operate well above that threshold. It seems to me the only way a consumer can be assured is to purchase quality LED systems from vendors like Marinebeam, Superbright LED, Dr. LED, etc. The Chi Com's for a buck on Amazon I would avoid. I purchased all of the replacement lamps for the boat from Marinebeam and have been more than satisfied. For my home the strips and drivers I obtained from Superbright LED and again a quality product so far.

If you desire to dim the LED's then first the LED's must be "dimmable". The dimmer module must be the PCM type and operate at a minimum of 3000 hz. A variable voltage dimmer (old style) cannot be used with LED lamps - flickering will definitely occur as voltage will be low.
 
https://www.apexlighting.com/boat-lights/small-recessed/mirage-flush-mount-down-light/

Did I buy cheap crap?

All DC

This is what I bought.
The specs say they are dimmable but the particular circuits I put the first 8 lights on are not dimmable switches.

There are four over the galley that flicker more and more the longer they stay on until they finally just cut off.

Then I have 2 on a switch in a head and 2 more on a switch in the crews quarters.
So far I’ve not seen any flickering on those.
 
Update: I left the lights in the crews quarters and the head on for 6 hours. There is no noticeable flickering.
 
These are the only lights on the Apex sight that worked and have good linens.
All of my holes are 2 7/16” and the factory lights fit tight.
These lights I bought are for a 2” hole so they go in and out really easy and the bezel covers the hole. The cool whites are 330 lumens and the warm whites are 300 lumens which is way better than the factory lights.
 

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