Mains Dimmers vs DALI for LED strip brightness control

LED strip lighting can be dimmed via several different options, the most popular being mains dimming, DALI, DMX512 and 0-10V.

Mains dimmable LED drivers use Leading or Trailing Edge dimming methods (phase dimming). We could claim that this is an analogue way of dimming but it is still widely used due to being easy to install, convenient for existing building installations, and costs less than alternative advanced dimming methods.

To use this method, both dimmer driver and LED strip must be compatible with one another. Because mains dimming is not standardised dimming protocol, it makes things complicated for the successful dimming of circuits; testing several dimmers and mains dimmable drivers on-site is necessary and is dependant upon each individual lighting configuration. No one can guarantee full compatibility between mains dimmable drivers and dimmers without on-site testing and slightly changing any part of the circuit (e.g by adding a few more meters of led tape or using another brand of dimmer switch) may unbalance the whole system. The dimming range for mains dimmable lighting is usually between 10 to 100% but it is possible for certain dimming levels to flicker.

DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is a digital system and a global standard for controlling lighting, similar to DMX and 0-10V dimming, with all three types (DALI, DMX, 0-10V) being more commonly found in commercial environments. Hi-Line’s DALI dimmable LED drivers, DMX and 0-10V are guaranteed to be compatible with any configuration, so no on-site testing will be necessary as dimming will be guaranteed to be smooth and without any flickering; Dimming ranges can be wide (1-100%) and low brightness levels can be achieved easily (no flickering).  System configuration can be changed at any time and adding or removing LED strips won’t destabilise the system design. For easy installation, without any programming or higher engineering skills involved, you may consider using 0-10V wall dimmers together with 0-10V Hi-Line dimmable drivers (for single colour LED strip dimming) or any of our wireless dimming controllers, which are easy to install and operate smoothly and without flickering present.