# 0-10v LED dimming.



## buzzlightbeer (Nov 18, 2014)

So, I'm doing a remodel of a pretty good sized retail facility and all the new sales floor lighting is calling for dimming circuits to each driver.*

1) can anyone explain to me exactly what these gray and purple dimming wires do?

2) are they carrying any amount of significant current, or is it just a signal?

3) is there any reason why i can't run them back to the EMS panel in the same raceways as the lighting circuits?

4) how do i size them accordingly? Ideally, if they just carry a signal and there's no current carrying concerns, I'd like to run the smallest wires possible (16's maybe?), but I'm concerned about getting dinged by the inspector when he sees a couple small wires coming out of a pipe that's nearly maxed out with 10's.*

Unfortunately, i have limited info at this point, as i don't have any cut sheets for the lighting or controller. I've tried asking Lithonia tech suppport, but amazingly nobody can even tell me how they work.*

Thank you in advance.

*****


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## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

buzzlightbeer said:


> So, I'm doing a remodel of a pretty good sized retail facility and all the new sales floor lighting is calling for dimming circuits to each driver.*
> 
> 1) can anyone explain to me exactly what these gray and purple dimming wires do?
> 
> ...


No introduction or anything?

IBTL


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## buzzlightbeer (Nov 18, 2014)

3D Electric said:


> No introduction or anything?
> 
> IBTL


Uh, hi, I'm buzzlightbeer. The thread is gonna be locked because i didn't introduce myself?


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## buzzlightbeer (Nov 18, 2014)

Okay, so from what I've gathered by my own research is the dimming circuit is class II and I'm not likely gonna get away with using the line voltage raceway.


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## 3D Electric (Mar 24, 2013)

buzzlightbeer said:


> Okay, so from what I've gathered by my own research is the dimming circuit is class II and I'm not likely gonna get away with using the line voltage raceway.


Line voltage and low voltage cannot be in the same box without the proper separation. The reason I said ibtl is it seemed like you were a business owner trying to not hire an electrician. However with what else you have written it seems like you may be an electrician and legitimately looking for advice. I've encountered 3 wire dimming systems before and pretty much the only way I've seen led being able to dim on a 3 wire system is with significant rewiring of the switchleg and adding in the 4th wire and changing the dimmers. Sorry I'm not more help. Maybe someone else knows a better way and I would be happy to hear it.


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## buzzlightbeer (Nov 18, 2014)

Yes, unfortunately I'm just a lowly electrica foreman, and not a fat cat cheapskate business owner. 

The new enery saving compliance laws are requiring everything to be on dimmers and this LED dimming is new to me. I really dont want to run low voltage cable to each light if i can hey away with it. Plus, I'm pretty sure 20000' of 16ga wire is gonna be cheaper than 10000' of 16/2 sheilded cable.


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## buzzlightbeer (Nov 18, 2014)

On a side note, there is a mc cable available that's a 12-2 with a shielded pair of 16's. Obviously, its going to terminate into the same box, and the fixtures don't have a separate partition for the dimming wires, which seems to contradict the separation of line and low voltage.


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## dave91 (Jan 8, 2015)

0-10 volt dimming the pair of wires supply anywhere from 0 to 10 volts 5 volts would be 50 % of the full light the code allows the control voltage that controls the line voltage allowed in the same raceway


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## running dummy (Mar 19, 2009)

I just used a separate 2 conductor and ran them to all of my fixtures. I just used a chase nipple in every can and spliced them outside of the fixture.


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## buzzlightbeer (Nov 18, 2014)

Well it's been 2 years but I know you were all itching for the update, so here it is: 

The drivers in use were listed as Class I or II so we determined there would be no problems running the dimming wires in the same raceway as the line voltage and the inspector agreed!


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