1. Philips MASTER LED Knowledge Document Set
Ref.
Title
Dated
Applies to
KD01
‘Amoeba’ Explained
W2 2010
MR16 4W, 7W, 10W
KD02
Dimming Mains Voltage Lamps
All MV Dimmable
KD03
Dimming Low Voltage Lamps
KD04
Enhanced Red Effect
GU10 PF, Novallure, and 250lm/470lm Bulb
KD05
Active Cooling
W1 2010
MR16 7W & 10W
Version One
LED Lamps & Systems, Sept 2010

2. How Dimmers Work Knowledge Document KD02: Dimming Mains Voltage Lamps
Dimmer selection and behaviour when used with Philips MASTER LED lamps
How Dimmers Work
Mains Voltage lamps operate on standard Alternating Current (AC) power supply, with the waveform below left. Dimmers cause a reduction in light output by reducing the total power delivered to the lamps, by ‘trimming’ a section of waveform. Trimming is either done on the leading edge or the trailing edge of a waveform, and dimmers are designated by these two types.
They can also sometimes be classified by the type of load they are designed to dim:
So all dimmer types are suited to R type loads, but specific dimmers are required for Low Voltage applications.
Leading Edge
Trailing Edge
Load Type ‘R’
Lad Type ‘C’
Load Type ‘L’
Eg. Mains Voltage
Halogen or GLS Lamps
Low Voltage with Electronic Transformer
Low Voltage with Magnetic Transformer
Leading Edge Dimmer R X RL
Trailing Edge Dimmer RC
Either Trailing or Leading Edge
RLC
Increasing Cost $$$
Decreasing # of Installations

3. Choosing the Right Dimmer
Knowledge Document KD02: Dimming Mains Voltage Lamps
Dimmer selection and behaviour when used with Philips MASTER LED lamps
Choosing the Right Dimmer
However, LED lamps are not a pure R type load, and the large variation in dimmer types and designs from different manufacturers means not all dimmers can be used with LED lamps.
Philips is an industry leader on designing driver electronics that ensure best-in-class dimmer compatibility.
Currently, Philips LED lamps work best with R & RL type dimmers, while installation with RC & RLC type dimmers is not recommended. Common phenomena when connecting LED lamps with the wrong type of dimmer are:
Flickering of the light in certain dimmer positions
Audible noise emitted from the dimmer unit
Light level is not dim enough even in lowest dimmer position
Philips knows the dimmer market and ensures there are available dimmer options in your country that offer exceptional dimmer performance.

4. Assymetrical Dimming Curves
Knowledge Document KD02: Dimming Mains Voltage Lamps
Dimmer selection and behaviour when used with Philips MASTER LED lamps
The complexity of LED lamp electronics mean that dimming behavior may not be ‘intuitive’ in some cases. The following are known phenomena when using Philips LED lamps with certain dimmers.
The relationship between the dimmer knob position and the light output, during turning, may differ when increasing the light level than when reducing the light level. This is due to the LED lamp requiring a certain level of ‘activation power’ to switch on.
A desired dimming level may be more easily achieved when ‘dimming down’ than ‘dimming up’ from lowest dimmer position.
Depending on the dimmer type, the dimmer may offer the best minimum light level (when the dimmer is in the lowest position) with only one or two lamps. Additional lamps on a single dimmer can cause the minimum light level to increase.
Therefore, for applications where very dim light is required, such as ambience setting, it is better to have a lower number of lamps in the system.
Assymetrical Dimming Curves
Dimmest Light Achieved with Fewest Lamps
One Lamp
Dimmer at Max
Five Lamps
Max Light Level Same
Max Light Level Same
Good Dimming Level
Worse Dimming Level
Dimmer at Min

5. The LED Lamp loading limit is defined as the Max Dimmer Rating * 10%
Knowledge Document KD02: Dimming Mains Voltage Lamps
Dimmer selection and behaviour when used with Philips MASTER LED lamps
What About Specialist Dimmers?
Apart from the phase cutting (mainstream) dimmers, there are also few types of special dimmers available in the market:
Sinus dimmers: Adjust the amplitude of the AC mains voltage, used in theatres
1-10 V dimming interface: Analog means of driving a dimming input on an electronic driver
DALI: Digital communication for professional (office) lighting
DMX512 (+RDM): High speed communication bus for dynamic (entertainment) lighting
Wireless remote controls: Based on IR (infra-red) or RF (radio frequency), many protocols (e.g. RC5, Zigbee, Z-wave, ...)
Our dimmable LED lamps are not compatible with all above special dimmers !!!
How Many Lamps per Dimmer? Mains Voltage Lamps
Despite the great energy saving offered by LED Lamps, dimmers cannot be overloaded with too many low-power lamps at once. The Philips ‘Rule of Thumb’ is the ‘10% Rule’:
The LED Lamp loading limit is defined as the Max Dimmer Rating * 10%
For example, the limit for a MASTER LEDspot GU10 7W, used with a Niko Dimmer is determined
as follows:
1 Lamp = 7W OK
2 Lamps = 14W OK
Dimmer Rating * 10% =
300W * 10% =
30W
3 Lamps = 21W OK
4 Lamps = 28W OK
5 Lamp = 35W NO
 4 Lamps Max

6. ( ) ( ) Knowledge Document KD03: Dimming Low Voltage Lamps
Dimmer selection and behaviour for Philips MR16 7W & 10W (W version)
How Many Lamps per Dimmer? Low Voltage Lamps (MR16, MR11)
Max loading for a Low Voltage LED lamp is different:
The Philips MASTER LEDspot MR16 should be considered by its Halogen Equivalent, when determining how many lamps can be added to a system 
Then, the following mehod should be applied:
7W = 35W
4W = 20W
10W = 50W
Determine the max loading of both your transformer(s) and your dimmer: either in Watts (W) or Volt-Amps (VA).
Use the ratios below to determine a ‘System Max’ and ‘Branch Max’
Limit total lamps you can install by ‘System Max’...
…and ensure transformer load is sufficient to allow
for each individual ‘Branch’
EXAMPLE
7W MasterLED MR16
(= W Halogen)
200Wmax Dimmer
150VAmax Transformer
200 / 35 = 5.7
 5 lamps in system
( )
Dimmer Rating
Equivalent Halogen
SYSTEM
Max
SYSTEM
Max
( )
Transformer Rating
Equivalent Halogen
150 / 35 = 4.3
 4 lamps per trafo
BRANCH
Max
BRANCH
Max
Transformer
Branch Max not reached, but additional MR16 would exceed System Max

7. 7 7