Dimming NON-dimmable LED filament bulbs & life extension 

Yes exactly! You're correct 😉👍. You would have to experimentally verify which capacitor value gives you the correct brightness you desire. Different wattage LED bulbs will also yield different results, for a given capacitor value. It would also be possible to dim multiple bulbs (the same type) from one capacitor! You could use a rotary selector switch, to switch in different capacitors.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Hi Sarel, this awesome, have you experimented to determine the capacitor values for two, three or four light bulbs . Thank you

@@tbk19656 if you want to dim multiple bulbs from one capacitor, it's important that all of them are the same type and wattage.

Hi everyone, I purchased some 0,22uf capacitors. When I connected the capacitors in series the intensity became lower and there is also a voltage drop. When I connected additional capacitors in parallel the intensity increased and the voltage as well. I am ever so greatful. 😊

@@tbk19656 I'm glad it worked for you👍. Not all types of led bulbs work with this method.

@@Bigmalc0 Yes the dimming effect is load dependent, so multiple led lights in parallel will require a larger capacitor. You could have a high/Low switch, for full brightness and dimmed mode. I'm glad it worked for you😉👍. Thanks for sharing your findings with this type of LED light fixture. It's good to know that it's is possible to dim this type of (non-dimmable) ceiling light, with a capacitor

@@MyProjectBoxChannel I like the idea of having two different light levels, but in the daughter's case, it is not possible to contain it in the switch housing, I've tried. Can you get a remote switch a bit like the garage door where one press turns the light on, second press for half brightness, third press turn off, On another idea, do you know if the Sonoff R3, is in Half Brightness mode and you were to turn the lights off at the switch, when you turn it back on, will the Sonoff R3 remember the last setting?

​@@Bigmalc0​Some time ago, I used a sonoff dual, with two outputs, to do the high/low modes. It was the older one but the newer one will be better. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EUKop6N4cX0.html

It will last longer too.

Nice one 👍. I have done a high/low/off with a sonoff-dual relay. I feel the one perfect dim setting is all you really need. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EUKop6N4cX0.html

I'm glad it works for you 😉👍

It works with some of the "no-dimmeble" GU10 lamps aswell. (Not all but many)

Clive would be proud

I think I did mention to use class X suppression capacitors, in the video. I normally selvedge them out of old power supplys.

There's only one way to find out give it a try👍😉. Obviously different wattage bulbs will react differently to the capacitor values. So some experimentation is required.

Yes that is a alternative way to do it, basically a changeover switch it's basically what I did in this video with a sonoff dual ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EUKop6N4cX0.html

Yes it will.👍😉

Can you recommend me what rating capacitor should I use to convert 4 watt led to 0.5 watt (230v)

@@19crofty86 it's possible yes/ maybe. But it depends on the type of LED driver 🤔. Are the led letters mains voltage? Or 5v 12v?

It is possible to use one capacitor for 4 LED bulbs, but the bulbs need to be identical, and you will require a bigger value capacitor. The value of the capacitor depends on the wattage of the bulbs. So you would have to experiment. I would try 1uF or 2uF capacitor, and if the bulbs are too bright, then you should use a lower value, maybe 0.47uf.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks for the answer, it helped me a lot.

@@MyProjectBoxChannelDoes this scale linearly? I have replaced all of my string light bulbs with 1W LEDs (in place of the 11W) incandescent. However I have a line of nearly 100 bulbs…

I have done the current sense resistor modification before 😉. It works well. I put a potentiometer in its place to adjust the LED current. I made a LED bulb with a dimmer knob on top. Big Clive normally just snaps one of the parallel resistors to "half" the current. You can view my video on it, if you like ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wWVrdxko0dg.html

YES! It is possible to use one capacitor for multiple LED bulbs, but the bulbs need to be identical, and you will require a bigger value capacitor. The value of the capacitor depends on the wattage of the bulbs. So you would have to experiment. I would try 1uF or 2uF capacitor, and if the bulbs are too bright, then you should use a lower value, maybe 0.47uf

Yes a tungsten bulb would work, but you would need a much bigger capacitor! Because of the increased current draw of a tungsten lamp. Cheap "traditional dimmer switches", were designed for old school tungsten lamps. So it's more practical for them. Yes you can dim multiple LED bulbs from one capacitor. You will need a larger capacitor, for more bulbs on one circuit, for a given brightness level. Also all your LED bulb need to be the same type and power rating, to get a consistent brightness between them.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel thank you so much for your feedback 🤗 Waiting for future videos 😇

I don't think a capacitor will "dim" LED's that have a external power supply/driver. 🤔 It's not a universal quick fix for all LED lights, some testing is required. You could make a switched capacitor, with a selector switch, to switch in different capacitors. It's a bit impractical but it is possible.

A series capacitor completely blocks DC current, so this trick only works on AC, like mains. The power supply brick might output pure DC or might output DC with an AC component.

It could work, it all depends on the type of driver inside of your LED lamps.( SMPS drivers, probably won't work) It's just a matter of experimentation. You could try putting a small motor capacitor, or capacitor from a old fluorescent fitting, in line with the Live wire(feeding the plug socket). Maybe 2 - 6 uF. If it has a useful effect, then you can increase or lower the value as needed. Just try it and see. You have nothing to lose.

Only if its a direct 230Vac (or 110Vac) strip. It won't work with 12v or 24v and driver type😥

It definitely will require some experimentation 🧐🤔. The brightness level you personally require, is going different for everyone. You could try 2uf upto 4uF maybe? A capacitor from a single phase motor might be suitable(or old type florescent light fitting capacitor). If that still is too bright, try a smaller 1uF class-x or -y safety capacitor. You can put capacitors in parallel to increase the brightness, or in series to decrease the brightness. It's worth remembering that this method doesn't work with all types of led bulbs! Also make sure that all the bulbs are exactly the same type😉👍

Yes all 16 bulbs replaced with the same exact bulb. Thanks so much. I'll give it a try. @@MyProjectBoxChannel

This particular bulb is not dimmable! The fan speed control will not work with this type of led bulb 😮‍💨. That is why I used a capacitor. But you could use a selector switch with multiple capacitors, to get variable dimming.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel .. I think its resistive load!!! Fan dimmer should work .. anyhow if you are saying You might have tried it 👌👌

@@crazycoolguy109677 the LED bulb is not a resistive load, like the older incandescent bulbs. It has LED filaments, and each filament has about 70 micro leds connected in series. This has a DC forward voltage of about 200v. There is a current regulated power supply in the base of the bulb. If you try to adjust the input voltage with something like a dimmer, the bulb will will flash on and off, or not work at all, depending on the input voltage.

Yes I'm wondering if you need one for each bulb or would one at the switch do the same job

It's perfectly safe😉, as long as the capacitor used, is properly rated for mains voltage ⚡️. Like a x2 rated capacitor.

NTC thermistor Inrush Current limiter, is a very simple approach, but maybe not for such a small load. Maybe if multiple light bulbs are connected to the same thermistor. And one cap dropper could dim multiple bulbs with a larger value capacitor. What do you think?

I have done it with a sonoff dual-r3, so it should be possible. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EUKop6N4cX0.html

I was more curious if it would somehow work on a actual 2 gang wifi switch i have no space to add anything else. I did realize with my led i have to turn it back on high before i turn it off. If i dont the light flickers from low to high then turning it on i blew the capicitor. But i have 5 so its ok but now i know 😂

It all depends what type of LED driver the bulbs have inside. With some types of driver it just doesn't work. (SMPS type for example). You could try a larger value capacitor. It's also a good idea to test it on the brand of bulb you're planning to use it on first.

You can have just one capacitor dimming multiple led bulbs in one light fixture😉. Just remember that they need to all be exactly the same type and wattage. Your capacitor will also need to be a much bigger value, and that value will depend on the quantity and wattage of LED bulbs. How many bulbs are in your light fixture?

Thanks heaps for the reply :) I was planning on having 6 nos of 4W bulbs. So a total of 24 watts. We also use 240v AC off our grid. @@MyProjectBoxChannel

Yes but a resistor will be wasting energy as heat! A capacitor is very efficient and does not generate heat when dropping voltage.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel This is what my light / led driver says. AL315 ALVIS LED POWER SUPPLY Constant current PRI 220-240V 0,5c 60 mA 0/50/60Hz SEC 150mA 3-40V 6W U-OUT=45V tc 75°C ta-10 - 50°C What size of capacitor should I use to make it half as strong? 😎

@@partyoverallt some LED drivers will not work with a capacitor😩. But try 0.47uF and then go down in value if it works, to find the brightness you require.

You can do it with just one capacitor. It just needs to be a larger value. You would need to experiment with different capacitors, to get the right value. All the LED bulbs on that circuit, need to have the same wattage and the same type/make. Try start with 1uf and go up in value to get the brightness you require.

It's hard to say without some experimentation. But I would start at about 1uF or 2uF. Mabe put some in parallel to determine the required brightness. Class X2 safety capacitor is a good option. It's a good idea to put a 5ohm resistor(1w) inline with the switch that bridges the capacitor. This will protect the contacts from excessive wear, when Bridging out a larger charged capacitor, and prolong it's life.

Thank you for your reply🙇, I'll try using 1uF and 2uF. Yesterday I tried using a dimmer, but after 2-3 mins bulbs started to flicker and I had to switch the dimmer off and turn it on again to keep them working for another 2-3 mins without flickering.

If it's 12v DC, a capacitor dropper won't work. You could use a resistor, but that would be inefficient as you would burn off heat(but it is very simple). A PWM dimmer circuit is very efficient for 12v DC LED lamps.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel resistor only works on dimmable bulbs. Mine are not dimmable. I did find another video that suggested putting a single dimmable light in the same circuit would make all of them act as if they’re dimmable. Will try that next.

@@AverageCarGuy Is it 12v for automotive car use?

@@AverageCarGuy Hi... Did it work? Putting a single dimmable globe into the circuit?. I saw that video.

No flickering whatsoever with this particular bulb. Just like you see in the video. But you might have problems with certain types of LED bulb. It won't work with all of them. It all depends on the type of driver circuit it has inside.

PWM (Pulse-width modulation) won't work. The internal led driver does not like it, and will probably damage it at a 230V pwm input. That technique is better suited for low voltage led driving, like 12v.

I don't know if it's going to work, but you could always experiment. It also depends on the type of dimmer you use. You get leading edge (the old type) and trailing edge dimmers (new type for dimmable led bulbs)

I don't think that would work, LED bulbs can't be dimmed because they would shut down in case of voltage getting too low, usually about 200V. Capacitor in series won't keep it up.

@@plainedgedsaw1694 yes you are correct. LED bulbs and dimmer switches have had quite a rocky history. There are so called dimmable LED bulbs available. These Bulbs require a special trading edge dimmer. The problem is, there are different type of driver circuits for different LED bulbs. As luck would have it, the capacitive dropper just happens to work with a quite a few of them. It makes the bulb work on it's absolute lowest limits the driver would allow.

Some LED driver circuits won't like it. But you might get lucky.

Dimmable LED light bulbs have a very different driver circuit for the LEDs inside. And there are different types of dimmers that are more suited for led light bulbs. For example leading edge or trailing edge dimmers. It's not easy to make a non-dimmable bulbs work with traditional light dimmers. But my capacitor hack does sometimes work, to get a fixed brightness setting.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel let's say the bulb is 10 W and I want dimm it exactly to 75% 50%, 25% +-10%. Is using proper safety capacitor that precise or is it always an experiment?

@@jccuchvjvj it is possible to use a rotary selector switch to switch across multiple capacitors connected in series. That way you can get various degrees of useful dimming. It will unfortunately requiring some experimentation with the capacitors valves. Each LED bulb manufacturer uses different circuitry, so there's no universal calculation for the capacitors. Remember these types of LED bulbs weren't made for dimming in the first place.

These capacitor are Class X2 mains suppression safety capacitors, designed for direct connection across mains voltages. The voltage to the bulb is lowered with the help of this capacitor. It should not harm your bulbs.

I cannot recommend anybody bridge out live capacitors 🤣. But I held it on the insulated plastic handle. Trust me! I don't enjoy electric shocks. ☠️😉👍

@@MyProjectBoxChannel... try to push the responseability a bit. at least, you could ad a resistor to the capacitor unit, for the voltage to drop after switching off.

@@udufbxsixn adding I bleed resistor, to bleed any residual charge from the capacitor is good practice. However since you're not going to be touching any of the components, and when the switche is in the high position, it will bridge at the capacitor anyway. It just keeps things simpler.

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Well, in your schematic you put the capacitor before the power switch. So the capacitor will be charged if you have to open it for some reason. And just wraping the wire around the leads doesn't help either. A blob of solder and shrink sleeve would also help.

@@Peter_A1466 I normally solder everything 😉😂, it's just that I'm on holiday and don't have access to my soldering iron 😔. I guess this is more for people who can't or don't like soldering. I'm keeping things really simple, so no bleeding resistor to drain the cap either.

There is a formula to calculate the "AC resistance" (AC resistance is impedance for capacitors) of the capacitor for a given frequency ( say 50Hz). You could do very rough calculations for with current draw from the LED bulbs. Then work out the given wattage that a capacitor will give for a different LED bulbs. It won't be extremely accurate. But you can try and plot these values to a table. Different LED bulbs will give you different results.

🤪🤣🤣🤣 more voltage = more good. More electromagnetic radiation = even better. More is always better.😉