Control/Dimming Bypassing the choke on a d20?

[danTt]

Ran into an old D20 today where someone had.. creatively... spliced the wire from the SSR direct to the breaker. My knowledge of dimming theory doesn't go far enough to make me understand what exactly this would do. The splice is creative enough that I have no desire to ever pop it back in a rack, but I'm curious what the original "innovator" might have been trying to do. Can someone enlighten me?

Thanks!

 

[DuckJordan]

Turn the dimmer into a relay is my guess...

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[DavidNorth]

Turn the dimmer into a relay is my guess...

I would guess the same, however it doesn't work that way. While bypassing a choke helps in trying to create a sinewave output relay, the SCR [or triac in other dimmers] still creates a small notch in the waveform. Plus, if the electronics aren't set up correctly, it's still a regulating dimmer which will create havoc with some devices, such as movers and LEDs.

Additionally, bypassing a choke removes most of the dimmers SCCR capabilities which added to the dodgy wiring required to do it, creates an electrical and fire hazard. I say all these things because we've have questions about such solutions before, not because the OP has brought this up.

Please don't ever do this. If you need a relay, get a relay. It's the only technical correct and electrical safe option.

Thanks for listening!

David