STEVETERRY
Well-Known Member
OK, many things to respond to:
1. There is not much cost difference between a 2400W phase-control dimmer and a 1200W phase-control dimmer--and there never will be. That is why you have not seen 1200W dimmers appear in any significant quantity. Also, imagine a system of 1.2kW dimmers where just a few 2.4kW dimmers were needed. How and where do you deploy them in a way that makes sense? Sure, a 1200W sine wave dimmer costs a lot less than a 2400W sine wave dimmer--so power reduction makes sense in a sine wave environment. But, as we have seen, demand for sine wave dimmers in North America has been minimal. "Sine wave is the party that the dimmer manufacturers gave where nobody came".
2. I am still in favor of power de-rating at the highest possible level to assure the maximum current to any given dimmer rack. This avoids "cables from the balcony rail to the cyc".
3. It is clear that the smaller the system, the less opportunity for feeder de-rating. A single rack system might need less de-rating, but even 600A to a single rack is hard to justify when presented with the results of the load survey.
4. I still like the idea of saving money by rack-to-rack bussing rather than full-sized breakered feeds to each rack.
5. #14 AWG is allowed for 15A circuits.
6. NYC Code is now the same as NEC, except for a few amendments.
7. New sources for the future will draw less current. It's hard to justify excessive feeder sizes when you consider the additional cost of HVAC capacity.
8. Yes, we have known each other for more than 30 years. It means we're both just old farts.
ST
1. There is not much cost difference between a 2400W phase-control dimmer and a 1200W phase-control dimmer--and there never will be. That is why you have not seen 1200W dimmers appear in any significant quantity. Also, imagine a system of 1.2kW dimmers where just a few 2.4kW dimmers were needed. How and where do you deploy them in a way that makes sense? Sure, a 1200W sine wave dimmer costs a lot less than a 2400W sine wave dimmer--so power reduction makes sense in a sine wave environment. But, as we have seen, demand for sine wave dimmers in North America has been minimal. "Sine wave is the party that the dimmer manufacturers gave where nobody came".
2. I am still in favor of power de-rating at the highest possible level to assure the maximum current to any given dimmer rack. This avoids "cables from the balcony rail to the cyc".
3. It is clear that the smaller the system, the less opportunity for feeder de-rating. A single rack system might need less de-rating, but even 600A to a single rack is hard to justify when presented with the results of the load survey.
4. I still like the idea of saving money by rack-to-rack bussing rather than full-sized breakered feeds to each rack.
5. #14 AWG is allowed for 15A circuits.
6. NYC Code is now the same as NEC, except for a few amendments.
7. New sources for the future will draw less current. It's hard to justify excessive feeder sizes when you consider the additional cost of HVAC capacity.
8. Yes, we have known each other for more than 30 years. It means we're both just old farts.
ST
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