Keypad Linc dimmer idea/question

Other Devices & Integrations More Home Control
1

I haven’t made the leap to Insteon/Alsteon just yet, but I have been thinking about it.

I hate plug-in modules, so I have been using Z-Wave receptacles and switches. Next to my beds, I have VRCZ4s in enclosures to handle lighting, fans, etc. They can control the bedside lamps, but they are just on/off, since I use Z-Wave outlets, and Z-Wave doesn’t have any dimming outlets like Insteon does.

I was thinking about switching some nightstand controllers to a Keypad linc with dimmer, putting that in the tabletop enclosure (which I already have), and then running the lamp cord into the enclosure to connect to the dimmer. Other plugs could switch to Insteon dimming outlets.

However, do the Keypad lincs with dimmers buzz/hum much? It would be right by the bed, and might get annoying. The lights would be off when sleeping (so no buzz), but when reading or watching TV, it might be too much.

Here is what I would be using:
Linc/dimmer: http://www.smarthome.com/2486DWH6/KeypadLinc-Dimmer-INSTEON-6-Button-Scene-Control-Keypad-with-Dimmer-White/p.aspx
Enclosure: http://www.smarthome.com/2402WH/Tabletop-Enclosure-for-KeypadLinc-White/p.aspx
Outlet: http://www.smarthome.com/2472DWH/OutletLinc-Dimmer-INSTEON-Remote-Control-Outlet-Dual-Band-White/p.aspx

A downside is the lack of brighter incandescent bulbs (with LEDs, etc flickering)…so this might not work at all.

2

I have not noticed the KPL dimmers themselves to hum. I have three of them in my Master Bedroom. However, the light bulbs do “sing” when dimmed. (It is more of a “tinging” sound than a hum.) The Insteon forums claim that if you use industrial bulbs that it goes away, but it doesn’t bother me enough to track any down and pay more for them. The amount you dim also seems to have an impact on how noisy the bulbs are. In the evening I have the Vera set to drop the Master Bedroom lights to 75%, they don’t make much sound at that level. However, the master bathroom is set to ~33% during the night (I hate bright lights in the middle of the night!) and they are pretty noisy.

3

Digging up my own old topic here…

Since I started making some thing Insteon, I tried this out. Works pretty well.

I would recommend an 8-button KPL, and working your scenes/controls such that most (all) of the lights are out at night, being on the bedside. I have 1 button that will be illuminated through the night (alarm status), so I put a red backlight there. I keep the LED backlight on, but at the lowest setting, so it isn’t too bright.

4

Some times You can change the bulb humming just by changing it’s orientation relative to gravity … Not much you can do if the bulb is vertical …

When you electronically dim, you are pulsing the power to the light … The pulsing causes expansion/contraction of the filament. If this frequency is close to a harmonic of the natural resonance of the filament, which also changes with temperature, then they can start to oscillate. The industrial bulbs have a heavier filament … so they oscillate at a lower frequency.