Is a Dimmer Pack Not a Power Strip?

The other day, I received the following inquiry.
“When I connect a disco ball motor to the UNI-PAK II, it keeps spinning...”

Certainly, this equipment is used to turn on and off incandescent light bulbs, so some people may think that setting the fader value to 0 turns off the power and setting it to 100 turns on the power.

However, this is wrong!

This is because the UNI-PAK II not only just supplies power, but it’s electrically controlled using the phase of the AC power supply. While I’m talking about this, I’m going to explain further.

・Phase Control Method

The phase control method is used for dimming incandescent light bulbs, which convert electrical energy into thermal energy and use the heat as light.

・How the phase control method dimming works

Brightness is adjusted by controlling the timing of cutting the wavelength of the AC power supply and adjusting the value of the flowing current.

A triac is used to cut a portion of the wavelength of the AC power supply as shown in the figure. By changing the timing of cutting in this way, the current value is adjusted and the brightness is adjusted.

・Can I use it on a motor?

Since the dimmer pack is controlled by changing the current value, there is no change in voltage.
Let's compare the voltage when the fader is set to 0 and MAX.

As you can see, the voltage is always 100V.

In other words, when a voltage-controlled device such as a motor (driven by AC voltage) is connected to the dimmer pack, it will always operate accordingly because it is receiving 100 VAC input even if the fader value is 0 or 100.

Therefore, it is impossible to use a dimmer pack to control the rotation speed of a motor that is connected to an outlet and used as is.
(A disco ball motor that has a button on the body to adjust the rotation speed probably has a phase control mechanism inside the body of the disco ball motor.)

・Summary

The most important thing I wanted to convey this time was
Dimmer packs are not power strips.
The dimmer is not a power strip.

Since it looks exactly the same as an outlet socket, you may think they are the same thing, but please understand that they are in fact different.

If you want to use a dimmer pack to control a disco ball motor or a luminaire, check in advance whether it’s labeled as “dimmer control compatible” or not.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far.

Sound House also sells disco balls and dimmer packs.
If you have a disco ball, you’ll be sure to have a glittery and sparkling time! Don't miss out!

⇨ SOUND HOUSE Mirror balls
⇨ SOUND HOUSE Dimming units