Lighting Technology
Micro-Brite cold cathode fluorescent light bulbs are designed to dim on standard dimmers and most applications do not require any adjustments. However, it is important to remember that Micro-Brite bulbs use different technology to dim than incandescent; therefore, voltage setting adjustments may be necessary to maximize the dimming performance of the Micro-Brite bulbs.
When looking for an energy efficient alternative for dimmable lighting applications, end users have many different options. However, one of the biggest sources of confusion is the difference between hot and cold cathode dimmable fluorescent light bulbs. Why do they operate differently on dimming circuits? The answer is in the lamp technology.
All compact fluorescent lamps require a slight warm-up time for the electrical current to fully heat the cathodes and reach their full lumen output. When a bare spiral CFL is first switched on, it lights up with approximately 80% of its rated lumens, but it will heat up to its full brightness in about one minute.
Traditional metal halide light bulbs use probe start technology, which uses three electrodes – a starter electrode and two operating electrodes – in the arc tube to start the light bulb. When the light bulb first turns on, a discharge is created across a small gap between the starter probe electrode and the nearby operating electrode.
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