Can You Reduce LED Lights Brightness?

LED lights are very economical but sometimes produce a very bright light. So the newly purchased ceiling lamp can be much too bright. Also, the indicator LEDs installed in different devices are sometimes very bright and disturbing.

Here you can find out what you can do against LED lights that are too bright and dazzling.

Dimming LED lamps

LED illuminates and luminaires can also be dimmed so their brightness is adjustable. But in contrast to the conventional light sources, it must be explicitly stated that the LED lamp is dimmable. You will find this information in the product description or on the lamp packaging. If there is no indication for dimming, the lamp cannot be dimmed.

Not all LED lamps are dimmable
When purchasing, make sure that the desired LED lamp is marked as dimmable.

Use appropriate dimmer
Use an appropriate dimmer, which is suitable for your LED lamps.

Use a dimmer

Many light sources are only too bright in certain situations. To darken the lamp if necessary, the use of a dimmer is recommended. This way you can always adjust the brightness accordingly. LED dimmers are available for installation in place of the light switch and also as intermediate plugs.

The LED dimmer problem

Old incandescent bulbs and halogen bulbs had an advantage in addition to all their disadvantages. These lamps could be easily operated with a dimmer. Adjusting the brightness was no problem. In the meantime, LED lighting technology has established itself and offers many advantages over the old light sources. However, LED technology is much more complex and brings in some challenges.

Dimming of LED lights is one of the most common difficulties when converting to LED lighting. However, this is primarily due to the fact that many people simply assume that LED’s can be dimmed just as easily as the old light sources. If this does not work without problems, sometimes the entire LED technology is demonized as not mature.

LED light is too bright

LED technology has established itself and LED lights to have many advantages. But sometimes an annoying effect occurs: Light-emitting diodes radiate their light almost point-shaped. As a result, many people perceive the light as much too bright. Depending on where they are used, some LED light sources are therefore perceived as disturbing and one feels dazzled. LEDs that are too bright occur primarily in these scenarios:

• Bright luminaire with integrated LEDs
• LED illuminant shines too bright
•Annoying device LEDs

What to do if the LEDs are blinding?
Depending on how the LEDs are used, there are different ways of darkening the lights. In the following sections, you will find the steps to solve the most common cases of bright LEDs.

Use resistors

Dimming an LED light is as easy as adding resistors to the connection or even several resistors, to ensure you get the right brightness – this is called analog dimming. In many states, there are regulations to the brightness (and colours) of LEDs on cars, which is why this is important to take note of.

When using resistors, you’ll need to know the power required for your project so you’ll calculate this using a LED resistor value formula like this one:

...P = I^2_R

What this means is that power (represented by P) is equal to the current (Represented by I) in amps flowing through the circuit, which is squared and multiplied by the resistor value (Represented in R) in ohms.

Use a diffuser foil

Furthermore, there are so-called diffuser foils, which cause a scattering of the light. Depending on the installation situation, such a foil can be attached in front of the LED illuminant. Due to the broader light distribution, the light source no longer appears as bright.

Contact a professional

If you are not sure what to do to reduce the brightness of your LEDs, you can contact a professional electrician like Allyn White Electrical to help you with your LED lights.