The general problem of light flickering is well known. In modern LED lighting it seems as if there are more problems with flickering than there were with traditional lighting. Users generally think that it is a problem with LED luminaires. However, it is not a fault in the luminaire but rather caused by outside influences. LED luminaires are more sensitive to bad quality electric power supplied to the luminaire than traditional lighting. If the electric power is “clean” there is no flickering. In most cases the electric power is not clean, or there is a device like a dimmer that pollutes the power that is supplied to the luminaire. This paper describes the flicker phenomena, the causes and the remedies.

Four kinds of flicker are described:
– Irregular, load induced disturbances on the 230V power line
– Power line communication (CAB) disturbances
– Dimmer induced flicker
– Stroboscopic flicker

Each kind of flicker has its own solution which is presented in the paper. The general conclusion is that even with a bad power grid there is a solution for every flicker problem. This gives us the possibility of having maximum profit of modern LED lighting.

Have you noticed flickering Illuxtron products? Please let us know and we will help you find the cause.

Author: Bert Janssen (M.Sc) – Electrical Engineering Consultant at Illuxtron International