---
id:
aliases: []
tags:
  - authorship/original
  - destiny/permanent
  - status/incomplete
  - topic/construction/electrical
  - type/encyclopedia
title: Lighting Controls
---
# Lighting Controls

## Occupancy/Vacancy Sensor Technologies

* Passive Infrared (PIR)
* Ultrasonic
* "Dual Tech" (PIR and ultrasonic)

## Switching/Communication

* Occupancy
* Vacancy
* Daylight

### Line Voltage

120--347VAC

### Low Voltage

24V Class 2 control circuit

### Digital

Digital Light Management (DLM)

[[twisted-pair-cable]]

## Dimming Technologies

* Triac (Line voltage dim)
* Analog (0-10V dim)
* Digital
* Wireless

All these control methods are likely to appear in drawings.

### 0-10V Dimming

In conduit:

```
Southwire 64350501
SIMpull® 16/2 Low Voltage Signal Cable, Blue
```

This method is compliant with
[[nfpa-70_725_control-circuits#725.136(I) Other Applications.|NEC 725.136(I)(1)]],
which allows control circuits to share a raceway with power conductors
if either all of the power conductors or all of the control conductors
are themselves in a raceway,
or in metal-sheathed, metal-clad, non–metallic-sheathed, or Type UF cable.

### Triac Dimming

Triac dimmers work by chopping the AC power waveform.
This reduces the output power, so the lamp dims.

> [!info]
> "Triac" refers to the electronic component
> that does the wave-chopping.

#### Subtypes

There are two subtypes based on which side of the wave is chopped.

* Magnetic Low Voltage (MLV)** -- AKA "Leading Edge" or "Forward Phase"
* Electronic Low Voltage (ELV)** -- AKA "Trailing Edge" or "Reverse Phase"

> [!important]
> The "magnetic" and "electronic" of MLV and ELV
> are holdovers from pre-LED days.
> They have nothing to do with how they are used today.
> They are, unfortunately, the most common terms.

> [!important]
> "Triac" is sometimes used (in contrast to ELV) erroneously to mean MLV

There also exist "universal" dimmers,
which can be switched between the two subtypes.