Dimmer switch - brands interchangable? Bticino

[Snugs08]

I have a light switch panel with three on off buttons,  I want to replace the middle one with a dimmer, it controls 4 single inset ceiling lights, looks like simple 60w bulbs, nothing fancy.

 

I underscrew the covering pane at it say BtiCino Matix. Each switch seems removable with a little U at the top and inverted U at the bottom.

 

To the question, do I need to get a Bitcino Matix dimmer for this, or will any from homepro that looks similar do?

 

If they do have matix in stock ill stick with same range I guess, price permitting, I managed to find the bticino catalogue , do I need am5706 or am7502

https://catalogue.bticino.com/prodotti/solution-for-residential-and-tertiary-building/matix/dimmer

 

 

 

 

[Crossy]

Yeah, the ranges are not necessarily interchangeable within the brands let alone cross-brand ???? 

 

Pop out the switch and take it along to the store to ensure you are getting the right thing.

 

You may have to order online (Lazada etc.) ???? 

 

[bluejets]

12 hours ago, Snugs08 said:

looks like simple 60w bulbs

But are they?

Make certain as if they are LED, some are non-dimmable.

[AustinRacing]

16 minutes ago, bluejets said:

But are they?

Make certain as if they are LED, some are non-dimmable.

I tend to agree too. Most important would be whether the bulb is dimmable. The switch, as long as it fits the housing, is not an issue. 

[The Theory]

Do Home or Thai Watsadu. You just go there and ask them what brand could fit "BtiCino" face plate. They know. 

[VBF]

6 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

I tend to agree too. Most important would be whether the bulb is dimmable. The switch, as long as it fits the housing, is not an issue. 

If you take the bulb out and examine it, it may have the wattage printed somewhere. If it's something in the region of 5-12 Watts,. it's likely an LED bulb; if it's 25W or higher then it's an old-style filament bulb. Another indication is old-style bulbs get too hot to touch - LED bulbs do not.

 

Regarding the dimmer, it's the SPECIFICATION that matters not the brand name as several companies may make similar equipment.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, VBF said:

Another indication is old-style bulbs get too hot to touch - LED bulbs do not.

That is an extremely rough generalisation, the harder an LED is driven the hotter they get. There are LEDs that I have that can cause a rather nasty burn. Some of mine have cooling fans to reduce the burnout times.

 

In general an LED can be under run and get just warm however the makers generally run them as hard as possible so they get toasty.

[VBF]

23 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

That is an extremely rough generalisation, the harder an LED is driven the hotter they get. There are LEDs that I have that can cause a rather nasty burn. Some of mine have cooling fans to reduce the burnout times.

 

In general an LED can be under run and get just warm however the makers generally run them as hard as possible so they get toasty.

We'll have to agree to differ on that one. All my bulbs in my flat are LED and I can touch any of them after several hours of use without getting burnt, unlike the old filament bulbs. Sure the LED bulbs get WARM to the touch but not HOT the way the old ones did.

[Snugs08]

Okay, so it was Philips LED bulbs after all. They are not dimmable according to spec.

 

I replaced them with 169baht each warm LED dimmer bulbs from HomePro - no name brand.

 

I got the Bticino matix dimmer from Thai Watsadu, for about 500baht, after a big hunt - have to scan the display slowly - easy to miss, it works. Problems, the original switch had four holes - two for each side of the circuit. This dimmer has one for each side and tiny - each to securely fit one wire.

 

See attached.

 

For now I've disconnect the circuit as I don't use that light much. But ideally want all the lights back, I need a way to get two buggers in the same hole (far right) or a safe workaround

 

Also broke the clip so will need a new holding plate, couldn't figure how to get them out until I had a better view. Adding to the above, Philip 5W LED white light bulbs definitely get hot even after 2 minutes, Id say it uncomfortable hot,  not burning hot though .

 

Another point for newbies, be careful on turning off single circuits at the breaker, I didnt realize until I started poking about the 3rd switch was on a different breaker for outside, I noticed just in time I reckon.

 

 

 

[Snugs08]

Just occured to me as typing, Could I do the two way thing on the light switch on the left instead, or just swap the locations around? so dimmer occupies first socket and follow same wiring

[sometimewoodworker]

14 hours ago, Snugs08 said:

 

 

Congratulations you are a 100% qualified Thai sparky 55555555

 

Never ever use (or allow anyone else to use) a yellow/green insulated wire for anything but an earth cable. From the picture you have no earth.

[Snugs08]

8 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

From the picture you have no earth.

What would you earth at a light switch like this? Each of the three switches is a self contained hard plastic unit with two inputs. Fascia and mounting plate are tough plastic.  The only thing you could earth would be partial backing metal box as far as I know but if everything surrounding it is plastic I'm not sure this is even "code" to  earth that in the US/EU/UK?

 

I haven't looked at the other switches but yeah it's pretty crappy job, but too late, any colour wires it seems, the wires are joined with a twist and some insulation tape, no wire nuts or wagos, the screws used were wrong, sharp point instead of a blunt end, probably other not to code violations here.

Curiously, years ago I did chat with a decent Thai spark as he was training half a dozen apprentices to wire up breaker boxes in some lab, and there definitely is a code (or something similar), is wire colour coding part of the Thai code? Is it comparable to the code in the west?

Anyway I've scrapped this plan, even though the dimmer appears to works, and I've already purchased the dimmable led, it turns out it is the wrong one, and it's indeed intended for old or halogen bulbs, there's a humming noise that I didn't notice when initially patting myself on the back. Turns out a single bticino matix dimmer switch for LED starts around 3800baht with  digital stepping rather than turn a knob. I'll use this switch elsewhere with an old style bulb

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

3 hours ago, Snugs08 said:

What would you earth at a light switch like this? Each of the three switches is a self contained hard plastic unit with two inputs. Fascia and mounting plate are tough plastic.  The only thing you could earth would be partial backing metal box as far as I know but if everything surrounding it is plastic I'm not sure this is even "code" to  earth that in the US/EU/UK?

You would not with a completely plastic box and switch and I never suggested that you should.

 

the point you missed is that you have (or your lecky has) used a bit of yellow black earth coded cable for one of the connections. This rather much worse than using any other coloured cable.

 

[Snugs08]

2 minutes ago, sometimewoodworker said:

You would not with a completely plastic box and switch and I never suggested that you should.

 

the point you missed is that you have (or your lecky has) used a bit of yellow black earth coded cable for one of the connections. This rather much worse than using any other coloured cable.

 

The builder.  I think crossed wires here, I thought you were implying I should have an earth, noted on the wire colors they are wrong / not to code, along with the other bits,  I don't have any electrical wire to sort myself yet as was just changing out a switch.

[sungod]

On 4/22/2023 at 11:53 AM, The Theory said:

Do Home or Thai Watsadu. You just go there and ask them what brand could fit "BtiCino" face plate. They know. 

I thought that until 2 weeks ago,

 

I bought their sockets and faceplates and then realised when trying to fit they have different lines.

 

Do as suggested, take the switch.

[sometimewoodworker]

4 hours ago, Snugs08 said:

there definitely is a code (or something similar), is wire colour coding part of the Thai code? Is it comparable to the code in the west?

There is definitely a code, that has been changed in recent times, and one of those is comparable to one of the codes in the west. However different countries have different codes that are enforced in those countries.

In Thailand most 3 phase insulations usually use correct codes, however in domestic installs you are fortunate if there is a single colour scheme used for the complete install. Even more fortunate if it happens to match one of the standard codes

[The Theory]

7 hours ago, sungod said:

I thought that until 2 weeks ago,

 

I bought their sockets and faceplates and then realised when trying to fit they have different lines.

 

Do as suggested, take the switch.

Some brands have different models, but different models won't fit each other even though they are the same brand. 
Employees of electrical section know what fits what. Then you can ask them to show you how they fit. 

[sungod]

19 hours ago, The Theory said:

Some brands have different models, but different models won't fit each other even though they are the same brand. 
Employees of electrical section know what fits what. Then you can ask them to show you how they fit. 

Or just give them the switch which will alleviate any doubt.

 

It was in Home-pro where they sold me the wrong face plates.