Controlling smart lights with an Aurora AU-A1ZB2WDM1P

Devices & Integrations
1

Hi,

I’m trying to use the AU-A1ZB2WDM1P dimmer module to dim a set of Zigbee smart bulbs, but I’m having some issues - the product details page at https://aone.auroralighting.com/ProductDetails/AU-A1ZB2WDM1P describes using Slave mode to control smart bulbs, but this isn’t mentioned at all in the installation documentation, which only covers using a master/slave pair to do 2-way control of dumb bulbs.

Trying to connect the dimmer in series with the bulbs, in place of the traditional switch I’m trying to replace doesn’t work - the bulbs flicker like crazy, presumably because the dimmer is “off” in slave mode, and the bulbs are picking up the trickle current going through the dimmer to power it. If I wire the dimmer up in series with a dumb bulb, I can join it to the network and pair it to my smart bulbs, but this obviously has a redundant dumb bulb in the setup so won’t work for actually fitting the dimmer to the wall. Is it OK to connect this in parallel with the bulbs, so directly across live/neutral (slave mode only!), or will this fry the module?

The other issue I see is that the steps from the dimmer in slave mode are very small - I need to make many revolutions of the knob to get the bulbs to full brightness. If I put the dimmer in master mode, but still controlling the smart lights via Zigbee, I see the transition per click of the knob is much bigger.

I’ve tried the Aurora support website, but the person I contacted insisted that the dimmer module is only for controlling dumb bulbs (which is obviously true for master mode).

@AndyPrice-Aurora, are you able to help?

1 Like
2

Hi Ian

Thanks for your message.

So, to clear this up a little.

The slave mode of the dimmer module is intended for allowing 2-way control of a master dimmer, such as top and bottom of a staircase.

The wording referring to controlling groups of smart devices would appear to be a typo. I’ve flagged this to our marketing team to be investigated.

Connecting the dimmer in parallel across a live/neutral would indeed blow the internal circuitry, as in slave mode its expecting to be in parallel across another smart dimmer, in live/switch-live format, which provides a 1A loading, allowing the internal circuitry to function.