Abstract: A universal line voltage dimming method and system, with a control circuit for an electronic ballast operable to receive ballast input power and an outboard dedicated dimming signal including a power sensing circuit (27) generating a sensed power signal (52) in response to the ballast input power (20); an on-time converter (50) generating an on-time signal (54) in response to the sensed power signal (52); a dedicated dimming interface (122) operable to generate a dedicated dimming signal (124) in response to the outboard dedicated dimming signal (120); and a microprocessor (56) operable to generate a dimming control signal (58) in response to at least one of the on-time signal (54) and the dedicated dimming signal (120). The on-time signal (54) determines the dimming control signal (58) when mains power is phase cut power.

Abstract: The invention relates to a circuit (2) comprising at least two parallel-connected light-emitting diodes (4, 5) opposite poled in a first parallel branch (12) and comprising at least two parallel-connected light-emitting diodes (6, 7) opposite poled in a second parallel branch (13), and also comprising a capacitor (8) and a coil (9). According to the invention, the first parallel branch (12) has a capacitor (8) and the second parallel branch (13) has the coil (9). On account of the capacitive parallel branch (10) and the inductive parallel branch (11), idle currents arise which are phase-shifted with respect to one another. The idle currents compensate one another and light changes of the oppositely-poled diode pairs take place at different points in time. A light current is then smoothed.