On the back side of most gadgets, there’s a string of hieroglyphs that look like the bottom line of an engineer’s eye chart. But this mishmash of electrical symbols and letters is essential to international trade, product performance and safety.
All electrical switches including dimmers must have the following mandatory electrical symbols to comply with South African and International Standards. Products which show these symbols must be able to produce a valid test report and an RCC or LOA number. Conversely, all mains dimmers must have a valid RCC or LOA number.
Here’s what each electrical symbol means and why it’s on there.
Manufacturer’s or responsible vendor’s name, trade mark or identification mark
Mandatory
SDIM-T-LED 500W
Type or model number
Mandatory
The unique product model number must be on the label and must correspond with the model number on the LOA or RCC
RCC or LOA Number
RCC or LOA Number
Mandatory to have, not mandatory to show on the label
South African Regulatory compliance certificate number
SANS 60669-2-1
South African National Standard
Mandatory to have, not mandatory to show on the label
Specification is drawn up by SABS and is adopted from the IEC. SANS is an umbrella specification which covers a list of specifications such as EMI
IP20
Ingress protection rating
Mandatory to show on label
First number: protection rating from solids
Second number: protection rating from water
0,5A
Nominal operating current
Mandatory to show on the label if the rated load is not shown
Will differ for different wattages of products
~ 230VAC, 50Hz
Voltage and frequency
Mandatory to show on label
A voltage of (nominally) 230 V and a frequency of 50 Hz is used in Europe, most of Africa, most of Asia, much of South America and Australia.
The wave symbol is for AC voltage
Incandescent lamps
Mandatory to show on label
Indicates what type of lamp the dimmer can be used on
LED Lamp
Voluntary
A voluntary symbol, which shows that the dimmer is compatible with LED’s
Electronic step-down converter
Mandatory to show on label for compatible products
Shows that the dimmer is compatible with electronic transformers
Terminal for regulated load
Mandatory to show on label
Shows that the output voltage is variable which means that a non-dimmable product cannot be connected to the dimmer
The importance of electrical symbols:
With the wide variety of bulbs and dimmers now available on the market it is important to choose your products wisely. Pairing dimmers and lamps which are incompatible can result in lights flickering and fluttering, limited dimming range, slow start-up, and inconsistent illumination.
To avoid these types of issues it is important to remember these five things when pairing dimmers with LED lamps:
- Not all LED lamps are dimmable. Make sure yours are
- Not all controls work with dimmable LED lamps. Read the manufacturer’s compatibility charts
- Some LEDs are just cheap and unproven. Buy well-tested products
- Some dimmers are cheap and unproven. Buy well-tested products
- Always perform a mock-up