Leviton ViziaRF (and nonRF) Dimmers - Loud Buzz

[ChrisWalker]

Have you ordered any of the Vizia RF devices yet, to at least test one out?

Chris

Not yet. Homeseer sold out before I could place an order, besides as you said the Vizia RF controller is backordered so there is little need for them until it is available.

You don't need to wait for the remote to get the switches. You can set the scenes up from the Z-Wave PC SDK (v1.2 beta) if you're technically inclined, or can use the enhanced 2-way functionality with ThinkEssentials or other software.

Chris

 

[ChrisWalker]

[ and you can pick up the Z-Wave PC SDK which lets you use the advanced SCENE functionality in the switches.

Chris,

I noticed on the Automatedoutlet website that there are 2 versions of the 4 button controller. One is described as a sCENE controller and the other as a ZONE controller. Do you know what the difference between these two controllers is?

Also, my new Electronic House magazine had a pictire of the SCENE controller and it had etched buttons. Do you know if these buttons will be available for order?

Thanks.

Herdfan,

The scene controllers have flat buttons which activate scenes, whereas the zone controllers have rocker buttons (for turning a zone on/off).

Chris

 

[Scott12v]

I moved the switch to a new location and have the same problem.

I moved it to the basement to control two cup lights. Since it is the basement, there is a lot of background noise, but you can still hear the buzz. I had the girlfriend listen and as soon as she got her ear close, she made an awful face so I'm definitely not exaggerating. She said that the buzz was totally unacceptable.

Not sure what to do next. I have three un-opened switches sitting hear. I absolutely love the style and build quality of the switches, but the buzz is too much.

Scott

 

[KenM]

Scott,

If it were me, I would just have to try at least one of the other switches. I am not an expert on the warranty but I would think that you would be able to return them as defective if they are buzzing. I would need to know if I had just one bad switch or a group of them.

The buzzing is not anything dangerous, just annoying and mostly unacceptable. From what I understand, there is a reactive component (similar to a RF choke coil) that can make audible noise if it is not glued to the circuit board.

Ken

 

[Scott12v]

Scott,

If it were me, I would just have to try at least one of the other switches. I am not an expert on the warranty but I would think that you would be able to return them as defective if they are buzzing. I would need to know if I had just one bad switch or a group of them.

The buzzing is not anything dangerous, just annoying and mostly unacceptable. From what I understand, there is a reactive component (similar to a RF choke coil) that can make audible noise if it is not glued to the circuit board.

Ken

Thanks Ken. I'll give another of the switches a shot. I did try a Vizia non-RF switch and heard the same buzz, but I'll try one of the other RF switches to see what happens.

Scott

 

[JonR]

All of a sudden this has become a topic of great interest to me! I discovered today that the Vizia-RF VZH08-1L dimmer is one of the few controls that will work with the Lutron Hi-Lume 1% dimmable ballasts on 12 fluorescent fixtures that are going to be an integral feature of the scenes on the first floor of our new house. Until now I was leaning towards UPB, perhaps LiteJet, but now it looks like Vizia-RF may be my best option.

Has anyone else tried out these dimmers? Loud buzzing right in the main living area of the house would definitely give me a negative balance on WAF right out of the gate.

JonR

 

[ChrisWalker]

We're testing out the switches right now. Here's our latest beta install:

100 Vizia RF 600 watt dimmers
52 Vizia RF 3-way dimmer slaves
42 Vizia RF relay switches
6 Vizia RF 1000 watt dimmers
3 Vizia RF Foyers
1 ViewSonic V212 touchpanel
6 RCS TZ16 thermostats
6 Intermatic outdoor appliance modules
6 Intermatic appliance modules
6 Intermatic lamp modules
4 Intermatic remote controls
ThinkEssentials v1.2 for Windows
ThinkEssentials for Windows Mobile

I don't anticipate any troubles, but I'll post here with our results if I remember...

Also, the Vizia RF switches have a MLV variant--which is pretty nifty.

Chris

 

[johnnynine]

[ and you can pick up the Z-Wave PC SDK which lets you use the advanced SCENE functionality in the switches.

Chris,

I noticed on the Automatedoutlet website that there are 2 versions of the 4 button controller. One is described as a sCENE controller and the other as a ZONE controller. Do you know what the difference between these two controllers is?

Also, my new Electronic House magazine had a pictire of the SCENE controller and it had etched buttons. Do you know if these buttons will be available for order?

Thanks.

Herdfan,

The scene controllers have flat buttons which activate scenes, whereas the zone controllers have rocker buttons (for turning a zone on/off).

Chris

What is the different between a scene and a zone? The obvious assumption is that a single scene button controls multiple lights. But what Is a zone? Just one device?

 

[ChrisWalker]

johnnynine,

A zone is a group of devices that you turn on/off. A scene is a group of devices that gets set to a specific level. Here are a few examples.

Zones:
Kitchen
Bathroom
1st Floor Lights

Scenes:
Dinner
Romantic
Goodnight

You can mix things up a bit and have scenes which turn "off" as well if you'd like; there are all sorts of possibilities.

Also, on the one-scene controllers (i.e. the virtual switches): you'll want to make sure that you have the Intermatic HA22 USB controller if you want your PC to be able to take actions when scenes are activated.

Chris

 

[johnnynine]

I see, then how would I go about turning off a scene. For instance if I pressed the "dinner" scene button that sets the center kitchen light to 50% and sets the kitchen table light to 80%, how would I go about turning off both lights? I assume the zone and scene devices do not control a local load and just need 120VAC to use, so would I need another zone/scene button to set only those 2 lights to off? And what happens if I go to each of the local load switches for those lights and turned them off?

Perhaps I should start a new thread for this discussion as I don't want to hijack this "buzzing sound" thread.

 

[ChrisWalker]

johnnynine,

On the one-scene buttons, for example, you just press the button again to turn off all the lights in the scene. On the 4-button scene controllers, you could certainly set up a button as an "off" scene.

If you turn off a Vizia RF light in a scene, the lights on the scene controllers will go off if the scene is now all "off." They synchronize, which is a very nice touch.

Also, just to note: the zone/scene controllers don't control a load directly, but there are ways to make them control their own lights and others as well.

Chris

 

[johnnynine]

Also, just to note: the zone/scene controllers don't control a load directly, but there are ways to make them control their own lights and others as well.

Such as installing an inline zwave module in the wall behind the switch? Or how?

I really need to find some good doumentation on z-wave stuff don't I.

 

[Herdfan]

I really need to find some good doumentation on z-wave stuff don't I.

Good luck with that.

Leviton has many different type of Vizia RF switches, but almost no documentation. They need to write a FAQ with examples of how to use their various products.

Alas, as soon as the Leviton controller become available, I will jump in.

 

[shenandoah75]

Well i just got my first batch of vizia's today...

Installed two of them : 1 in dining room (9 60W bulbs) and 1 in the nook (5 60W bulbs).

I get the buzz in both location except when off or at and full (goes down slightly as you ramp up to full and then no noise at all at full). There is a slight buzz in the dimmer itself - barely audible, but it's the noise from lights that annoy me. I will likely put the three ways in the kitchen tonight and see if it's any different using recessed floods instead of standard bulbs.

When music is playing or people are talking, i'm sure it wouldn't be that bad, but still... I have an old leviton slliding dimmer in my office (4 recessed floods) and i don't notice any noise at all. Could be cause of the computer running, but i think it's quiet even with them off.

Waiting for the wife to get home and see what she thinks before i think twice about exchanging for UPB

-brad

 

[ChrisWalker]

I know I posted this in the other thread, but if you're looking for detailed documentation/training on the Vizia RF features you should be able to find them here (and I believe it's free):

http://ezlearn.leviton.com/el_front/

[Also, Brad, go pick up a few high-quality bulbs to replace the ones that are buzzing and see if that takes care of it. I use the multi-year Philips bulbs and not only do they provide nice light but I only change them every once in a very very long while.]

Chris