Dim on Random Switching (DORS): Another instance of ubiquitous computing

In talking with Tom Ribarich, the director of  International Rectifier’s Lighting Design Center,  about IR’s new control IC for dimmable CFLs (compact fluorescent lights), he mentioned that there’s a technique known as Dim on Random Switching (DORS) that allows a DORS-compatible light to be dimmed off of any household light switch.

A DORS-compatible light dims with every rapid ON/OFF action seconds, adjusting from 100% to 66% to 33% and finally 5%. You reset the light to full brightness by switching off the lamp for more than 3 seconds and then switching it on again. Almost any light in your house can now be dimmable without the need for a specialized switch or costly rewiring. The control intelligence has migrated from the building infrastructure to a light bulb.

Here’s a link to Megaman, a German lighting company which is the only manufacturer I can find of these lights currently, and which specializes in fluorescent lights. To get an idea for what these lights currently cost in Europe, here’s a website that sells a 10-pack  for 78.23GBP, or about $109 US. IR’s brand-new control IC should bring the pricing down: It packs the power control electronics into an 8-pin IC and some passives, and sells for a bit over $1.