I’m dove-tailing off a discussion I started in the v1.54 beta firmware thread. Firmware v1.55 (Beta) | LZW31-SN | Dimmer - Red Series (Gen 2) - #16 by mamber
Since the topic is specific to SBM optimization its probably better to move the deeper discussion here and not clog up the firmware announcement thread.
What is the expectation for SBM operation in a 3-way arrangement? My thinking is that SBM should still keep the load on 100% regardless of the operation of any of the switch paddles (smart or dumb). This also implies that the Traveler terminal in SBM needs to function the same as the Load terminal in SBM
Since a normal 3-way circuit involves switching the live output between the Load and Traveler terminals, SBM should still work fine as long as the Load or Traveler terminal output 100% whenever they are the ‘active’ circuit in the 3-way. Since there is an internal relay that toggles the output between the two terminals, it should be possible for SBM to work with a dumb 3-way (SPDT) switch. This applies equally to either of the SBM modes (‘always on’ mode as well as ‘100% on/off’ mode)
This is assuming the internal logic that controls SBM comes before the output relay. This way, only one terminal is ‘live’ at a time, but with SBM enabled, that terminal will be 100% on when that is the active path in the 3-way circuit. This could be problematic with some smart bulbs. The relay switch is quick, but not instant. And the internal logic that detects when the dumb switch is flipped takes a fraction of a second. This will likely result in a brief bounce in the power to the smart bulb. Different brands and models of smart bulb will probably vary on whether or not they can handle the brief power bounce.
Thoughts?