Q: Why
can't I just use a simple rheostat or potentiometer to dim the panel
lights?
A:
Potentiometers can't handle the current of more than two or three typical
panel post lights. The LC-40 will dim up to eighteen post lights per
channel.
Q: Why
do I need more than one dimming channel?
A:
General aviation airplanes have notoriously poor cockpit lighting.
In part, this is due to trying to dim all the lights with one control.
Invariably some lights need to be brighter than others. For example,
post lights generally need to be operated dimmer than internally lit
instrument lights. Did you know that airliners have more than twenty
dimming control knobs in their cockpits to attain proper brightness for
each group of lights?