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roller coaster or breathing effect

English translation: See explanation below...

13:27 Dec 6, 2005
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Electronics / Elect Eng / lighting
English term or phrase: roller coaster or breathing effect
XXX has faced many technical challenges in its history. XXX engineers have addressed the issue of
international power quality, specifically power line noise, and its negative effect on dimmers.
Poor-quality power can cause lights to change rapidly as power source integrity changes. This can manifest
itself as an occasional flash, a strobe effect, or a ***roller coaster or breathing effect***.

in other words?? (I think I can maybe understand the roller coaster [up and down?] but the breathing?)
Elena Ghetti
Italy
Local time: 00:57
Selected answer:See explanation below...
Explanation:
'breathing' suggests a subtle degree of brightening and dimming of the lights, at a fairly slow rate, akin to breathing. You know, that sort of 'whoomph, whoomph' pulsating that you get in sci-fi films with big red warning lights indicating that something big is operating, like nuclear reactor etc., accompanied by a low noise!

'slow pulsation' would probably describe it best --- the important thing is that the lights only dim slightly, don't go out completely, and that it is a gradual thing, not an abrupt step change.

As for 'roller-coaster', I would be less sure, it's certainly not a technical term I'm familiar with; I would have envisaged it as individual variations in the brightness amongst a series of lights, though from the technical standpoint that seems unlikely under the circumstances they're describing. I can only imagine they're referring to a faster and perhaps deeper fluctuation in the brightness of the lights.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:57
Grading comment
many thanks!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +3See explanation below...
Tony M


  

Answers


18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
See explanation below...


Explanation:
'breathing' suggests a subtle degree of brightening and dimming of the lights, at a fairly slow rate, akin to breathing. You know, that sort of 'whoomph, whoomph' pulsating that you get in sci-fi films with big red warning lights indicating that something big is operating, like nuclear reactor etc., accompanied by a low noise!

'slow pulsation' would probably describe it best --- the important thing is that the lights only dim slightly, don't go out completely, and that it is a gradual thing, not an abrupt step change.

As for 'roller-coaster', I would be less sure, it's certainly not a technical term I'm familiar with; I would have envisaged it as individual variations in the brightness amongst a series of lights, though from the technical standpoint that seems unlikely under the circumstances they're describing. I can only imagine they're referring to a faster and perhaps deeper fluctuation in the brightness of the lights.

Tony M
France
Local time: 00:57
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 304
Grading comment
many thanks!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kirill Semenov: can't it mean the alternation of sudden ups and downs, as when enjoying roller-coaster riding? :) With sudden pantings for breath and the short periods of relief?
28 mins
  -> Thanks, Kirill! My hesitation is in what way they are regarding this as different... frequency, amplitude...?
agree  Nikos Mastrakoulis: I believe that, technically, a roller-coaster's trajectory fits the description of slow // ...pulsation (regardless of what its passengers may feel). [Somehow my comment was truncated]. // Thinking of the time graph on the Y axis. Not so fast.
41 mins
  -> Efharisto, Nikos! Except that a roller-coaster is usually frighteningly FAST!
agree  Romanian Translator (X)
51 mins
  -> Thanks, Awana!
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