There are currently many smart bulbs that can be controlled from a mobile app or through certain virtual assistants using voice commands. Smart homes are all the rage, and if you want to start learning how these systems work, you can make your own light dimmer at home.
With it, you can control the intensity of a lamp or light bulb to create the ambiance you prefer. More intensity for when you read, study, etc., and less to create a cozier atmosphere when you want to relax…
What is a dimmer or dimmer?
A light dimmer , or dimmer switch, is a device that can control voltage using voltage regulators or triacs. This modifies the voltage supplied to the light bulb, causing its intensity to fluctuate according to the supply voltage. For example, I'll show you a dimmer switch I had to build some time ago for an electronics course project.
It's simple, inexpensive, and can be used with any standard light bulb . To make it, here are the instructions…
Materials
What you'll need for this DIY project is the skill of a maker and easy-to-find materials such as:
- No products found. for electrical supply.
- No products found. to connect to any outlet to supply power.
- No products found. of 5A, represented by F in the scheme. Optionally, you can use a fuse holder, to make it easier to change the fuse, although it can be soldered directly.
- No products found. o No products found.. You can also 3D print it if you have a printer, or make it out of wood, etc. It will serve as a support and insulation for the circuit.
- No products found. to record it with the proper circuit or No products found..
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- 2x 39nF / 250v polyester capacitors (C1 and C4). And another 2x 22nF / 250v polyester capacitors (C2 and C3).
- Linear potentiometer No products found. (P1), will serve as an actuator to be able to regulate the intensity manually.
- Resistance of No products found. 0,5w (R1) and another resistance of No products found. 0,5w (R2).
- Choke coil with ferrite (L).
- No products found.to connect the output (S) and input (E).
- Tin soldering iron (if you are not going to use breadboard).
- Wire strippers.
Construction
With all this, you must generate the following electrical circuit :
Once everything is connected, the result should look something like this:
And the operation should produce the following result:
Implementation with Arduino
However, if you want to save on components and use Arduino to make the light dimmer, you can also do it easily. In fact, they sell kits like this one to make things easier for you. Its setup is simple…
To make our dimmer, or light regulator , with Arduino , you can do it in many ways. You can even use many of the elements from the previous diagram to create this project:
You can use a module :
You can even use the WiFi module to create a smart light…
As you can see, the possibilities are quite numerous…
More information – Free Arduino course