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Automatic light dimmer?

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  • Light
  • Do It Yourself
Last response: in Other Consumer Electronics
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January 23, 2014 10:37:49 AM

This feels like a shot in the dark but I figured I would give it a try.

Can anyone help me find an automatic light dimmer? Before you point to B&Q or similar DIY store and say there they are let me clarify what I mean by automatic light dimmer.

Basically I’m looking for this: http://www.thebirdroom.co.uk/shop/15/bulblux-auto-timer...

However as you can see by the price its very expensive for what it is and it looks a lot like there hand made by bob in the back of a shed. On top of that I’m not keen on buying from a site I’ve never heard of or don’t know if there reputable.

An ideal response would be for someone to come back with a link to Amazon I could buy from but I’ve looked and looked and I can’t see anything like what I want there.

I’m open to other suggestions to try rather than a device like I have linked above. What I need it for is to have a light come on at a preset time every day to help the canaries in my aviary think the sun is setting later then it really is. I already have a timed switch which comes on at a preset time but it’s the dimmer part that I really need and can’t find for a reasonable price or reputable store. I need a light source that will come on full beam while the sun and daylight is still there, continue to stay on for say an extra hour once the natural daylight has gone then gradually and slowly dim itself down to nothing like a setting sun, then turn on again at the pre-set time the following day to rinse and repeat.

Any help appreciated.

More about : automatic light dimmer

January 23, 2014 10:51:00 AM

Although this is a computer enthusiasts' forum, you may find some useful advice here.
For my part, this sounds like an excellent DIY project. I've dabbled in electronics. My personal approach would be to build a light dimmer circuit using a TRIAC that is rated and heatsinked for the desired load. These are typically controlled by something like a little UJT (unijunction transistor) oscillator. Instead of a resistor (or in series with a small one, if needed), I'd use an arbitrarily large capacitor (e.g. 1000-3000 microfarads) with a 10MOhm resistor across it, most likely in series with a diode. As the capacitor charges, the oscillator will gradually slow down (time determined by the size of the capacitor), causing the light to dim. This whole circuit goes on a timer, and the many hours it is "off" each day allows the capacitor to discharge through that large resistor, so it is ready again the next day.
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January 23, 2014 1:59:03 PM

Thank for the reply and yeah i know this sites more about computers but i don’t like registering details to be able to post at other places and i wasn't all that sure where i could post a question like this in the first place. Just thought i would try asking in case someone here had an idea or answer.

While i'm sure what you said is good i really have no idea what you actually said. I can just about wire a plug :(  so am looking for a plug it in, press a button and be done with it solution. Thanks for trying though!


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