Ceiling fan/light node

[dbemowsk]

@yveaux One for the fan and one for the light. They didn't make a single X10 module that did both as one unit.

[Yveaux]

@dbemowsk ah, ok. Now I get it :-)

[dbemowsk]

@yveaux That's why I'm trying to design a module that handles both as one unit.

[nagelc]

I've been thinking about trying to make a dimmer using this chip:

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/on-semiconductor/FL5160MX/FL5160MXTR-ND/6126507

It does the heavy lifting on the zero cross logic and claims to be good with LED bulbs. It's meant to be very easy to make a potentiometer controlled dimmer, but if you can provide a variable voltage signal, you can control it from a microcontroller.

I have been meaning to get one and experiment with it, but I've been more focused on learning how to use NRF5 modules at the moment.

[dbemowsk]

@nagelc Thanks, I'll look into this more.

[tbowmo]

@nagelc

Had a quick look at the datasheet for that IC.. It requires either a variable resistor, or a 0-10V input, to control the thing.

With some RC filtering you could make an analog voltage from the PWM, but that is only 0-3.3V, or 0-5V, depending on supply voltages for the MCU, then you need to boost that up to the 0-10V..

[tbowmo]

@dbemowsk

found some interesting reading about leading / trailing edge dimming: http://www.ledjournal.com/main/blogs/leading-edge-vs-trailing-edge-dimmers/

[rvendrame]

According to this, avoid trailing edge dimmers to control inductive loads (fan motor in this case).

[dbemowsk]

For now I am okay with leading edge triac based dimmers as all I am running are incandescent bulbs right now anyway, so I am going to stick with the triac based dimmers for now. Even in the future I may at least stick with the triac based dimmer with the snubbers for the fan control as that is an inductive load. If I could find some dimmable LED bulbs that use the LM3450 based driver made by national semiconductor or the TPS92210 from Texas Instruments, it looks like that type should work with triac based dimmers. This can be found referenced in this article from Digikey.

[DrJeff]

@dbemowsk Any progress I want to do this as well?