110v-230v AC to Mysensors PCB board
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@aproxx I guess you use a different Arduino Pro Mini as the one in the 3D view, because its row of pins pointing towards us seems to get awfully close to the mains coming from "Power in", right?
@Yveaux: I'm using the standard Arduino Nano, but I agree that the 3D view looks a bit worrying. In real life it isn't needed to solder this row of pins to the Arduino, so it should be safe. So the assumption of @DrJeff is correct!
The only reason why these pins look connected to the board is because I couldn't find a 3D design of the Arduino nano without these 6 pins soldered. :)
But thanks for pointing this out, I'll add it to the documentation to make sure people aren't getting confused.@AWI: I'll try and see if I can take some decent pictures when I get home (in approximately 12 hours) and post them up here!
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For those who wanted to see some pictures of the board:
Small notice: These pictures are of a slightly older design. The newer design has a few minor changes like better component placement and a permanent fuse instead of this resettable fuse. But these pictures should at least give you an idea on how everything looks like, and shows how really small it actually is.
Also, I reinforced the traces of the 230v lines, which I absolutely recommend to do! (Although I do recommend to do it slightly more professional than I did on this prototype :)) -
For those who wanted to see some pictures of the board:
Small notice: These pictures are of a slightly older design. The newer design has a few minor changes like better component placement and a permanent fuse instead of this resettable fuse. But these pictures should at least give you an idea on how everything looks like, and shows how really small it actually is.
Also, I reinforced the traces of the 230v lines, which I absolutely recommend to do! (Although I do recommend to do it slightly more professional than I did on this prototype :)) -
@AWI Thanks for the kind words! I did my best on the soldering part, but the reinforcement of the 230v circuit could have done a bit better in my opinion. :) Next time I would use an isolated wire to reinforce the 230v traces, but for a prototype build this was sufficient.
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Nice job. Why do you need to bridge the 230V lines? Can't you just make the traces bigger? Is it really needed? The relay can only switch 2A. So the traces have to survive 2A, too. You can easily calculate the required traces with tools like this: http://circuitcalculator.com/wordpress/2006/01/31/pcb-trace-width-calculator/
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Nice job. Why do you need to bridge the 230V lines? Can't you just make the traces bigger? Is it really needed? The relay can only switch 2A. So the traces have to survive 2A, too. You can easily calculate the required traces with tools like this: http://circuitcalculator.com/wordpress/2006/01/31/pcb-trace-width-calculator/
@Jan-Gatzke I've used a similar calculator before and according to these calculation it isn't mandatory.
- Dirtypcbs.com claims to use 1oz/ft2 copper thickness (which seems to be 0.035mm).
- The traces between the solid state relay and connectors are all 2mm wide.
- Distance between the solid state relay and the connector on the edge is less than 20mm.
That would lead to the following calculations:
So you are right that it isn't mandatory to reinforce these traces. However, to be on the safe side I'm still planning to reinforce them. I know, it probably isn't necessary but it doesn't hurt putting this extra effort in, just to be completely safe. :)
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Keep in mind, that you do not want to run the relay at 2A for a longer period of time. 2A at 230V means 460 W power consumption. Most devices / lights will consume less. So hopefully this will never be a problem.
Again, great job. I will definitely order some of the pcbs, too.
What about the other parts? Do you have some kind of link collection for Ebay/Ali? This would make it even easier to build the device.
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Keep in mind, that you do not want to run the relay at 2A for a longer period of time. 2A at 230V means 460 W power consumption. Most devices / lights will consume less. So hopefully this will never be a problem.
Again, great job. I will definitely order some of the pcbs, too.
What about the other parts? Do you have some kind of link collection for Ebay/Ali? This would make it even easier to build the device.
@Jan-Gatzke Indeed, most of my lights only consume like 10% of the maximum rated power, so I should be on the safe side for sure.
I have attached a ZIP file which contains all required information in one of my previous posts (HERE). That one contains a Word document with all components and an AliExpress/Ebay link.
I'll try and see if I can update the first post of this topic as well to include all important information.
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Ok, lazy me didn't have a look at the zip. Tanks for the hint. :)
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@aproxx This looks very cool! I am curious what (if any) heat sink will be used with the solid state relay? I have never used a solid state relay but I have been reading about them and it seems that most are used with a heat sink. Maybe it depends on the amperage that will be switched though. Thanks!
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The SSR has an integrated heat sink according to the specs. Don't know if this is a knockoff and follows the same standard of quality though. Given the low A rating, and the fact that most of us will be switching a 10-20W worth of lights, I think it will be fine.
I noticed the ceramic "Slow Blow Fuse (250v 0.3A)" was out of stock on Ebay. As was the 0.2A version. Someone is stocking up :-) Would it have to be a ceramic fuse?
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The SSR has an integrated heat sink according to the specs. Don't know if this is a knockoff and follows the same standard of quality though. Given the low A rating, and the fact that most of us will be switching a 10-20W worth of lights, I think it will be fine.
I noticed the ceramic "Slow Blow Fuse (250v 0.3A)" was out of stock on Ebay. As was the 0.2A version. Someone is stocking up :-) Would it have to be a ceramic fuse?
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The SSR has an integrated heat sink according to the specs. Don't know if this is a knockoff and follows the same standard of quality though. Given the low A rating, and the fact that most of us will be switching a 10-20W worth of lights, I think it will be fine.
I noticed the ceramic "Slow Blow Fuse (250v 0.3A)" was out of stock on Ebay. As was the 0.2A version. Someone is stocking up :-) Would it have to be a ceramic fuse?
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@bjornhallberg said:
was out of stock on Ebay. As was the 0.2A version. Someone is stocking up
:pensive: oops! You wanted some?
just kidding, let me check I have a line on parts I will see if they have some.
@DrJeff I actually bought the 0.2A version myself before it was gone :-) But I was surprised to find how hard it was to find axial ceramic fuses of the right size or at the right price. Maybe we could find some sort of small fuse holder instead?
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@DrJeff I actually bought the 0.2A version myself before it was gone :-) But I was surprised to find how hard it was to find axial ceramic fuses of the right size or at the right price. Maybe we could find some sort of small fuse holder instead?
@bjornhallberg said:
Maybe we could find some sort of small fuse holder instead?
I know its probably not the best thing to do but I have just soldered on leads, bare wire. I just tin the metal first and scuff it a little. I have done the same thing to batteries with no ill effect.The key is get in and off quickly!
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@AWI Thanks for the kind words! I did my best on the soldering part, but the reinforcement of the 230v circuit could have done a bit better in my opinion. :) Next time I would use an isolated wire to reinforce the 230v traces, but for a prototype build this was sufficient.
@aproxx I'm hoping to receive the boards soon (they were sent almost two weeks ago) and have one question for you.
I've had a quick look at your example code in the Word document but I'm not familiar with Arduino Debouncing. My question is what kind of switch is the best to use, a standard On/Off switch or a Pulse switch?
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@mvdarend I'm not sure if I completely understand what you mean by "pulse switch"..
I was planning on using a normal light switch, in order to have an on/off (open and closed) circuit.
But it shouldn't be a problem to modify the code a bit in case you're using some other buttons (like a push button for example). I'm sure me or somebody else on this forum can help you with your code in case it shouldn't work out as expected. :) -
@mvdarend I'm not sure if I completely understand what you mean by "pulse switch"..
I was planning on using a normal light switch, in order to have an on/off (open and closed) circuit.
But it shouldn't be a problem to modify the code a bit in case you're using some other buttons (like a push button for example). I'm sure me or somebody else on this forum can help you with your code in case it shouldn't work out as expected. :)
