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triac

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2004-06-22 18:09 in General Discussion
Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a stamp. does
anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I could
hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can you
hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 01:15
    It's not just enough to drive it with a square-wave, to have control
    over the brightness you need to delay turn-on of the triac after the
    zero-cross, because once it's on, it stays on until the zero cross. It
    might be easier to adapt a standard dimmer circuit and replace the
    mechanical pot with one that can be digitally controlled by the BASIC
    Stamp.

    -- Jon Williams
    -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
    -- Dallas Office


    Original Message
    From: mark allen [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=AqQAuvob8Or70RtTWhHco5DEI4t-awrE1lcq1KPwQfQhniDNQDRPXl8DJsin75EBOC1Z5C8tSOP_VwD8Ag]m@m...[/url
    Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 6:23 PM
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] triac


    Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a stamp. does

    anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I could
    hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can you
    hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 01:27
    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
    wrote:
    > It's not just enough to drive it with a square-wave, to have control
    > over the brightness you need to delay turn-on of the triac after the
    > zero-cross, because once it's on, it stays on until the zero
    cross. It
    > might be easier to adapt a standard dimmer circuit and replace the
    > mechanical pot with one that can be digitally controlled by the
    BASIC
    > Stamp.
    >
    > -- Jon Williams
    > -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
    > -- Dallas Office


    Why not just use DC and a mosfet ? you don't need pure DC if all you
    are doing is rectifing, and since you are talking about dimming, that
    should not be too much of a problem.

    If you missed that, rectifying AC into DC and then running a light or
    something, will result in a lower voltage and a dimmer bulb. a
    little filtering with some caps and you can get the brightness back
    and maybe even better.

    And, it is much easier to pulse a MOSFET for dimming.

    Dave
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 01:45
    MOSFETs won't work if you're looking to dim 120 VAC lights....

    Jon Williams
    Parallax


    Original Message
    From: Dave Mucha [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=DpJBIWWChbRApBqviJbHxVBle8T2T5JMfu4J4ywAa0q7tCh1FHVNp5zNX1rAblVEoAchqICOxRw]davemucha@j...[/url
    Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:27 PM
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: triac


    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
    wrote:
    > It's not just enough to drive it with a square-wave, to have control
    > over the brightness you need to delay turn-on of the triac after the
    > zero-cross, because once it's on, it stays on until the zero
    cross. It
    > might be easier to adapt a standard dimmer circuit and replace the
    > mechanical pot with one that can be digitally controlled by the
    BASIC
    > Stamp.
    >
    > -- Jon Williams
    > -- Applications Engineer, Parallax
    > -- Dallas Office


    Why not just use DC and a mosfet ? you don't need pure DC if all you
    are doing is rectifing, and since you are talking about dimming, that
    should not be too much of a problem.

    If you missed that, rectifying AC into DC and then running a light or
    something, will result in a lower voltage and a dimmer bulb. a
    little filtering with some caps and you can get the brightness back
    and maybe even better.

    And, it is much easier to pulse a MOSFET for dimming.

    Dave









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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 03:11
    At 04:23 PM 6/21/04 -0700, mark allen wrote:
    >Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a stamp. does
    >anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I could
    >hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can you
    >hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?

    If you're looking to do this for use in a home, the simplest way is to use an X-10 dimmer and use the PBASIC XOUT command to control it. You will also need an X-10 interface as well.

    Regards,

    Bruce Bates







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    >
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 12:52
    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, mark allen <m@m...> wrote:
    > Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a stamp.
    does
    > anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I
    could
    > hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can
    you
    > hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?

    Mark,

    I don't think it is possible to control triac using Basic Stamp due
    to its slow speed and lack of interrupt. I have not seen any such
    design (and I've searched hard).
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 13:19
    Well,

    I have done a similar thing in the past, not directly connecting a Stamp to
    a dimmer but I used the analog output voltage of a TDA8444. But a PWM from a
    Stamp should do the same job.

    I have then built a special type of optocoupler using a high impedance
    photoresistor to replace the potmeter in the dimmer and a LED connected to
    the output voltage. The LDR and de LED were glued together in a small dark
    plastic casing (1 cm of a BIC ballpoint :-).

    But be carefull, on the cicuit of a dimmer there is the full mains voltage
    and you need a special type of LDR that keeps alive and happy with these
    high voltages!!

    My LDR was designed for 400 Volts peak to peak. But we have 230 Volts here.

    This system has been running for years keeping the amount of light in my
    working place at a constant level.

    I hope this helps, but be VERY carefull !!

    Klaus
    Original Message
    From: "basicstampede" <basicstampede@y...>
    To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
    Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 1:52 PM
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: triac


    > --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, mark allen <m@m...> wrote:
    > > Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a stamp.
    > does
    > > anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I
    > could
    > > hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can
    > you
    > > hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?
    >
    > Mark,
    >
    > I don't think it is possible to control triac using Basic Stamp due
    > to its slow speed and lack of interrupt. I have not seen any such
    > design (and I've searched hard).
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    > Yahoo! Groups Links
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 14:15
    This is true. The 'Firecracker' package, with
    sending unit you connect to the Stamp, a lamp module,
    and the recieving unit you plug into the wall,
    and an RF remote for hand control -- all together
    these cost $25.00, I believe. Such a deal.

    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Bruce Bates <bvbates@u...> wrote:
    > At 04:23 PM 6/21/04 -0700, mark allen wrote:
    > >Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a
    stamp. does
    > >anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I
    could
    > >hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can
    you
    > >hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?
    >
    > If you're looking to do this for use in a home, the simplest way is
    to use an X-10 dimmer and use the PBASIC XOUT command to control
    it. You will also need an X-10 interface as well.
    >
    > Regards,
    >
    > Bruce Bates
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    > >
    > >Yahoo! Groups Links
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > >
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 15:56
    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jon Williams" <jwilliams@p...>
    wrote:
    > MOSFETs won't work if you're looking to dim 120 VAC lights....
    >
    > Jon Williams
    > Parallax

    Of course not, but rectify the AC and you have DC.

    And you can get a mosfet to dim 150 VDC.

    And most light bulbs are incandescent and will work on either AC or
    DC.

    Dave
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2004-06-22 18:09
    Mark,

    I have made a light dimmer using a triac controlled by a stamp. The stamp
    interfaced to a 256 step digital pot (Dallas Semiconductor DS1267) using
    the stamp's serial interface. The digital pot was used to control when to
    turn on the triac during the AC cycle. I used a zero crossing detector to
    create a pulse when the AC cycle crossed zero. The pulse from the zero
    crossing detector would go to a one shot with the digital pot controlling
    the delay of the one shot. The output of the one shot would drive an
    optoisolator (MOC0310) which would drive the triac. By changing the tap
    on the digital pot via the stamp you can control light intensity. Here
    is a link to info on light dimmers.

    http://www.epanorama.net/links/lights.html#dimbasic

    Ron




    mark allen <m@m...>
    No Phone Info Available
    06/21/2004 05:23 PM
    Please respond to basicstamps


    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    cc:
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] triac


    Hello group, I'd like to make a light dimmer controlled by a stamp. does
    anyone have a schematic/advice for doing this? I was thinking I could
    hook up a triac to a pin and drive that with a square wave but can you
    hook a triac directly up to a stamp like a transistor?





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