Common Chinese dusk switch. (With schematic.)
Vložit
- čas přidán 17. 05. 2017
- These light sensor switches seem to be very common on eBay, so I bought one to check it out. I wouldn't recommend these for switching high inrush loads like a metal halide light, but they look quite acceptable for low power LED lamps. The units are rated at 10A, but I'd advise against using them anywhere near that rating.
The simple capacitive dropper circuit is not rated to supply the relay's full current continuously, so the voltage rail drops to about 6V when the relay has pulled in. This is actually a good thing, since it won't harm the power supply and it reduces the dissipation in the relay's coil. When the voltage rail is pulled down by the energised relay, all the voltage divider reference voltages drop to match, so it doesn't really affect circuit stability, although it does explain the shorter turn off delay.
Probably points of failure are the relay contacts if used with a high inrush or operational load, possible water ingress, although it does seem to be designed to shed water in a controlled manner and the inevitable degradation of the dropper capacitor which will finally result in the relay not pulling in properly.
Here's a link to Andrew's website where he's selling the Quicktest units.
nodedist.com/store/cliff-quic...
Here's a link to a general search on eBay com for the dusk sensors.
110V version - www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=...
220V version - www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=...
12V DC version - www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=...
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm - Věda a technologie
I kinda miss the old bench. I like how it was gradually getting scarred from your adventures.
Yeah, It's nice to have the measurements from the mat for scale but the chard places did that just fine.
+ElectriclNovice19 Swiss chard?
+Misfit the mad
I meant to say charred.
Yep, less confusing also...
Each scar / gouge / charred bit can be related to a specific episode of Big Clive. He's depriving future subscribers of a major part of the channel's history!
All real benches have cuts, digs and burn marks, also SMD parts buried in the crevices - adds character!
SMD parts that always seem to end up in the holes where the drill went through material faster than expected and left a neat indent in the bench.
As long as they don't end up in the holes where the drill went through material faster than expected and left a neat indent in the finger, all is well.
The new mat is nice, but if I'm honest I kindof prefer the old MDF bench -- burns & all (those gave it some flavor!)
stryk187
The MDF bench with the name label is almost like Clive's trademark.... Changing it is like changing the entire business identity.
I kinda disliked the old particle board (yeah if it's MDF, it's some weird version). The cutting mat is better, apart from the glare, but I think just a simple real wood surface (semi-bright color, matte!) could be very nice.
indeed ...the old work bench is iconic , like 'Ashens and his brown velvet sofa .... the fans like things to be familiar . Its comforting
spamlobster MDF and particle board in the northerly americas: MDF is closer to thick, dense cardboard in appearance. No discernible particles. Fine fibrous constitution. Particle board looks like saw dust from a circular saw on the surface, and chainsaw chips in the inside. I would call Clive's workbench MDF using Northern American deductions. Perhaps it's different in the less fun regions of the world?
Well that's pretty much my point, clive's desktop seems to have too big parts in it to be MDF, in my experience MDF is more like a nearly uniform mass, rather than something you can see individual details in, just like you described.
I guess it just might be illusion from the scorch marks, lighting and video compression, so meh, it's beyond the point anyways.
Old bench was best bench. It was reminders of the good times, the bad times, the fiery times. It would be a good way to get new viewers interested in videos that left the biggest scars.
Thanks, Clive, when you said 'common collector' in the description of the circuit it reminded me why the supply rail tends to be labelled VCC in bipolar transistor circuits, and why it's labelled VDD in FET circuits. I've been thinking about this for a while since my memory started failing.
always fall asleep with late night Clive... not because it's boring... but his voice is so calm! relaxes me! love this, never stop please
Hi Clive, thank you for all of your FINE work! Expat Australian retired in Thailand here, these "dusk switches" are everywhere here, mostly they work quite well. My personal experience is that "if they are going to fail", it will be within about 3 weeks.
Have 3 of these in our home in Phuket, no problems.
One that controls the night lights in our bathroom for the rescue poodles failed quite quickly. Replaced all fine.
Really like the fact that these have a proper relay, other devices with triacs, or some such, do not work properly, we had to add a "real relay", for the LED lighting to work correctly, frustratinf, but now everything works.
Love your videos!
The old bench was heritage! It bore the scars of all those Big Clive episodes from the past, so I'm definitely in the "Bring the Old Bench" back division here! As for the 555, yes a rather vintage IC, and the first ever IC I used (Practical Wireless Metal Detector using a 555 as a tunable oscillator (variable R, constant C)). Maplin did a mail-order book entitled "101 Useful 555 Circuits" which is up in the loft somewhere - everything from kitchen timers (obviously) to model rail controllers / signalling controllers, Christmas Light controllers, and a host of other applications. Seeing as they are so cheap it'll be interesting to buy a bagful and revisit my mis-spent youth!
The old bench had "character". New mat is nice but please bring back the old bench top!
i know rite all the fire burns n stuff haha
"Battle scars"!!
Just like Photon's carpet!
Long time viewers see a burn from a funny episode and get all warm inside
That's because they're having an episode of spontaneous human combustion a la Fanny Flambeaux!
Mat or no mat, keep making these vids, for someone who knows nothing of electronics in the detailes this is fascinatiing to watch and follow, and most often eeven learn something.
I like the bench. It has character, and shows the scars of the adventures you've shared with us, the fortunate viewers.
I have been using 2 of these for over 3 years now every day to run about 50-60W of lights from it for my backyard and my parents backyard. Installed once, never touched it again... works like a charm.
I've been using one of these for years. I'm using it to turn on a 10W LED flood light each evening :)
Thank you, Clive, for this teardown it has got me the circuit I needed in a roundabout way.
This may interest people and hopefully, Clive or someone much smarter than me can figure this out and why it happened. I copied this 555 circuit down, I require a 12-volt photocell circuit so I removed the mains section. I took an old 555 and installed it on a test breadboard, I replaced the relay with a P-Channel Hexfet IRF9540N taking pin 3 of the 555 straight to the gate and using a 1Mega Ohm gate resistor connected to +12v. At first, I used a typical ORP12 type LDR, but on swapping this to a scrap component which I believe to be a phototransistor it worked fine with no component adjustments. Now for the interesting bit, I powered a tiny screw in mini 12volt bulb from the Hexfet and the whole thing was running from a Lead Acid battery, so plenty of current available.
I wanted to load test it, so I stuck a 50 watt 12-volt Halogen bulb across the existing bulb, it did not light properly and the small existing bulb went dim, the 555 began to overheat??? even though it is not involved at all in powering the load. After quickly removing the supply and allowing the 555 to cool down, everything works perfectly again.
I now have two 15 watt 12-volt screw in bulbs, so a total load across the Hexfet of 30 watts, I am actually quite happy with this, but I am still confused as to why the 555 got hot when I stuck the 50-watt load over the Hexfet. I can only assume the heavy inrush to the halogen made the supply rails fall too low for the 555 to function correctly.
My knowledge of electronics is not fantastic, I do not do enough to get really clever at it, to me it is a tedious means to an end, supplying me with useful circuits to do the home projects I may find difficult to buy off the shelf circuits for.
So any answers would be good, I am always curious about why some things happen.
UPDATE, the issue I am assuming must have been supply rail related because rightly or wrongly I seem to have solved the issue, I have fed the 555 through a 1N5001 diode and installed 3x 5.5 volt 1Farad storage capacitors in series to create a 1farad 16.5volt capacitor instead of the tiny supply decoupler of 50uf that I had installed, thus giving the 555 its own virtual power supply. It can now switch 80 watts of power, yes the Hexfet starts to get a bit warm, but nothing a large heatsink would not sort out.
I graduated electronics school in 1978. I'm loving this. I can do all the new hi-tech stuff, but old discrete circuits are fun. There aren't many people that can do this anymore.
I much enjoy the Matt in the video. I feel it makes it easier to follow the item in better focus to the eye. 👌
love your videos, I breadboard a lot of your circuit breakdowns ... 'tis awesome
oh no what have you done
thats like ashens throwing out his couch, you just cant do that
Almost sacrilege. I was waiting for the day when he managed to ignite the "BigClive.Com" logo at the bottom!
The vote seems to be to keep the old burnt wooden bench.
Definitely! (And leave the burnt bits too - the pyrophoric Lidl battery clip was priceless!)
He sort of did. It's no longer a full couch, he threw/gave away some section(s).
Long live the phrase "0-3 sad onions"!
Thanks Clive! Exactly what I would have needed for the LED flickering as I discussed on the discussion thread. I did change the unit for another DTD sensor and there is no flickering. The one I used from "Greenbrooke" is the type used on the top of UK street lamps. It's big. It's not particularly attractive, but it works! I might just buy a couple of these as shown in your video to have as spares. Excellent tuition video, thanks.
I made the dusk switch based on your schematic.works very well.thank you.
Hi Clive, I've been using a 12v version for several years to control our solar powered led illuminated street address sign. Was very interesting seeing what's inside and how it works!
I like the battle scars on your bench surface. We can only hope for more.
Hi, Clive. Many many years ago I had to make a very simple temperature controller with the parts I had available.
It was to keep home photographic chemicals at constant temp.
I cobbled up a circuit not unlike this one, thermistor instead of LDR.
It worked so well we were still using it 3 years later when we changed to different process.
Tom...
That was really neat. It was quite similar to the ones we install for lighting controls in the field.
The camera focus on your new cutting surface is fantastic. :D
I love the new mat! I like the fancy new setup :)
"secretly you're hoping it does go bang"....no secret here. I like it when things go bang.
I signed my soul away to Wago 5 years ago and have had no regrets.
This message is sponsored by Wago.
I first used 555 timers to time my ham repeater builds in the later 70’s. To get stable repeatable timing, tantalum capacitors were used. Teaming these up with cmos gates it did a basic but pretty good job. The 556 is the dual device, with two timers. I have A 555 cook book there are all types of circuits, blinkers, oscillators. It is a very versatile device.
I have a Twist Lock Photocell that powers a 400w Metal Halide Streetlight. Had it for 5 Years now. Never failed me. its still Outside today, powering that very same Streetlight. the streetlight itself is 15 Years Old. Lamp needs replacement, still works, but the lamp now has a very strong Green tint.
Dear Sir, Good day. I am a mechanical Engineer but interested in electronics . Your video had helped me to repair an exactly same dusk switch from China. Thanks and best regards, George A P(India).
I have been using a 12V version of this for some time to run a short piece of waterproof LED tape in the porch.
I expected water ingress issues (as I did literally just screw it into the porch trim) but so far its been working fine. I did wrap some amalgamating tape around the screw holes and where the wires go in, in the hope it reduces the chances of water blowing in.
The water has only been an issue in the junction box as I foolishly didn't drill a drain hole in it.
Really the only issue I have is the lights come on when its not yet dark enough to get any benefit, so I was quite excited to see this video to confirm where I need to be looking to fix that.
The scorched and stained desktop has character, no glare, and is the BC trademark. Much better for video than the New Improved Model (R). // Good old 555's; those claims on the data sheet are quite believable, because those chips used to turn up in the most unlikely of circuits. I've even seen one being used as a local oscillator in a home-made radio receiver. Tough little beasties, too.
RWBHere doesn't improved imply "not new"?
True; I used the word deliberately. It's a popular advertising buzz word, and some of those ad folk seem to know little about correct grammar. That phrase makes me cringe, especially when 'New Improved' really means, 'Now Cheapened'.
I like the new background of the cutting mat.
4:32 - "...secretly you're hoping it _does_ go bang." Me: _sheepishly looks away from monitor whistling innocently_ :)
Well, that specific 555 timer is intended for the *Chinese* versions of fingerprint and iris bio readers.
in which it's the only component and just unlocks them 3 seconds after you press the button.
Nice to see another fan of the 555 timing chip. I last used one to build a metronome.
I like the cutting mat... it givers you a sense of scale
The old bench has character. I don't mind you using this mat though, so it's up to you.
Ahh, the 555. The holy grail of cheap, versatile ICs. I honestly don't think that little chip is going anywhere any time soon; it's just too damn useful.
I was kind of excited to see the 555 timer show up in a video. Was my first IC I played with when learning electronics and have always been curious as to how many current engineers grew up playing with 555s. Still have my original timer cookbook before the days of the internet. I would have to admit, was sadly disappointed seeing the comments were dominated about the bench. Was hoping to read some good timer flashback stories. Oh well...my two cents. It's human nature to hate change when ones in their comfort zone. So the majority will want to keep the density fiberboard. I'll vote for that too.
Thanks Clive, for another excellent video with good info...and the unit under test was actually a pretty decent little device! I was semi-impressed with the size of the relay after you opened the unit...it probably is actually good for 10A load!...and was rather surprised (like you) to see a 555 timer chip...before you reverse engineered the circuit, I thought that might somehow be used for the delay, but the circuit design is actually brilliant...it uses not the timer function of the 555, but the threshold sensor and output switches of the cheap chip!
I too would add a snubber diode to protect the chip's output transistor.
As far as the applications of Fingerprint, Biometrics, RFID...those are just "new", and more current and stylish circuits being designed...I too can't immediately imagine where a stand-alone timer could be used in applications which undoubtedly have processors, which have all the internal timer functions one would ever need, but that's the beauty of the manufacturer putting that into the chip data sheet...they don't have to figure out how to work it in...they leave it up to designers to rack their brain to figure out how they could possibly design a 555 into those applications...sort of like the manufacturer of a bicycle telling NASA there's an application for it on the space shuttle...actually a rather brilliant marketing strategy!
New table mat looks good but I agree with others, its too busy, it hijacks camera focus, and lacks the well-earned character and patina of the old MDF, not to mention the official BigClive ID.
I think you should have a marker on each blemish/burn-mark, which links to the video in which it was created...you could call it: Big Clive's table-top archeology. Cheers from Connecticut!
I prefer your old bench, mainly due to the reflection from you lamps. I just started making a few CZcams videos it's more of a video diary really. Anyway it's much harder in really life than I thought it would be. Always enjoy your stuff. Interesting comments about LEDs and snubber, I have had a lot problems with ghosting on early LED installations, I double cut now. Regards Chris
When I was MUCH younger, we always called the mains quick connector A MOUSE TRAP. Very common in factory's in UK..
I was using a dmx dimmer and there was a snubber network on the outputs, which caused the led christmas lights to glow. Plugging in an incandescent night light of 7w fixed that, painted the bulb black to kill it's output.. worked a treat!
Love the new work bench.
I am still glad what you do we all get something from it from your sacrfice.
Better background, except the two bright light spots - even zooming in washes out the top of the screen. Oh, and you're missing the "BIGCLIVEDOTCOM" - just in case I forget who I'm watching!!
If the capacitor can be bridged, then I think I am completely misunderstanding the point of the capacitors - or perhaps zeners. Is there any chance you could elaborate?
Nicholas Barnes I hope I can help: I'll try to explain as simple as possible: The capacitor kind of drops the voltage in this case to lets say 20V (without dissipating very much heat, a resistor could be used as well but would result in higher heat output/higher power draw. After that the bridgre rectifiers makes pulsing DC out of that AC which results in around 0.7V voltage drop per diode which equals to 18.6V at the 100ohm resistor and zener diode. The zener always a specific voltage drop (in this case 12V) so the 100ohm resistor drops the rest (in my example around 6.6V). If you would bridge the capacitor and power it with lets say 15V, the diodes from the bridge rectifier would output 13.6V.The zener still drops 12 V so the 100ohm resistor has to drop around 1.6V
Ah. That was the bit I was missing - I thought that BC was saying it could still be powered from the mains without the capacitor. The rest makes perfect sense. Thank you.
Aha, no he said from 12V, e.g. a car battery or something like this
I noticed on the eBay printout he showed there was also a 12V unit listed along the bottom...
Back to the old bench please, the new mat is visually cluttered and has too much reflection. Thanks
I was giving this a good, hard think. On the one hand, if you can fix the lighting with some diffusing film the cutting mat background is alright. It's clean and simple, and auto-focus takes well to it. On the other hand, the bench... it has a story. The markings on it are all from different misadventures and represent everything you've done so we didn't have to. So it's a matter of being modern and looking like every other smart CZcamsr or going with your own "Aesthetic:, no matter how it looks.
Great channel! I love these videos!
I'd prefer the old one. Less shiny, less crowded.
I love the new backdrop Clive it's cool
I bought one of these from eBay/China but the 12v version. I use it to turn on/off my LED down-lighters on my garden room. The sensor it on the inside, facing out of one of the windows. Had it for a few years now, works perfect!
I remember doing systems and control technology in school in the early 90's and the 555 timer chip was the very first chip IC we learnt about in detail. We used it to flash a strobe and sound a buzzer in an alarm circuit. We did loads of work on logic gates like the 7404 and 7408 to but i rarely see them in anything I open up.
xzombiex19x 7404s are just inverting buffers, but they are frequently used to also provide buffered (albeit negating) outputs as well. That said you generally would not expect to find them used all that much in microprocessor controlled circuits unless you are exceeding the fan out rating of the micro's digital I/O pins or have a need to negate the output as an input to some other device under control of the micro. The 7408 is a dual input AND gate and you would have seen such used in the past to implement logic tests like electronic safety interlock mechanisms where you wanted a safety interlock of sorts where two sources must be logic high for the output to propagate any further, or for routine AND tests in other logic applications.
In the past you would have seen such discreet logic used heavily to create a complete logic circuit whereas today much of that logic is either implemented internally in code or within CPLDs, FPGAs or DSPs, etc. So the logic is still there under the hood, it just is not as readily visible today.
Good presentation,thank you.
Amazing least to say of many fans think that bench cover is so vital
And not one single comment regarding Electronics!!!!. May be one or two!!!!!.
Guys this is not a movie it is Lab Test.
I want the old bench! Love all the old scars. Its a tell that it is put to good use.
I have the 12v version of this for backup lighting during power outages; it works quite well. Old bench!
I like the new bench look.
the beat up bench just has more character. good video regardless
Bought a couple of 12V versions couple of years back, came with wiring details + easy to Google, the 100K was a POT to adjust light on/off level. The white (clear) box goes upwards just put the wires into a terminal block in a small weather proof box with plenty of sealant.
Is the relay coil really connected before the 100 ohm inrush resistor? The poor coil will see 325V spike when plugged in. This can also damage the output of the 555.
But the Zener diode is after the resistor, the coil is before the resistor.
No... when you power it up, the 330nF capacitor is discharged. For a very short time, the full mains voltage will be on the 100 ohm resistor.
Please checkout Relay coil connection !
The Relay are connect output + and 12volt +
The old bench brings back old memories with the scars it had.
Aw I quite liked the old bench. Although the pink cutting mat does make me very happy
I like the old bench, with the love marks!
I like the grey mat. Gives you a sense of scale to the objects displayed. If only the lines would be paralel to the frame.
our old guitar tech used to hit these mats with several layers of a flat clear spray paint, since his work place was usually bright. helped him not get those visual anomalies after staring into a bright light.
Maybe that will be more friendly to the camera too.
I love the new bench look myself. It looks professional.
I just received a pack of 555s from eBay for some breadboard projects - £0.76 for a pack of 20. The are great wee chips and so easy to use.
Oh, and I prefer the old bench. Each burn and scorch mark tells its own story.
Love your videos !!
I use thse Wago connectors for connecting lamps to the wires coming out of the ceiling (if the lamp doesn't come with a terminal block); also for connecting the heated build platform of my 3D printer to an ATX PSU. They happily take 6A and more.
I love the new matt helps with scaling.
It was a brief experiment, but was not liked by many.
Bring back the bench! The reflections and shadows on the mat are ghastly! PS. I have an "antique" quicktest branded RS with Red Black and Green which belonged to my father before me.
Those Wago terminals are brilliant. I use them for Phone line extensions, or if i have to crop the botch job Open Reach left behind.
well glad to hear you hadn't burnt to a cinder, love the grey matt apparently blood shows up best on a grey back ground so the movie special effects people say !
funny story, I was picking up a cliff unit to use for mains stuff based on the videos you make, the amazon listing in the us has two reviews giving props to Big Clive. pretty cool stuff sir. needless to say it was 20usd cheaper on ebay. And the 555, when I think about it, its a hysteresis device to me. so much to say, never knowing when to say it. cheers.
Aluminium wiring was common in Canada for a while. The issue is doing work now requires converting between aluminium and copper which can't be done directly. I can't remember what the transition metal is. If the termination is not done properly, it can explode, as happened when a backup generator was switched on during a UPS test in a data centre here, sending shrapnel flying.
Suggested uses for the 555 chip in RFID or biometrics could be for the timer between reading the persons card and then having to enter a PIN or present a finger before it times out. Usually all this is built into one device but if you were developing a new device or putting two separate ones together, this could form part of the circuotry between the card reader and verification reader.
Got one of these 3 years ago for $1.99 sod knows what it was in Sterling.
Out of sheer bloody minded curiosity I put it outside mounted to an IP65 box in which I stuck the connections using wago clips and it controls a 30W LED Flood.
Mounted BLUE end UP..
Still reliably running today !
Laughably it has outlasted 2 propper photocells running the same type of light ?
You can get 12 and 24V versions.
I use 2 of those to control the lightning in my garden, each one control 2x 220v Lamp, and 1 control an COB Led 220V at the porch too. They are very interesting.
I know not the best engineering, but they do the job!! As Clive mentioned they are not instently, about 5-10 sec, but I dont mind that. I need them to turn ON light at night, and Off during day and they do that pretty well 😉
The new mat is nice.
These "dusk switches" work great on 12 volts. [solar powered barn and garden lights]
I like the new mat.
Nice dusk switch, I like how easy it must be to convert it for using it with 12VDC only.
If you don't trust it on mains voltage or want to play around with it safely, you can always put it on the secondary side of a low voltage power source for e.g. led lights.
just (remove and) bridge the X2 capacitor. Optionally you can remove the bridge rectifier, too, but it take away the "universal" polarity power input "feature".
Now that I have read the video's description, I read that you can buy the 12VDC version as well. I wonder what the difference is...
I use them for LED porch light and bathroom night light in a camper.
Mounted it in a window by the light switch and shielded it with a piece of aluminum from inside LED lights.
Used a 240 volt one on a 30w LED for 5 years still working well,
Having said that, now it will probably fail..
BUT - The 12v ac and 24v ac ones are the same with a couple of different supply components.
Amazingly reliable for a cheap piece of tech from china
The "applications" for the 555, I think they might be used for the "dead time" between reads.
Good analytical Vid. Thanks.
Clive, back to the pressboard benchtop, please. The grey is unpleasant and the glare is yuck.
The 555 would be used to energize and keep power to the unlock coil for a door unlock for a timed duration, for biometric applications.
Needs a Big Clive sticker on it!
Could just tattoo bigclive.com on the back of your hands instead of replacing the sticker :)
bigclivedotcom!
Nani Isobel or you could tattoos the video . though I know Clive is not a fan of video prossesing
I quite like the new video surface.
Bought a 12volt one of these for my garden lights, as usually had to fix it before it would work.
I like the new background :-)
Someone did a study and the best BG color for displaying items was a light, bright shade of blue. I like the grid lines but I don't like the slate color. It's hard to tell because the reflection is quite distracting.
I need one to run my deck lights,good idea.!
I bought a US/CANADA Quicktest from Newark and it came in today. Added a cable, and now I'm ready to go.
I like the new mat my only problem with it is that it brings out my OCD and i want everything you do lined up with the background aargh..cheers for the videos.
I love the new mat, makes your videos look much more classy and old bench makes everything look grainy and stale, maybe a compromise like a painted bench, I agree all the lines are slightly distracting but no more gross MDF pleasee!!
Classic, just classic. I suppose pots could be used in place of the resistors to adjust both sensitivity and delay time.
Indeed, quite hackable!
I say switch it up from time to time but the old bench gives my late night CZcams viewing comfort.....
That was interesting. I feel like buying one myself now.