An extraordinary light switch

[Boncuk]

Hi all,

not having the proper equipment (in that particular case poor quality light switches) makes it necessary to "invent" your own stuff from time to time.

Here is a switch with multiple triggering methods from touch plate via IR remote control to an ordinary pushbutton.

Attached are an MS-word document with the circuit description, two schematic diagrams (one for ATMEL ATtiny25 and the other one for microchip PIC12F1822) and some screenshots.

May be we (all together) can improve the idea and publish the result in an open source project.

Regards to all

Boncuk

 

[blueroomelectronics]

How / where do you fit a power supply in the light switch?

 

[Boncuk]

The power supply is external and can handle up to 12 identical switches. -5V, ground and +6.5V are supplied via connector Y2.

I don't intend to waste 12 power supplies for the same amount of switches.

If you want to supply each switch individually there is enough room in the wall outlet for a transformerless power supply to mount PCBs as sandwich.

Personally I prefer separate power supply independent of mains for security. It will be located in the electric distributor cabinet.

Boncuk

 

[blueroomelectronics]

It's a light switch right? The kind you'd find on a wall in a room?
**broken link removed**

 

[Boncuk]

That's an ugly machine switch!

Additionally it's obviously cracked by turning the top screw too tight.

You won't see it in the dark, you won't be able to turn on the light other than personally operating the lever.

Any more advantages of your switch?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Yep sure is ugly, wallpaper too.

But is this the kind of switch you're wanting to improve?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

It might be ugly (in fact VERY ugly), but I'd sooner have that than touch-switches - I've never seen a reliable touch-switch yet.

 

[Boncuk]

I don't want to improve mechanical switches of any kind. I want a switch to be operated using different methods.

Read the word document for more info please.

 

[Boncuk]

You're invited to improve my idea.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

You're invited to improve my idea.

Use a mechanical switch, NOT a touch switch

A momentary contact push switch feeding suitable electronics would be fine, and vastly more reliable than a touch switch.

 

[transistor495]

- I've never seen a reliable touch-switch yet.

What about clap switches?

There was a rowdy implemented clap switch in his house. One day there's a fight between him and his opponents in the bedroom(where the clap switch is functional) and for each beat he got on his cheeks made the clap switch functional and was so rythmic and beautiful...

Not anything extraordinary

 

[Boncuk]

A momentary contact push switch feeding suitable electronics would be fine, and vastly more reliable than a touch switch.

A mechanical switch will probably work very reliably in the UK and in Germany. I doubt it will do the same in Thailand. There's nothing Thais can't destroy. A touch plate made of stainless steel is almost "unkaputtbar".

I already replaced the pots on variable speed fans with rotary encoders which have no mechanical stop. The pots were overturned beyond their stops.

I had a touch dimmer in Germany which worked very reliably: A short touch would turn on/off the light. Keeping the finger on the touch plate would increase light to max and decrease if not removed.

It just had one disadvantage: After having been cleaned with a wet piece of cloth it dimmed the light (up and down) until the touch plate had dried completely.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I had a touch dimmer in Germany which worked very reliably: A short touch would turn on/off the light. Keeping the finger on the touch plate would increase light to max and decrease if not removed.

It just had one disadvantage: After having been cleaned with a wet piece of cloth it dimmed the light (up and down) until the touch plate had dried completely.

Telfunken used to make an 8 pin IC for just such a device, it included a remote control input pin as well.

However, as with all touch controls, it never seemed very reliable.

As for your 'damp cloth' do you think the high humidy in Thailand is a good place to use touch switches?.

 

[atferrari]

Telfunken used to make an 8 pin IC for just such a device, it included a remote control input pin as well.

I think it is the one I run across, about 30++ years ago. The ID code was "666" and maybe something else. I do not recall the remote control part.

It allowed to increase/decrease or switch on / off.

 

[Boncuk]

As for your 'damp cloth' do you think the high humidy in Thailand is a good place to use touch switches?.

I purposely said "wet cloth", meaning standing water between the touch plate and the frame, certainly causing a change in capacitance.

I've not observed any condensed water on switches or wall outlets till now.

Temperatures are well above dew point despite high relative humidity.

 

[cr0sh]

There's nothing Thais can't destroy. A touch plate made of stainless steel is almost "unkaputtbar".

Something tells me it isn't the switch that needs the improvement...

 

[Boncuk]

Something tells me it isn't the switch that needs the improvement...

Does that "Something" also tell you what needs improvement?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Ok so you want to make a better switch.
1. The problem starts with powering it. It would be a real dogs breakfast to have a cord coming out of the lightswitch going to a wall adapter so you need to find a teeny weeny power supply that can fit inside the wall plate.

2. Who's got 12 light switches in a row in their home?

3. Projects involving the mains are not suited for beginners or noobs, you would also run into local certifications so it wouldn't be easy to export as a kit. Transformer-less supplies also tend to run hot, plus their probably a bad idea when combined with a metal touchplate.

4. Efficiency, well a mechanical switch is pretty near 100% efficient, a touchswitch is not.

5. Light switch manufactures in Thailand must enjoy selling to an audience that busts their stuff. It's possible to make an unbreakable light switch by mere mortals, it would probably cost less than a hi tech solution. Cheap light switches here are less than $1 retail, wholesale must be pennies.

6. Such stuff already exists. And there are oodles of em.
**broken link removed**

 

[ronv]

First let me say I think it's pretty (very pretty), but I think the question is how do you get power to it (5 volts) if it is already in the wall. Putting the power supply in the little box is a lot of "stuff".

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Actually it's more complex than that, it uses +6.5V & -5V.