Motion activated Night light

[Slickit]

I would like to make a simple motion activated night light. The night light part is easy enough but I dont have the time to go replacing batteries every 2 days. So I would like to partially remedy that by making a night light that is motion activated. As I know most people on this site can enjoy a good challenge I will set some slight limitations. The only hard part for me is how to make and manage the motion activated part.

1. No µCs , PICs, PLCs, or any high level control devices.
2. Lets try to keep it under $30 just for fun.(doesnt really matter)
3. Power supplied will most likely be 6v stepped down to 5v for
easy adaptation for digital circuits if needed. (simple gates)

And use your imagination, if it happens to blink, fade or any other effect thats fine. I am making this simply because I need a light for my living room at night cause where I live there is NO light unless you make it and regular light can be quite "harsh" in the middle of the night when you just wanna get something from the frig.

I am interested to see what y'all come up with.
Schematics welcome.

 

[Boncuk]

Show me yours (schematic) first and I'll show you mine.

 

[Noggin]

**broken link removed**

I think you can pick one of these up at any department store for a couple of bucks, pre assembled.

 

[audioguru]

Night lights plug into the mains receptacle in a hallway or in your living room (unless you live in a tree?). No battery and no motion detector are needed.

Ordinary 4xxx-series Cmos logic ICs operate from a supply voltage that is from 3V to 18V, use extremely low power and do not need a regulated 5V supply like old power-hungry TTL logic ICs.

 

[Slickit]

I am not buying one from the store I am making one, which makes me able to put batteries on it. The gates part was just there to show that what I was looking for isnt just a motion activated night light and it could be something more.

And Noggin perhaps my browser is broken cause all I see is a picture of a very simple schematic, and im not what the symbol is at the top but im assuming its a motion sensor of some kind, lol.

And Boncuk, I am a bit shy so if you could just gimmie a peak.

 

[Boncuk]

And Boncuk, I am a bit shy so if you could just gimmie a peak.

Just don't be shy. There are two ways to interprete your post.

Either you have nothing or have something and intend to prove how dumb other designs are done.

I tend to guess the first one.

Here is a peak.

 

[BrownOut]

I have a PIR motion detector that I bought from Home Depot for about 20 bucks. It's sold as a replacement for outdoor security lights. I've re-wired a power strip to use the detector's output rather than the wall plug. I plug a lamp into it, and I have not only a night-light, but a motion activated lamp that will light up my front room when I enter my house at night. I plug the whole shebang into an electric timer to prevent it from coming on when I don't need it.

PS, as I am a metal worker, I've though about a custom lamp that embeds the motion detector and timer

 

[Slickit]

Bonuck, I have 2 circuits drawn up but they are litterally so, drawn on paper. I should get the eagle layout done soon. But I was more interested in the way people would make the circuit before I got organized as many people here know of easier ways of doing things. I was going to use a motion sensor and a phototransistor connected to a AND gate to run a LED or several leds. But my problem was where to get the motion sensor from and which kind I should use. Ultrasonic is what I intended on using but it seems to be quite obsolete and PIR doesnt seem to have very good range for cheap, but neither does sonic, so I just wasnt sure if anyone here knew of a good place to get the bare sensors, which would be nice to know as I only seem to find them in things not just by them selves. And I also just wanted to see if anyone had any exceptional schematics that I could use.

 

[AllVol]

And I also just wanted to see if anyone had any exceptional schematics that I could use.

Radio Shack sells a nice PIR module (part # 276-033) for less than 10 bucks. The one I have picks up my cat walking at six feet, and the catalog page says:

"This PIR sensor detects motion from up to twenty feet away. It is ideal for alarm systems, motion activated lighting, holiday props and robotics."

 

[MrDEB]

Here is a simple unit for $3

this is the sensor I am using for my critter ridderhttp://www.sureelectronics.net/goods.php?id=792
one problem = PIR dosen't work in daylight. they stay on as sunlight IS infrared light.
I am solving by drilling a hole in circuit board under the frenzel lens and glueing a SMD phototransistor. Look at electronic goldmine they have the phototransistors for $1 for 5 I think is what I paid??
add an opticoupler, triac and you have your nightlight for under $15 IMO

 

[giftiger_wunsch]

I'm not entirely sure why not wanting to replace batteries every 2 days means the light requires a motion detector rather than a switch, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find a motion-activated switch; connect it to the battery and the light and voila, you have a motion-activated light.

Personally I would just get a small battery-powered lantern; my friend has several LED lanterns with batteries which can be recharged by winding. They're cheap and would do the job fine; or its switch could be replaced with the part AllVol suggested if you're keen on making it motion-activated.