Advice on AC table lamp design with dimmer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Janis
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 15, 2018, 10:12:37 am
content: Hey, everyone!I have to design a product - an AC table lamp with a built in dimmer. It will primarily be used to drive 4W led retrofit bulbs, but must also be compatible with CFL, halogen and incandescent bulbs (the dimmable variants, of course).So, one way to go about it, would be to design and manufacture a custom pcba. But I kinda don't want to reinvent the wheel this time.Is there a manufacturer, who offers modules available to incorporate in ones own design? If yes, could anyone please give me any pointers on where and how to find anything like that? I have tried searching the internet, but with no success..Any help and pointers on designing dimmers would be highly appreciated.Thanks in advance!

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2018, 11:30:14 am
content: Hello, welcome to the forum.You probably think of a dimmer operating on the principle of phase control. It will first be necessary to check if it is compatible with the types of lamps that you want to use.There are many simple schemes on the internet to do this with triac, diac, potentiometer and some resistors and capacitors.Is it an industrial product?The problem is that of compliance with standards, safety, magnetic compatibility, and so on ...Which potentiometer do you think you will use? rotary or linear?Are there no dimensional restrictions?I imagine that the voltage is 230V 50Hz.I do not believe that you will find this product except for some dimmers made in China that do not meet the standards.Have you thought about having it made?

author: Janis
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 15, 2018, 12:20:32 pm
content: Thank you for the quick answer!Yes, I need a dimmer operating on the principle of phase control. I have seen a lot of schematics and application notes on the internet, but I feel that the development will take a very long time - and I don't have too much time on my hands. Silent operation is a must for this product - I have tested some wall dimmer boxes with various bulbs and there are some that are noisy and some that are not, which kinda makes me feel that I will have a lot of trial and error involved in the development process.This product will be for the consumer market.If I find a product that complies with all other requirements, the potentiometer type would not be that important. I suppose a linear potentiometer would be the preferred choice, maybe even together with a button functionality.About the dimensions - the smaller the better, but we will build the design around the solution this time, so I could consider many possibilities.. I am holding a dimmer module from a wall dimmer in my hands right now and it is 20x20x50mm not including the tip of the potentiometer - this would be a very good size, for example.The voltage for this product is 230V 50Hz, yes. But there will probably also be a 120V 60Hz version needed."I do not believe that you will find this product except for some dimmers made in China that do not meet the standards."AC dimmers are such a common thing, for me it feels kinda weird that noone is selling them pre-made (like ICs, for example)."Have you thought about having it made?"Do you mean having it designed and made for me by someone else?Or do you mean designing it and having it manufactured for me?Anyway, both of these options would take more time and effort that a ready built solution.And again, thank you for your answer!

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2018, 04:05:16 pm
content: First, I must warn you that dimmers with phase control are not generally compatible with cfl lamps.If the load is not inductive (LED's, incandescent lamps or halogen without transformer), the dimmer diagram is extremely simple and poses no problem, except that of the mains filter.It is easy to do. The only problem is that of insulation (if the lamp is made of conductive material) that must meet class II double insulation standards, ie a test of 4Kv dc.Than the main problem is that of the potentiometer, the solution that I recommend is the rotary potentiometer Piher totally made in plastic PC16.For standards concerning a product to be placed on the consumer market (European?), I let you inform yourself, I have no experience in this area.A dimmer for low power can be done very small with SMD components.About the commercial problem, we should know the quantities .... If it is 10 pieces / month, it is different than if it is 10 thousand pieces / month.

author: Janis
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 16, 2018, 02:14:53 pm
content: It looks like I have found that there are dimmer modules that you can buy, and hopefully I will soon find a manufacturer that can help me with a ready solution.It is hard to tell the quantities at this moment in time, but it would definitely be more than 10 pcs/month.Again, thank you for your input!