HowtobuildDarkActivatedTerraceLamp

September27,2010category:Lightsensor

Description

Thisdeviceallowsoneormorelampstoilluminateatsunsetandturnoffatdawn.Q1andQ2
formatriggerdevicefortheSCR,providingshortpulsesat100Hzfrequency.Pulseduration
issetbyR2andC1.WhenthelighthitsR1,thephotoresistorassumesaverylowresistance
value,almostshortingC1andpreventingcircuitoperation.WhenR1isinthedark,its
resistancevaluebecomesveryhighthusenablingcircuitoperation.

CircuitDiagram:

Parts:

R1=LDR
R2=100K
R3=200K
R4=470R
R5=12K
R6=1K
R7=470R
C1=10nF63V
D1=TIC106D
D2=1N4007
D3=1N4007
D4=1N4007
D5=1N4007
Q1=BD327
Q2=BD337
SK1=FemaleMainsSocket

Notes:

R3allowsfinesettingofoperatingthresholdandR2valuecanberaisedto150K
maximum.
Severallampswiredinparallelcanbeconnectedtothecircuit,providedtotal
powerdissipationoftheloaddoesnotexceedabout300500W.
PL1canbeomittedandtheinputmainssupplywiresconnectedinparalleltoany
switchcontrollinglamps.Inthiscase,iftheswitchisleftopen,thecircuitwillbe
abletodrivethelampsiftheswitchisclosed,thelampswillilluminateandthe
circuitwillbebypassed.
Warning!Thecircuitisconnectedto230Vacmains,andthensomepartsinthe
circuitboardaresubjectedtolethalpotential!Avoidtouchingthecircuitwhen
pluggedandencloseitinaplasticbox.

circuitfromhttp://www.extremecircuits.net/2009/06/darkactivatedterracelamp_19.html