Re: Bathroom project - Cbus style lighting system....1 room only though!!

[Kevin Hawkins <yahoogroupskh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At night for reduced lighting you could switch pairs of lights in
series
to reduce the light level level - and do away with the dimmer...  just
makes to slightly harder to tell which light blew when they both go out

K

Tim Hawes wrote:
> Noel,
>
> I'm sure a CBus solution would give great flexibility but you're
> paying a lot of "overhead" if you only do one room.
> I reckon you can do DIY the "dim night light on a sensor"
thing for
> around £100 ? it won't be based on any fancy automation though.
It
> also assumes that the lamps/transformers you already have are suitable
> for dimming.
> (it's based on a scheme I've been thinking about for my bathroom, but
> I don't want the PIR bit)
>
> You'd run two parallel circuits from the existing ceiling rose to the
> light(s) you want to come on dimmed. One circuit is as now ? just the
> switch. The second circuit contains a time-clock (get an electronic
> one so it doesn't drift in power cuts), a PIR (some "nice"
> ceiling-mount ones around £30-£40) and a conventional dimmer
switch
> (conventional as in one you'd fit to a wall box but suitable for
> dimming the type of lights you have).
>
> Your existing switch works at all times so if you get up early to
> catch a plane etc you can still put the lights on full with the cord.
> The second circuit only works between the on/off times you set (e.g.
> midnight to 5am). When the time clock is off the PIR output doesn't go
> anywhere, when the time-clock is on the PIR switches on the lights
> through the dimmer switch which you've manually set to get the right
> light level.
>
> The only potential problem is that I've found PIRs always come on when
> power is first applied, then go off. So having it after the time-clock
> means the light would always come on at midnight (or whatever) when
> the clock circuit is activated. I couldn't see how keeping it powered
> 24/7 would only activate the light between set times.
>
> The time-clock and dimmer could go in the loft, or perhaps in the
> airing cupboard to make adjustments that bit simpler. You'd probably
> want to fit a master isolation switch in front of all the smarts too ?
> just to make sure the auto side of the circuit doesn't unexpectedly
> become live if the clock gets out of sync. Fixed wiring time-clocks
> are also available so you don't have to wire-in a separate 13A socket
> for a plug-in jobby.
>
> I think that all makes sense, I don't *think* I missed anything
> obvious, but you never know :-)
>
> If you're feeling *really* adventurous you could drop the ceiling by
> 6", run rope light around the edge and have the rope light come
on via
> the timer/sensor during the night. Or rope light under the sink and/or
> bath.
> Or perhaps just connect one of the 6 downlighters to the auto/timer
> circuit and do away with the dimmer altogether.
>
> I shall now don my flameproof suit and ignore the cries of heretic!!
>
> HTH,
>
> Tim.
>
>
> On Sun, Sep 28, 2008 at 12:23 PM, noel_pilot <HA@xxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I remember reading way back about someone who had a lighting setup
>> whereby they have occupancy detection so lights come on
automatically
>> but with intelligence, i.e. if its 0200 only turn the
landing/bathroom
>> lights on to 15% or so so as not to blind you in your sleepy
state!!
>>
>> I love this idea and would love to be able to replicate it for
this
>> project.
>>
>
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