Cheap WiFi LED dimmer (~10$)

[Quindor]

--update (2017-02)
Just wanted to let everyone know this project is still very much alive and kicking! I'm using the modules in my new house and it's working great! Check out the updated index page for the project by clicking here! We're up to version 2.6 of the board now!
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In the past I started the "Building my own network controlled LED dimmer" topic here on the forum. The plans I had for that module (v1) have since been completed and it instantly become obsolete a few weeks later. I have made a v2 of it using different hardware bringing the cost down a LOT (sub 10$).

The reason for making this hardware for me was that I wanted a cheap LED dimmer that was controllable using Domoticz. I looked at everything from dx.com dimmers to Applamp to z-wave Fibaro dimmers and while they all had their strong points, they never really did what I wanted and some where WAY too expensive to use extensively throughout my house (Which I'm currently building). My main requirements where that I would like to have it use WiFi and also that the dimming was smooth between given values and not an instant switch.

So this topic will be about the v2 device, how to build it and how to get it to communicate with Domoticz! Partly in this post, partly with the posts I'm writing on my blog (too much information to contain in a forum post).

Blog Posts
Part1: The Setup, how does this work and why?
Part2: What hardware do I need, where do I get it and what tools are required?
Part3: Flashing and programming the ESP-01
Part4: Configuring Domoticz
Part5: Hacked Ikea LED lamps
Part6: ESP8266 Domoticz Wall Switch
Part7: Updated Dimmer and Domoticz code
Part8: Version 2 of the PCB design


The new module is based on the ESP8266 ESP-01 chip from China which is a Micro-controller and WiFi board in 1. They make these little boards for about 3$ and they are the ideal "Internet of things" device. Since a little while there is firmware available which allows you to program them in the relatively simple "LUA" programming language.

I have completed my first prototype soldered version and am writing code for it right now. Currently I have functioning code for on the little device and Domoticz (using LUA scripts) to have a working Dimmer slider. I will be posting those on my blog in the next few days to try and have a central place where I keep the code updated!

As written in the topic title, the complete module with all parts used comes in under 10$ and can be easily built yourself. Currently only by soldering the complete board yourself but hopefully my first run using http://dirtypcbs.com will be successful so I can post my PCB board design. Then it should be quite easy making one yourself!

I intend to share everything, I just want to make sure the design works before posting it!




--update 2015-01-03
I have made a video of the completed setup, you can find it here: http://youtu.be/r0mZF1C8Z-U?list=UU98qr ... 3Ne7zrbXvA . Also I updated the Domoticz code to fix the module not turning off but completely on when using it in a scene. Also the code has been improved to use variables at the beginning of the script.

--update 2015-02-02
I have added the Gerber and Fritzing files so you can get the boards made yourself.

A word of warning though, I give no guarantee this will work in your case and that the design of this board is perfect. It certainly is not and the way the voltage converter is connected with little wires is beyond clunky... It works though, no problem!

If you want to do me a favor, please buy it from here using the following link: http://dirtypcbs.com/view.php?share=367 ... a4761dae6a It will help me out a bit, and for you it just costs the normal very very low price of dirty PCB's anyway.

--update 2015-04-10
I have updated this post to include the new editions to my blog posts I have written. They include various parts using an ESP8266 in Domoticz. The most important one for the LED dimmer is Part 8, a new, much better and smaller, design for my LED dimmer board. It's now less then half as big and still includes all functions of the previous one. Anyone wanting to use these boards I recommend creating v2 from now on. You can read Part 8 here.

This applies to this one too, if you want to do me a favor, please buy the boards at DirtyPCB's using the following link. http://dirtypcbs.com/view.php?share=5691&accesskey=

The new board!

[ThinkPad]

Nice, great tutorials! I only couldn't find where you bought the wire ferrule crimper (adereindhulstang), but already found one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/280991950160
Together with a box of wire ferrules (adereindhulzen): http://www.ebay.com/itm/321455808176 (i think 16AWG is sufficient for the most common wire for projects?)

If i can find some spare time, i will try making one for RGB. Can't be that hard if i start with your code
Edit: Hmm ****, i ordered the ESP-01 which only has 2 GPIO pins. Which version should i get if i want to control a RGB strip?

[webster]

Small Tip from my side

try out the following program Fritzing

here you can design the scematics try it on virtual breadboard and also create the print layout

they also are able to make the PCB for you for a nice price

also with component print on top layer

[SweetPants]

Nice application. My ESP8266 modules just arrived so I can play with them.
BTW: There are other ESP module (versions V1-12) available where you can use more GPIO pins. Search on Ebay for ESP8266
Harry

[BertB]

Very interesting

[Quindor]

Nice, great tutorials! I only couldn't find where you bought the wire ferrule crimper (adereindhulstang), but already found one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/280991950160
Together with a box of wire ferrules (adereindhulzen): http://www.ebay.com/itm/321455808176 (i think 16AWG is sufficient for the most common wire for projects?)

If i can find some spare time, i will try making one for RGB. Can't be that hard if i start with your code
Edit: Hmm ****, i ordered the ESP-01 which only has 2 GPIO pins. Which version should i get if i want to control a RGB strip?

Thnx! In my blog post it has links to both the crimping tool and the ferrules? When you get a crimping tool be sure to get the right kind of bit inlay. There is loads of different one's!

Upping it to RGB should be no problem, just not with the ESP01. Any other of the ESP boards should be able to do it, you can find them all on aliexpress.

Small Tip from my side, try out the following program Fritzing, here you can design the scematics try it on virtual breadboard and also create the print layout, they also are able to make the PCB for you for a nice price also with component print on top layer

Yeah, I know.

I made a design with Fritzing that I ordered from http://www.dirtypcbs.com last week (A lot cheaper, 14$ for ~10 boards). Should arrive within the next few weeks. When everything works I will share the design! This is my first try at something like this, so it's probably going to take a few revisions to get a nice board. I'm also planning on using a different ESP version for the next revision with some other little stuff added. (Buttons to enable firmware flashing, etc.) But all that after the PCB arrives and see where I screwed up the first time.

Nice application. My ESP8266 modules just arrived so I can play with them.
BTW: There are other ESP module (versions V1-12) available where you can use more GPIO pins. Search on Ebay for ESP8266 Harry

Ebay is good, but often it's better to go closer to the source. I have had a great experience with Aliexpress! Their buyer protection is also very good.

[ThinkPad]

Nice, great tutorials! I only couldn't find where you bought the wire ferrule crimper (adereindhulstang), but already found one on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/280991950160
Together with a box of wire ferrules (adereindhulzen): http://www.ebay.com/itm/321455808176 (i think 16AWG is sufficient for the most common wire for projects?)

If i can find some spare time, i will try making one for RGB. Can't be that hard if i start with your code
Edit: Hmm ****, i ordered the ESP-01 which only has 2 GPIO pins. Which version should i get if i want to control a RGB strip?

Thnx! In my blog post it has links to both the crimping tool and the ferrules? When you get a crimping tool be sure to get the right kind of bit inlay. There is loads of different one's!

Upping it to RGB should be no problem, just not with the ESP01. Any other of the ESP boards should be able to do it, you can find them all on aliexpress.
[..]

Found it in your blog, didn't look good enough. Quite expensive after all.... €28 euro's or so for the crimping tool + ferrules...

Oh and i found this picture:

Nice overview of the different ESP8266 types.

Looks like the ESP-03 should have sufficient GPIO pins for controlling an RGB-strip.


Oh and if you are looking for a nice box to put your control hardware in, have a look at this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-3-94 ... OC:NL:3160
I have used it for an Arduino. Arduino Duemilanove + Arduino Ethernetshield fits perfectly. Plastic is quite soft, with a metal saw blade you can easily cut some holes for network connector/power connector.

[Quindor]

Found it in your blog, didn't look good enough. Quite expensive after all.... €28 euro's or so for the crimping tool + ferrules...

Yeah, the one I linked was a bit expensive, also the ferrules I linked where a bit too, but that's because it's 1000 pieces. Both aren't needed to complete the project of course but they add a bit of professionalization/convenience. I chose this tool because it's basically a copy of a tool that normally costs 200 euro and for my purposes, works just as well.

Looks like the ESP-03 should have sufficient GPIO pins for controlling an RGB-strip.

Yeah, that's an awesome picture! They have also introduced a ESP-12 recently which isn't on the picture yet. I'm torn about getting the ESP-07 or ESP-12, not sure yet.

Cool tip for the box! I will certainly get one and see if I can make it work, looks like a perfect solution! The boards I'm getting made are 5x5cm Thnx!

[Quindor]

Whoops, this post was in Dutch. Here is the English version (Dutch kept below)!

I have made an addition to my blog posts about how I have "hacked"/"modded" some Ikea lamsp with LED strips so that they are now dimmable using the ESP8266 PWM WiFi LED dimmer and thus controlable through Domoticz! Take a look over here.

Dutch Part:
Ik heb een vijfde deel geschreven over hoe ik mijn ESP8266 PWM WiFi LED dimmer gebruik met Domoticz. Dit keert gaat het over het "hacken"/"modden" van Ikea lampen om ze met LED strips te verlichten en te besturen met Domoticz!

[ThinkPad]

Please post in English

[Derik]

(A lot cheaper, 14$ for ~10 boards). Should arrive within the next few weeks.

When you have this stuf..
I like to buy 1 or 2 from you?

[Quindor]

I soldered another board yesterday and it fully worked on both channels. That means now I have more working PCB's then not working PCB's, so I feel confident enough to share the design. It's a bit of a clunky design and v2 will be a lot better, but also more complex (using ESP-12). If you are going with my blog posts and the components listed there, this should work quite well.

A word of warning though, I give no guarantee this will work in your case and that the design of this board is perfect. It certainly is not and the way the voltage converter is connected with little wires is beyond clunky... It works though, no problem!

If you want to do me a favor, please buy it from here using the following link: http://dirtypcbs.com/view.php?share=367 ... a4761dae6a It will help me out a bit, and for you it just costs the normal very very low price of dirty PCB's anyway.

If you wish to get it somewhere else or modify it, I have also attached the fritzing file and gerber files so you can upload it yourself.

[ThinkPad]

Congrats! But i see the minimum quantity to order is 10pcs of the PCB... that is a bit too much, i only need one

[Quindor]

Congrats! But i see the minimum quantity to order is 10pcs of the PCB... that is a bit too much, i only need one

It's 14$ including shipping (took 3 weeks for me)! That's cheaper then one board you can get somewhere else.

[Mdieli]

Congrats! But i see the minimum quantity to order is 10pcs of the PCB... that is a bit too much, i only need one

It's 14$ including shipping (took 3 weeks for me)! That's cheaper then one board you can get somewhere else.

How is the board working out? Got any photo's of the board assembled?

[ThinkPad]

On this page: http://blog.quindorian.org/2014/12/esp8 ... -x_30.html you show this PCB: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K72__4mWmWM/V ... 00/PCB.png

It contains two resistors. Unfortunately i can't find anywhere on that page (or others) what the values of those resistors should be.

I think they are needed, because i made it with a TIP120 FET, and if i connect the most left pin (base) directly to the ESP GPIO0, it won't boot correctly (probably going into flash mode?). When i disconnect that pin the ESP boots up correctly.
So what value resistor should i put there? Or just buy the STP16NF06L you are also using instead of the TIP120?

[Quindor]

On this page: http://blog.quindorian.org/2014/12/esp8 ... -x_30.html you show this PCB: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K72__4mWmWM/V ... 00/PCB.png

It contains two resistors. Unfortunately i can't find anywhere on that page (or others) what the values of those resistors should be.

I think they are needed, because i made it with a TIP120 FET, and if i connect the most left pin (base) directly to the ESP GPIO0, it won't boot correctly (probably going into flash mode?). When i disconnect that pin the ESP boots up correctly.
So what value resistor should i put there? Or just buy the STP16NF06L you are also using instead of the TIP120?

Hey Thinkpad, actually, I was never able to figure out what kind of resistor might be needed. In all the boards I tested, I did not need it to function correctly. The reason I don't have any is because I don't know enough about it. Hopefully somebody else can provide helpful advice?

(If using my PCB, have you tested multiple or just one? From the batch I got from dirtypcbs, 2 did not function correctly, the rest did)

It could be that the MOSFET I am using works different in that regard to yours. I believe my pins are closed per default on my MOSFET and only when I initialize the pin does it become active/up. Are you also using an ESP-01 or a different model?

If you are looking at purchasing the board, hold off on that just a little bit because I designed a new version this weekend. You can find it here: http://dirtypcbs.com/view.php?share=5691&accesskey= (and order it too if you want to help out). I have not received it yet, so haven't been able to test it, but it should work just as well, and give you double the amount of boards because of the smaller size!


The top layer as dirtypcbs sees it.

Once I have the boards and and made some test versions I'll revise or share the needed fritzing files so you can make your own variations. Ordering it from dirtypcb using my link does help me a bit though!

[ThinkPad]

Thanks for your reaction.

I found out the TIP120 is a current driven transistor, while the STP16NF06L is a voltage driven MOSFET. Two completely different things. Not gonna work :p
For now i was just testing it on a prototyping PCB, mabe i will buy a PCB from you one day

P.S. I also noticed that 'nc' isn't available on my NAS (Synology DS114). It can be installed by using 'ipkg' i saw, but haven't looked at that yet.

Do you know any alternative for the STP16NF06L ? On eBay they are like $4 a piece.... Isn't there a more common type that can also be used :p ? I wonder how you came up to this exact one :p
What about IRF540 ? Would a MOSFET like that work? That is one that seems more common available and also cheaper ($0,99 a piece on eBay). Or FQP30N06L which is available for $0,95 on Sparkfun (for use with Arduino).
I don't know where to pay attention to, other than looking if it is an N-channel MOSFET.

[Quindor]

Thanks for your reaction.

I found out the TIP120 is a current driven transistor, while the STP16NF06L is a voltage driven MOSFET. Two completely different things. Not gonna work :p
For now i was just testing it on a prototyping PCB, mabe i will buy a PCB from you one day

P.S. I also noticed that 'nc' isn't available on my NAS (Synology DS114). It can be installed by using 'ipkg' i saw, but haven't looked at that yet.

Do you know any alternative for the STP16NF06L ? On eBay they are like $4 a piece.... Isn't there a more common type that can also be used :p ? I wonder how you came up to this exact one :p
What about IRF540 ? Would a MOSFET like that work? That is one that seems more common available and also cheaper ($0,99 a piece on eBay).

Maybe you could get something like this? http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pcs-lo ... 25746.html It gives you 10 for 12$, that's an ok deal I think.

How I arrived at this MOSFET is by looking at lots of specs and finding one that could support everything I wanted.
Enough current/amperage
Trigger voltage
Switching speed (My code does PWM at 1000x a second)

The STP16NF06L seemed the best match at the time. I'm sure there is lots of others, but for me it seems to work very well in my applications. Especially since I'm not also using it to drive 38.5v LED COBs. Same board, same components, just a different power supply. Everything auto regulates, awesome!

[Quindor]

Thanks for your reaction.

I found out the TIP120 is a current driven transistor, while the STP16NF06L is a voltage driven MOSFET. Two completely different things. Not gonna work :p
For now i was just testing it on a prototyping PCB, mabe i will buy a PCB from you one day

P.S. I also noticed that 'nc' isn't available on my NAS (Synology DS114). It can be installed by using 'ipkg' i saw, but haven't looked at that yet.

Do you know any alternative for the STP16NF06L ? On eBay they are like $4 a piece.... Isn't there a more common type that can also be used :p ? I wonder how you came up to this exact one :p
What about IRF540 ? Would a MOSFET like that work? That is one that seems more common available and also cheaper ($0,99 a piece on eBay). Or FQP30N06L which is available for $0,95 on Sparkfun (for use with Arduino).
I don't know where to pay attention to, other than looking if it is an N-channel MOSFET.

The FQP30N06L you mention would work I think. It seems to even more powerful, just a bit slower. Max Turn-On Rise Time = 430ns instead of Typical 18ns. But if we calculate 1 second is 1 000 000 000 nanoseconds. 430x100=430 000 nanosecond. Even if that would double and we would add turn-on delay, rise and turn-off delay and fall it would still be WELL under control and fast enough. (430000 + 40000 + 130000 + 230000 = 830.000). So you would take up roughly 1/10th of the switching capacity of the MOSFET.

Gate threshold voltage seems fine, anything above 2.5v should set the gate open. Voltage it can handle is 60v, the same as mine.

Should do just fine, I'm ordering a few too, they are a lot cheaper. (http://www.aliexpress.com/item/FQP30N06 ... 85191.html 0,36$ a piece!)

(The IRF540N I have no clue...)