Programmable dimmer

I want to wake up to that simulated sunrise. So if I could program it to augment the lights by 1% every 30 seconds for 50 minutes starting at

6 am, I would be happy.

Internetpet

Doesn't Intermatic make some sort of single-gang switch with timer gizmos?

Like these:

Other vendors probably make equivalents. Also, you may want to replace the current single-gang box with a double in order to fit the timer along with a regular wall switch. This to retain normal on/off control. You'll have to either wire it up in parallel or work out some sort of 3-way configuration (provided the timer supports it).

Realize, of course, that this won't "automagically" set the sunrise/sunset interval. To do that you'd need something with enough brains to compute the time given the location.

But what is it you're trying to accomplish?

-Bill Kearney

A PCS smartswitch can come pretty close. You can program a scene with a ramp rate of 13 minutes. The only thing is that you need to trigger it somehow. A dawn/dusk sensor would work if you wanted to sync to the real sun; otherwise you'd have to set up a timer, such as on a CM11A, to set the scene in motion. The light can still be operated on/off normally via the switch.

Well, something in that circuit needs to be replaced unless you're talking about a solenoid to flip the switch.

Something like remote/radio or X-10 is going to be necessary to control the light. There are dimmers on the market that do what you want, but they're expensive. This one keeps lab rats from being stressed:

Automatic sunrise and sunset simulation

- Lights come on and off gradually (0 to 100% intensity);

- No more stress on the animals by sudden brightness and darkness;

- Enhances and controls circadian rhythms.

Your friend Google will show you many others at:

like:

Smarthome will sell you something only Rube Goldberg could love:

Now, if I were doing it I would buy Activehome and a two-way lamp switch. The controller can calculate dawn/dusk and send the signal to the two-way dimmer switch, which is capable from starting out at very low dim levels. This is important as the cheaper lamp modules reach a 10% dimmed state by starting from a 100% bright state. Not exactly what you want in a dawn simulation.

Once programmed, the CM1X controller need not be plugged into a computer to operate. It just has to be with powerline control range of the lamp module you wish to dim.

-- Bobby G.

It's unlikely to be possible with out some other sort of external device remotely controlling it.

If you want simple you get simple on and off.

If you want dim level increases then you're talking about a more complex setup. Any number of dimmers exist that can be remotely controlled. Some via powerline, RF or IR. I could imagine some sort of hack to a programmable IR remote that might let it interact with the Lutron Spacer dimmers. But I have no idea how readily the IR commands for them can be learned. That and it'd have to be a pretty fancy remote to handle sending custom commands on a timer schedule.

The only other tangent that might have solutions would be the hearing impaired market. There might be some sort of alarm clock for the deaf that has this sort of ability. I only recall there being vibration alarms but there might be ones for lights. Perhaps checking in some hearing issues forums would turn up info.

Wouldn't it be great to have some kind of serially controlled RGB LED lamp device that you could hook up to your home server and allow you to controll light intensity and color from a script or program? Maybe even one that's wifi controlled. Something like the ambient orb, but more flexible and without the need of a proprietary radio network (

).

Simulating sunrise in your bedroom sounds pretty cool esp. if you could also simulate the color tones. Unfortunately the real sunrise thing is a bit to unreliable to count on in these parts...

Ximinez

Are there any solutions out there for integrating DMX into home automation schemes? There are a number of USB DMX dongles out there that aren't terribly expensive, and there are tons of LED color mixing fixtures in the entertainment world.

There are also several PC cards which support DMX-512. These are primarily targeted at the theatrical lighting trade. I've installed a number of lighting systems using DMX-512 controls.

Side note: Musicians who are interested in HA controls may wish to play around with a MIDI to DMX interface.