Really crappy inline dimmer.

Feel a bit teased with the mention of catastrophic trace erasure and not getting any, especially after it pooped the bed. Still a great video though :D

Honorary Octopus

I use the radio bands susceptible to noise from these dimmers. N2NLQ at your service. When I picked up again with amateur radio it was AFTER I equipped my space with many of my own custom industrial-themed dimmable lamps... which remain off when I'm "doing radio". :(

Michael Thompson

Don't bin it! Many, many years ago, when those triacs were new, I made a strobe light with one. When I blew the triac, it in fact, did the same thing, and became a diode. I hooked up a transformer from an old TV with the input coming from a portable record player's output, Hoping to get some sparks, and just kill the whole thing, I took the high voltage output and input that into the circuit. Instead of sparks, the light bulb that I was hoping to be a strobe, started blinking to the beat of the music. I traced the circuit, and thought about it, and thought that the triac had somehow become a transistor. I diagrammed it out, and came in second place in the junior high science fair. I don't remember the circuit at all, that was back in 1969.

Rocco Rizzo

My first time seeing diacs and triacs. What a nifty wee circuit!

You're right about RFI. Cheap dimmers, switch mode PSUs, LAN over ,mains, RF from broadband on overhead phone cables and LED street lamps are the bane of my life a a radio amateur.Some of them cause RFI right up to 144MHz. Yet my 13.8V 60A switch mode PSU right next to all my gear is dead quiet because it's been designed correctly.

Malcolm J Bannister

Soldering Iron noise, would it be worth moving the transformer out of the case and onto the floor and any of the main circuits just leaving the soldering station DC. I don't actually hear the soldering station unless it is in shot ie a bit closer. Ask for us to vote on it if you like. Clive you are one of the clearest presenters on YT and your contend is short and sweet even the longer videos are great. all the best John Tip Chrome 78.0.3904.70 has some annoying features Hover popup over TAB header Can't drag TAB to make a new window SOLUTION for me was chrome://flags/ search for - hover disable #tab-hover-cards #tab-hover-card-images This fixed both problems for me.

John Harrison

The strain relief is the two halves of the case gripping the cable.

Big Clive

That is perfect! That is what we need... A Big Clive’s “bin o’stuff”! Perfect for Patreon tiers or contests.... You too could own a genuine Bin of electronic stuff from Big Clive! I would buy that for more than a dollar! 😂

Lostngone

They could have just turned the PCB 90 degrees to get a solder pad on each end. There's also no strain relief (that I could see). I would expect the solder joints to be pulled apart after a while.

Nani Isobel

In absence of the "flickery HOPI", I was trying to imagine what effect the dimmer would have on apparent/actual power and power factor. I hypothesise that the apparent power would remain similar throughout the dimming range, while the power factor would vary based on dimming. Am I right?

Great video, really well explained, thank you!

mikenco

I thought that. Use the hardware and make a better one!

mikenco

instead of binning it why not just design and knock up a new pcb showing how it should be done. The neutral rail one side of the pcb and the switching / dimming on the other ?? maybe a little project for you..

I was getting interested in one of them, then it blew up. I've got a cheap Dmx dimmer and it's always blowing triacs up when bulbs blow or the plugs aren't in securely, they seem very fragile. Luckily they cost pennies.

Worth doing before Clive bins it, finish it with a bang!

Seán Byrne

MT1, MT2...DIAC, TRIAC...WTF...you lost me. But I've had a few nips, so maybe it's not your fault.

4:15 ... soldering both L and N connections on either side of the circuit board... Sounds tempting! I'd love to see that video...!

Paul Schuur

Can't help but saying I'm pretty disappointed in the way you connect that dimmer. That's not setting an example...

Bas

Excellent video on a POS dimmer! Incidentally, I watched this video because I received the notification from Patreon while watching a Fran Blanch video on her 2001 My Space Button Odyssey while flying from Phenix to Milwaukee sipping on a gin and tonic. Apparently planes have Wifi now, Dimmers on LED lights are something I’ve never tried. I have an excellent floor type dimmer on an incandescent Edison bulb floor lamp. The wife would reject anything that flickers in the slightest. Like those crap holiday lights.

Speaking of radio interference, a lot of people here in Norway are experiencing issues with DAB radios and LED lights/bars on their cars. (Norway has had this bright idea to close down the FM radio completely and went DAB only for nationally covering stations) Could you do a video on this kind of interference and what to think about trying to get rid of the interference. I have an LED bar but hear no issues on the FM band, but I mostly listen to music (and web radio) through my phone and BT connection to the car..

I tried to purchase an online dimmer for a lamp repair for a customer , in the end I omitted it and converted the lamp to LED with a 12v transformer as I could not source a good quality one I would be happy to sell to a cuostomer and then sleep at night

Jamie blatant