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Thoughts after a couple months of use

A project log for Custom ESP8266 4 channel 0-10 dimmer

Smart dimmer for 0-10v lights without needing 4+ devices on wifi

brandonbrandon 10/09/2021 at 23:110 Comments

I installed all 7 of my led panels with my dimmer modules on them and have been using them for the last couple months. 

There are a few improvements I need to make to the code such as when wifi fails to connect it prevents the physical override buttons from working. I also need to test it with google home and other home assistants but I dont have any to test with currently. 

Another problem is that it sometimes does not respond fast enough and takes 2-3 seconds before the lights change, but that could also just be alexa. 

One flaw that I'm really not sure about is the minimum setting seems to drift over time. I have a potentiometer on the boards to set the "off" point since different lights might have a different threshold but I have had to adjust a few of mine 3 and 4 times now. It seems like overtime the opamp is wearing in or something and no longer takes the voltage signal low enough to shut the light off. Other times it will remain on dimly but then goes out after 2-3 seconds. The potentiometer is on the modules themselves so it is a bit of a pain to adjust the minimum setpoint. Maybe in the future I'll make some kind of an addressable system sorta like the WS2812 LEDs. That would allow adjusting the "off" point via the firmware or even maybe a web page on the ESP module. 

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