Inside a cheap 3-way remote control switch. (With schematic.)
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- Опубліковано 9 чер 2016
- The Yam remote control switches seem to be very common on eBay and are surprisingly cheap for what you get. The insides seem relatively acceptable give or take a bit of poor track clearance between mains connections.
The circuitry is pretty much text-book for the application with a small microcontroller doing the decoding and relay control while a discrete RF receiver module based on an LM358 converts the received signal to a level the processor can deal with.
Here's a general eBay search link for this type of unit, but note that most are intended for 220-240V use.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=...
The circuitry looks like it could be hacked to power it from an external 12V DC supply quite easily as long as it is not an electrically noisy supply.
The unit is only really intended for low current loads like light fittings, but again is open to technical modification with things like external solid state relays. (Treat low voltage side as being live at full mains voltage.)
I'm not sure if there is different coding between units. So I've just ordered a couple more to find out.....
If you enjoy the videos on this channel you can help support it with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random electronic modules at / bigclive - Наука та технологія
By far the best reverse-engineer that exists. It takes me hours to do the same that you do in minutes. Lots to learn from you man, keep the videos coming!
Thankyou Clive, I have been looking absolutely everywhere to find something that can doudle my engine, I had almost given up hope :)
Hi Clive I've just obtained the latest latest version of this device the YAM-803. Almost all the components are now surface-mount types. When I first tested it I was alarmed to find that it consumes about 27W (@245v) on standby! Changing C1 to 680nF (0.68uF) reduces the consumption to about 12.3W and everything works as intended. I finally settled on supplying the DC 12volts via a separate switch mode power supply, of course omitting C1. I simply connected the 12v to the 0.0v and the +ve to one of the 680 ohm resistors, there was no need to disconnect the 12v zenners.. Standby is now just under 1/2 W. As this module is mainly designed for remote controlled lighting circuits, channel 1 is designed to default to ON after a power cut.
You may have been reading the apparent power and not the actual power. Capacitive droppers always give the appearance of high current, but the power dissipation is usually much lower. Probably about a watt in your unit.
Thanks a lot Clive for this detailed job. I didn't get to find it anywhere until I came here.
Note about the diode noise, you can even use this for good and make a super simple and cheap noise source for measuring antennas. Since it makes noise on very wide range of frequencies.
Clive, i would absolutely love it if you went through the different kinds of voltage regulators in more detail.
I believe the microcontroller and remote probably operate on 2.4 gigahertz and are tied to a serial number similar to a wireless mouse. That being said, it most likely won't interfere with other units. But there may be a sync function in the microcontroller and one in the remote. That's probably why there's the extra pin on the microcontroller so you might be able to use a momentary switch connected to that pin and ground.
Hello Clive, it might be fun to look at the signal from the RF module to the microcontroller on an oscilloscope.
that receiver is a classic. it's a super regenerative circuit. The op-amp is a new wrinkle though to amplify the output of the receiver. Usually they use a string of 2 or 3 "Self biased" transistors to do the amplification (this is where the emitter of an NPN is grounded, and then a 1M to 10M resistor is connected between collector and base, and then another resistor from base to V+)
A video before 4am? Madness!
Great video with plenty of information. If I wish to have this in line with the current wall switch so that it will also work as well as the remote how would I do this?
I looked it up and the 2TY seems to be a standard transistor of the PNP variety.
I noticed with mine that they have found a way of further cutting costs. No more 78L05, looks like it uses a Zener for the 5V as well. The remote control board is different as well. Of course, it could be a “clone”...
I think the weak component is not necessarily the capacitor but the thin neutral trace. Some higher current and it will burn.
i have been using this for quite a while, works a treat !
I have several of these YAM controllers. I was initially confused about the mains capacitor size as it is designated CBB22J and an erroneous web search told me that it was 0.22uF. However, it is also designated "400V 105" which is 1uF (one million picofarads). My magic tester says it is 1.2uF which is close enough. Clive may have misread the zero in the 105 as a decimal point. My RX do not have the 4 caps across the bridge or the inductor and only one zener populated. My TX is different, it has an 18 pin AD0369 encoder. The encoding is done by bridging solder tabs - low, high or open, yet the receiver doesn't have matching solder tabs, it has the same pre-coded microcontroller as in this video. Its a shame Clive didn't figure out how to encode the RX as I would like to sync 2 of my TX to the one RX.
really fascinated by these capacitive dropper circuits as an alternative for transformers, can you do an in depth video to explain how they work?
The way they did the 12V clamping looks odd to me. Why didn't they put the whole 240V rectified signal through the zener and resistor in series (dropping the voltage across the resistor), and then take the twelve volts across the zener? As it is, the 12V rail could be any voltage and any variation in zener current would result in a different drop across the 68R resistor. I know that this isn't meant to be the best designed thing, but I wonder why they wouldn't do that?
I have used a lot of these. They also sell them as 12 volt DC units. twice when I ordered 120 AC units they sent 12 volt DC units marked as 120 volt AC, they burned up quit nicely when I powered up the unit. They also sell them as single channel units, those do have a code for different channels of operation.
Shoul dhave gotten two of them to test whether they're uniquely paired or are just a one-for-all thing, if they were the latter it'd be handy for switching on separate banks of things on different circuits at the same time... :)
Great video as always.
Do have a question though: how safe are these relay-switching-live-only setups considered? I ask because I have a Raspberry Pi controlling a number of relay boards (220v 10A AC relays) only switching the live which I use for controlling lights. The high/low-voltage isolation on them is very good (physical cutouts on the board).
I've been told that using them is unsafe but I can't see why - light switches themselves only switch the live feed anyway. Everything is fused and connected to an RCD, the connections to the lights are earthed at the relay end even though the actual light fittings are plastic.
Am I being safe? I was maybe perhaps thinking of using 2 relays to switch both live and neutral for each feed - would this be safer or just overkill? Any opinions welcome!
Hi. Congrats for the post. I have two of these switches and they have different codification. Have you found a way to reprogramming the codification?
Seems like a reasonabley good quality design I'm impressed
Hey Clive, I love your videos. In a previous one, you tore down some e-cig chargers to check if they could load malware on to your computer. I noticed one of them only had discrete components on a single sided board inside, and opened mine up to check and found that it was the same. The LiPo in my e-cig doesn't have a charging protection circuit. Is it safe to use that charger? Could you possibly make a quick video explaining how it works?
2n5551 appears to have a Vceo rating of 160, maybe that was an upgrade from the original design and sufficient to skip the snubber diode?
I just got a couple of 2 way switches made by yam and the remotes have different codes on the back also they don't operate each others switches.
No way of learning different codes?
Thanks for the explenation, it helped a lot. One question only; how does it works as "toggle" instead of button?
Hey Clive, when PP capacitors fail "interestingly," in _my_ admittedly-limited experience, they have tended to blow their Magic Smoke™ out through a small hole, usually about 2 mm in diameter, and typically in the direction of a component which is easily damaged by hot gas and smoke. We just replaced a bunch of junky German-made fluorescent ballasts on the CNC machines at my father's shop. I think the capacitors were WIMA branded...?
I would love to Se a teardown og the Sonoff wifi remote controlled switchbox. They have it at Banggood. I'm intrigued to buy one, but would love to hear your thoughts on it First.. 😊
They don't have to be matched, just have a unique number in the transmitter. The receiver could be set to just remember the first ID it receives. Given the amount of testing I suspect it would have received, that first ID was probably received during this video.
That's what my cheapo car keyless entry does. The first remote it sees after power up is the one it remembers has access.
At first, I was skeptical about using an iPad for making these videos, but on second-thought, I think it's very logically a good idea. The viewfinder (main screen) is big enough for Clive to see how the final video will look in accurate detail.
Awesome video as usual, thx Clive.
Poundland always sounds so much better than any dollar store we have in America!
I guess the extra 42% value due to exchange rates helps.
As strange as it might be poundland is owned by Americans 😂
Yeah, Poundland has all these cool LED lights, meanwhile the Dollar Tree near me has 100 watt incandescent bulbs, which I thought were banned, but apparently they can get away with it because the bulbs are rated for "rough service"
I'd prefer if it was called poundtown
+OriginalSashquatch where does it say poundland is owned by Americans, the CEO is British business man Jim McCarthy
+ManiacGamer definitely british
I had noticed many of my remote sockets failing over time: now you've explained why
Here's a video about the way the capacitors fail.
ua-cam.com/video/qGc9-ToEiIQ/v-deo.html
Hi.. Nice Video. How did the case when Inverter connection with those switches?How do we proceed?
In other teardowns of mains equipment we have seen the 4 diode bridge setup on the mains, but this one has 4 extra capacitors across the 4 diodes, would you hazard a guess as to their necessity, and why in products where cost is the main design feature, they spent the extra on capacitors
This circuitry requires a clean supply with as little noise as possible to increase the sensitivity of the wireless signal reception. Other applications are less critical.
Hi! You might be the right guy to ask the following- I have a similar remote unit for my exhaust valve on car. The remote works pretty bad and also eats up battery very quickly. I am thinking of putting a manual switch to it instead of remote.
What kind of switches and on what wires do I connect? Thank you!
Apparently, Cliff do sell Quicktests on Amazon, although they're a bit above my price range at US$73 or thereabouts.
Hobo Sullivan They start at £27 on Amazon here in the UK... £34.95 for the same one Clive is using... for some unknown reason, some people are selling the cheaper one for £100.
Hi Clive I too have similar sets of units and control various garden lights. As such I now have around 4 separate remote controls. Do you know if it possible to get a universal remote control which can be taught to replace the 4 individual remotes? Thanks
ebay listing says each unit is programmed so more than one unit per room is possible
Can i use this to install on a stand fan to control the 3 speed remotely?
Hello, theres how way to use two remote control to control only one receptor with 2 lamps over 220v?
I Say, for use one remote control in the door and another control in the bed to control same lamps.
Im surprised that you havent done a "big clive" teardown of those cheap mains remote switches - the ones where you plug them into the UK mains and then plug your main device into that. They seem very cheap, just wondering if they are also safe!?
I wonder if the Engrish writing means Dual Voltage and frequency (120V/240V) 50/60 Hz
If we lost the remote control can we use any other this type of rf remote in the same switch control
How to use as monentory mode(push to on) ???
What changes required??
The code is fixed by the uC. Cannot find the number on the net. I would like to disable the mode that allows you to turn on the lights by toggling a light switch, this is the reason the first channel lights when the power is interrupted. The floating pad under the uC is supposed to program it by grounding but it does not work. I tried ground and 5 volts but no joy. I guess I will have to redesign it with a 2272 decoder.
Could I use this to control the speed of a 2 speed inline fan? I would get an electrician for the work, just need to know
I'd love to see more vids on these! controlling LED strip lights, hacking...what else can they do with a little help from soldering and adding some Lego part pre made D.C.step downs etc etc etc
Hi Clive.
Just received one of these units and I connected the live wires one by one to my Aneng AN8002 meter.
Whilst in the 'off' state, they still gave readings between 7v and 15v ( on the AC setting on the meter ), shooting up to 240v when powered on.
Is this anything I should be concerned about, or is it just a false reading from the meter ?
hi, i would like to pair 2 of those devices to use only 1 remote. can that be done by turning the screw (in the green housing) on the receiver board ?
"I yam what I yam, and that's all that I yam!" - Popeye the Sailor.
Can this YAM remote switch be used to make a 2 way (UK) light switch (or 3-way (US) light switch)? Right now I have a light with one switch. I would like to add a remote switch in addition to the current switch. Can this device be used?... and if so, please make a video showing how to wire it. thank you
That cap looks a lot like the ones I use to replace on monitors in a casino, they would fail dramatically with a ton of smoke and smoke would then come out of every hole and slot in the machine causing people to panic. Mind you the machines were very hot inside and on 24/7 and they failed only after the monitors were 7-10 years old.
Maybe you should have a look at the inline remote switches, the ones that plug in between a socket and the device you want to switch.
They just seem very dodgy, especially because you could in theory plug something like a heater into one and I doubt it would handle that sort of power.
Certainly those little wires wouldn't carry much current. Should be safe for CFL and LED's though, maybe a small exhaust fan.
bigclive , recently, I've been searching for a ground loop isolator for my car. Problem is, when i have power plugged into my phone (iphone 6s) and the headphone cable plugged into my AUX port, i get a LOT of interference and static.
Seems like most of the GLI devices are pretty much cheap garbage and kill a lot of bass out of your music. Any chance you could do a project video on how to perhaps build a really nice GLI device with quality components?
Olá!
Comprei 4 dispositivos desses que deveria ser ligado no 220v, conforme informado pelo vendido, no entanto o dispositivo que recebi era 110v e acabei queimando uma das peças. Gostaria de saber se posso alterar a voltagem dos 3 restantes para 220v e o como eu poderia fazer isso.
Hi, Can you give me some advice please. I won't be doing the electricals myself, just buying the materials.
I want to use this switch (3 way) to control 3 devices. 1 x inline fan with 108w motor. 1 x inline fan with 50w motor. 1 x 3 light fitting total 15w
Would I be able to use this device to control them all?
Nowhere can I find the RF frequency. Did you see anything on the devices to indicate common 315 or 433 MHz? Though if I judge the antenna wire length it is probably 315 (23cm) rather then 433 (17cm). You know what, I'll order one anyway.
Sir, Already ground is connected to my lamp,will I need to connect the black wire again
Clive, Reading the ebay listings, it appears that each time power is switched on to this unit, it cycles round the 3 outputs, so 1st time on, output A is on, switch on and off and B comes on, and after C, it switches ALL outputs on (I guess this is to allow control if you lose the RC?).
Quoting from an eBay listing:
*3. Manual lighting sequence (wall switch control): A/1 , B/2 , C/3 , the whole circuit will be turned on.*
If your ever playing around with this again, could you possibly check if it's not too much trouble? I want one of these to control a dust collector for my woodworking, but having it come on after every second powercut is a deal breaker! :)
You think its have an option to switch a/b without changing the connections?
HI, i have a yam-802 (2 way), sleep function is only 10 seconds, I want to increase the timer to 300 seconds by resistors or capacitor change on 555 ic. Do you Have a solution ?
Mr.bigclivedotcom Can we add a manual swtich to this system?, Where both remote & switch shld work. coz sometimes am in search of remote in dark.....
I think that single pin is just support for the RF board.
all the logic in the micro-controller , it got a different coding and switch input "A" automatically when u power up the unit (in case u need to use it with a regular light switch ).
u can't modify the logic ( momentary or latch or whatever ) except after changing the code :(
i got another 4 output unit from the same vendor and it lasts for 2 years now.
my micro controller is more bigger (14-DIP) and got no numbers written on it ... just smooth. and i got a timer to turn off all the outputs after 17 seconds.
can I use one input and control 3 different light with it?
How can I configure another control in this model?
Handy unit. it's about $4 shipped to the us in the 110 version. Might get one for the shop so one remote for dust collection, air filter and compressor. Obviously using this unit to switch high capacity relays. I wish we had a pound land here as they seem to have the coolest cheap stuff like those batteries. Those never show up at dollar stores here. Anything under $4 each is a good deal here. Need to make a trip to the UK and go shopping I guess..
Any idea what operating frequency the unit operates on? 2.4ghz? interesting unit if the mains is removed and the relays have independent outputs. 3 Channel on/off basically?
An RC unit for about £2.50, very interesting indeed, many thanks for the posting, my use would be in models and automata.
Stephen.
Very likely 433MHz. You can get transmitter/receiver pairs for less than 50p (60$/€ cents) on ebay.
Has anybody discovered what the pairing procedure is for the transmitter/receiver units? It's been suggested that the pairing is done when first powered, and cannot be altered afterwards? The transmitter encoder chip is marked AD0369 (could be ADO369) B1515Y. And the transmitter code is determined by solder links on the tx pcb. The receiver/decoder chip is 8 pin, and is unmarked (there is also an LM358 on the RF side of the receiver pcb). Any thoughts anyone? Thanks.
looking good Clive, no band aids visible today 🤕
You fed 240v AC into that unit right? Straight into the rectifier circuit? No transformer? How did the voltage drop down to 12v after (before?) the rectifier circuit? I missed something obvious I guess.
The large red capacitor limits the current to a controlled portion on each half wave of the mains supply. It's a capacitive dropper circuit commonly used in low power electrical devices like time switches and LED lamps.
I don't suppose you determined what radio frequency it operates on?
Can't believe I stumbled on this. I bought a "traffic light" from aliexpress which had this controller inside. When you turn the power on and off, it will cycle through 1 relay each start.
So, when you turn off and on, green light. Off and on again, yellow.... so on. How cool!
So the two blacks are because one is used for in and the other is common for the outs? And is the black for the neutral, red for hot in? And does the on/off turn all of the three off and all three on? Or can I use A, B and C for individual on/off? If so what is the on/off for then, all at once?
We, the public, demand a tear down of that power meter!
what is the mc model, next to the rf receiver? can you pls tell?
Super interesting! thank you for that.
Can you show us how to connect to ceiling ?
Anyone try to clone the remote for the YAM switch? I assume it's 433mhz (not 315mhz) but I couldn't do it, tried two different duplicator remotes and they blinked but wouldn't accept or send the signal to this switch.
Hi bigc, can you please explain a bit more about the "decoupling capacitors " ? And why there is a little choke in the input rectifier circuit? Because usually capacitor dropper circuits don't have an input choke. :)
I think it's all about reducing noise from the circuitry and external sources. The radio frequency receivers are easy to swamp out with electrical noise, making them less sensitive.
+bigclivedotcom Oh.. all right. Now I got it. :) I've learned so many things from your channel really.😀
Clive, where did you get the quick tester from? Is there a North American version? Worst case I can chop off the UK plug and put a NEMA 15P on the end. That would be super useful for my lab.
If you search for my quicktest video you'll find some links to sellers in the description.
Will do. Thanks!
you can also get switches that go directly in e27 mount and then you mount a bulb in them, they usualy have a silver remote and you can get combos like 4 mounts and 1 remote or you can get 1 mount one remote. do a review if you can ;)
I have one of these that worked until I had to turn mains off and on.Anyone know how to reset the control do the remote will pair with the light? Thanks
My unit failed after 5.5 years. The article made diagnosis and repair a " walk in the park." Great little gadget
Wouldn't it be wiser to do the finger test with the back of your finger? Any charge there will cause your finger to curl, so it curls away, instead of making it clamp harder? Not as much of an issue with capacitors, but probably a good habit to get into if you're going to use a finger test...
Can you plz tell which IC is used
I presume the contacts aren’t clean but switching 240v live supply?
Can you please share the link for the bench tester as I am unable to find the same
hi ...can you show .how to fix light ..
Hello I`ve bought similar unit only diffrence is my is one way ( ON/OFF). Can anybody provide me wiring diagram ? Which wires are power/ground and which are switching circuit ? Thanks in advance
How do you Jack it to use on 12v plz? I want to connect this to my solar panel to light a few garden lights.
Saw another video where this is connected directly to a battery.
Your input will be much appreciated.
There are 12V versions of these.
When you mentioned a 3 way remote switch, is that referring to a real 3 way switch, that has a traveler wire from 2 individual switches for this remote control unit? Or are you using the 'marketing term' used to describe a single off-on switch using a remote control?
It has three channels of single switches.
We want to know how to connect the wires how to install this..
Easily hacked for existing 12v DC applications such as car, boat and indoor 12v L.E.D. lighting. Nice.
I'm trying to find a replacement remote for my light fitting which obviously has something like this built in. My remote is 433.92MHz frequency - is it likely to be uniquely coded to my light fitting or can I just buy a generic replacement?
It will be coded. Some are compatible and may be paired, but it's not guaranteed.
Finger test :D, i once finger tested a crt television that was only powered down half a minute ...
Hi, Clive, I bought four remote control dimmer units for 12 volt LED lights and they were not encoded so all remotes operated all dimmers; annoying but at the prices hardly surprising.
That's really common with the IR controllers for LEDs. But also quite handy as you can carry one with you and randomly change shop window lighting to your favourite colour.
These were RF ones
see www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322039419332?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
but thanks for the idea, I can't wait to try it out, you wicked man!
Please can you write the ic's name which is drives the roles.