There's an updated version of this circuit hack that makes it compatible with more LED bulbs. it includes a diode and capacitor that eliminates flicker in many types of LED bulbs. There's an updated version of this circuit hack that makes it compatible with more LED bulbs. it includes a diode and capacitor that eliminates flicker in many types of LED bulbs. It features the Shelly1 instead of the Sonoff mini ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
Hello, I've got a small dilema about something, and would appreciate if u could give me your thoughts on it. Like many people, i have no neutral wire installed behind switches in my apartment, so ive got to use some way to overcome that. But, there is one thing that, I think, makes it easier for me. I've got two live wires coming from the switch to ceiling light, so i was thinking of sending one live directly to the light fixture, where i would put smart switch module, and the other one could be controlled by fiscal switch, which would pass 220v when on. I know there are solutions like Shelly 1 and others who accept 220v as external switch trigger, but the only thing I have available for me right now is Sonoff mini, which as u know uses low voltage ground for external switch. My question for u is, what do you think the best solution for using 220v to bridge S1 and S2 inputs would be? I was thinking of high voltage relay of some sort but am really curious of your opinion non that? Thank you in advance.
@@petar. yes it is possible to use a relay with a 220 volt coil. The relay contacts can then bridge S1 and S2. You can get quite small relays that have a 220vac coil, but they tend to be rather expensive. It might be easier just to use a Shelly1. But the relay will definitely work.
I just did a "circuit hack" and I can say that the thing works as shown in the video. It will save me a lot of time because I have installations without a neutral wire behind the switch.
Absolutely genius! Thanks so much for this... I have been looking for a good solution for ages, I actually prefer to have these in the light circuit anyway.. There is very little room in my wall boxes!
Just remember not all LED light bulbs function on half-wave DC. So test your LED bulb with a diode first. Just find one that works. Led strip lighting with LED drivers should also work.
Great little project, it solves the issue of getting neutral behind the light switch. One observation on the video itself, please mute/muffle when you call on a voice assistant, my house just went crazy turning all the lights on!!!
Awesome project! Brilliant solution! Thank you so much for sharing! I was looking for a solution for quite some time! ✊ P.S. Never say “Hey Google… bla bla” on a UA-cam video :))
The Sonoff ZN Mini L is a great option😉, but I think you need a ZigBee hub aswell to make it work? My option allows you to put it by the light fixture itself. Up there you get a very good Wi-Fi connection. The switch back box sometimes limits the WiFi reception, especially if it's made out metal and not plastic. I think having more options is good 👍
Thanks for a brilliant video!! :) Though after seeing Your elegant solution I can not help but wonder why Sonoff doesn't include a similar "option" In their products, seeing that it wouldn't have to add many pennies to the price but make their switch much more usable for all "average users" that have this wiring in their houses/apartment's. And possibly in my opinion just as "valuable" it also "Adds the option" for mounting the "on the wire" where ever it's most convenient, rather than having to mount it "with the switch" Again thanks for the video, best regards.
I think a smart bulb with this circuit inside would be perfect, this way the light switch with diode, won't disable the bulb and keep it powered for WiFi control.
1/4 watt resistors are fine (0.25W). In my Shelly video I made some improvements to the circuit. I added a diode capacitor to the LED bulb. It makes it compatible with more types of LED bulbs. ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
5:27 this is great idea for my 5 gang switch, i’ve been struggling to make it smart because the wires are just too thick behind the switch and I want to avoid adding a spacer or second switch (3gang + 2gang). 1) Since it’s 5 gang, i would need to add 5 diodes on the main switch? 2) With the half wave dc powering the sonoff mini. When the main switch is toggled, this would just toggle the relay for the sonoff mini? 3) I’m planning to buy tuya version of the sonoff mini, the custom pcb should work assuming they work the same way?
The "tuya type" smart switch should in theory work. BUT! People have reported them working, but on some of them the diode polarities need to be reversed, on all the diodes(and capacitor polarity). You can easily test that by powering the "tuya device" through a diode on the neutral, to test which polarity works. Then you arrange all the diodes accordingly. Also this video is quite old, and I've since improved the circuit by adding a diode and capacitor to the LED bulb. This prevents any unwanted flickering in some types of led light bulb. Like in this newer video, the diode and capacitor is included. ua-cam.com/video/9hQFFsBkxaU/v-deo.html You can probably build it on a prototype (Perf board) pcb. It's essentially exactly the same except for the extra diode and capacitor for the light bulb. You of course only need one diode per light switch.
@@MyProjectBoxChannel appreciate the headsup on the reverse polarity. That means i would need to mirror all the diodes from Lin & Lout. The best way would be testing using the light bulb before the tuya wifi module to avoid smokes if the polarity is wrong as you’ve instructed.
@@thebatu89 Yes you are correct👍. Just set up a test rig with a in-line "old incandescent bulb"💡, for safety current limiting. Verify that everything works. Note down the polarity of all the diodes. Remember if the polarity of one diode changes, you then have to change all of them, and capacitor polarity aswell. Be safe! This is mains voltage ⚡️ 😉
@@MyProjectBoxChannel thanks, appreciate your advise. As for the fusible resistor, if it has 5 lines does that count as one? I’m looking at my local marketplace and they’re all just listed as resistors For soldering wires to diodes, which wire thickness should i get (for smart switches like the switchman)?
@@thebatu89 if you are doing a 5-gang light switch, with 5 separate sonoff/tuya's , then you will need a fusible resistor for each one. If you are you are using something like the sonoff switchman M5-3C (3-gang switch) ,then you only need one fusible resistor, for the channel with the bypass on it. You can solder 0.75mm2 to the diodes. I normally strip the flex cord from some old appliance. It's very flexible and easy to solder.
Excellent Idea! I think of one drawback: you have to use the same way to power off the light, in other words if you switch the light on through google you have to use the app to switch it off. If you switch the light on using wall switch and then use the app to switch off it becomes complicated because you can not switch on again using wall switch. However, it is a clever idea!
Thanks! BUT trust me it works in all the different combinations of On and Off, by the phone and light switch in halfway and full wave mode any combination works. I have tested all of them. The LED bulb works with half wave DC and full wave AC, so does the sonoff. The optocoupler circuit just detects when the switch is open or closed and triggers the sonoff s1 and s2. That's the magic of putting a diode across the switch.
@@MyProjectBoxChannel if I switch on by the wall switch the full wave goes to optocoupler and this means "on". If you switch off by the app the wall switch remains on full wave indicating "on". Sonoff will switch off lamp but the wall switch says "on". When later use the wall switch to turn on the lamp the wall switch will go at half wave state which means "off" for optocoupler. So you have to press wall switch once to recover the state to "off" and once more to enable again "on". Am I missing something? how is is really working?
@@mariosxenos7157 the sonoff mini is just looking for a trigger. It doesn't matter if the switch is in the on or off position it's just looking for a change of state. (Rising or falling edge trigger) Off to On can trigger it , and so can On to Off. ua-cam.com/video/RRsvMgCDVjg/v-deo.html
Great project, liked and subbed! For any who also have zigbee systems, sonoff just released the zbmini-l which works without a neutral wire. I wonder if they've incorporated a similar solution into the device. Shelly has the no neutral requiring 1L, but it requires a resistor in series for low current circuits to prevent lights from flickering when off. In any case, things are finally looking up for those of us without neutral wires, haha!
I'll be doing a video on a similar circuit hack for the Shelly 1. So if you don't have a neutral at the switch you can put it at the light fixture instead. And still control it with the light switch. I just wanted to give people some more options 😉
No not necessarily because the sonoff turns the power off to the bulb socket not the light switch 😉👍. But it's still a good idea to turn it off on the fuse board 😉
I don't think it will work😥. The circuit is mainly intended for some types of LED light bulbs, and possibly some SMPS power supplies. The thing that you are powering needs to be able to tolerate half-wave DC. You could probably power a relay (with a diode and capacitor to smooth the ripple) that triggers something else.
But if you're using an incandescent bulb (or a halogen one, or a fluorescent tube), you'll use half the power in some cases, correct? And that is not the case with your other more recent circuit, correct ?
Now that I think about it: If you replace the diode at the switch by a full bridge rectifier, the rest of the circuit will work the same but you would have "full wave DC" (and still be 230V RMS) powering the incandescent bulb, wouldn't you?
Yes half-wave on a resistive load, like a incandescent bulb, will give "half the power". This video is quite old, and in my new videos I added a capacitor to smooth the ripple. Some LED bulbs ( like the one in the video) have a capacitor inside, so the ripple isn't a problem. But adding a smoothing capacitor makes the circuit more universal, and you don't get a reduction in brightness, or unwanted flicker, with some bulbs. ua-cam.com/video/9hQFFsBkxaU/v-deo.html
@@NicksStuff Unfortunately a full bridge rectifier, at the switch won't work🤔☹️. My switch detection circuit, relies on knowing the difference between full wave AC, and half-wave of DC.
@@MyProjectBoxChannel I mays be wrong but I think a full bridge rectifier at the switch would work as your circuit (on the lamp side) detects AC vs DC. With a full bridge at the switch, you'd generate "full-wave DC" when the switch is open and full-wave AC when it's on. I'll watch that newer video, I hope the circuit will work with a high resistive load and a ZBMini. EDIT : I watched the video, it doesn't improve the situation if you want to use an incandescent bulb or neon tube.
@@NicksStuff now I'm very curious how you would connect the full bridge rectifier at the switch 🤔. It has 4 terminals. Remember my circuit is only needed if there is no neutral behind the switch! So you can't connect both the line and neutral 🤔. And then the switch needs to bypass the full bridge rectifier somehow. Let me know your thoughts.
The diode is connected to the positive of the 470uf capacitor. I really should have indicated the polarity of the cap in the video 😥. By the way I did a video of the Shelly1 version of this circuit. It actually has some improvements that makes it compatible with more types of LED bulbs. If you include a diode and capacitor, it stops many types of LED bulbs from flickering. I strongly urge you to watch the updated video link below ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Yes you're right. Your Shelly video shows the polarity. With regards to the Sonoff mini, I'm afraid the transistor side of the opto, must have a polarity when connected to the S1 & S2 in order to work because they are not "free contact swich"
@@kdelios you are correct the transistor side of the optocoupler needs to be connected the right way around. This is because S2 is pulled high via a 10K resistor to +3.3v and S1 is connected to ground. I actually reference a mistake in the video in the chapters. It's very brief and the rest of the video is all correct. By the way the polarity of the transistor is also important in the Shelley1 circuit. Inside the Shelly1 the Live terminal, is actually reference to "ground 0v", and the SW input, is pulled up via a resistor to +3.3v
Hi, I like the idea. However you still have to mount the spinoff at the bulb end which means you don't actually need to do anything as there is a live and neutral at the ceiling rose, where you can just put the switch wires direct to the spinoff anyway, making the circuit unnecessary. Am I missing something??🤔
Yes if you do that(put this on up in line with the light bulb), the light switch can't control it. The moment you turn the light switch off, your sonoff is dead/unpowered, and loses all Wi-Fi control. With my hack circuit the sonoff is powered at all times, and the switch acts as a trigger to control the sonoff. In this way you will have both Wi-Fi control and light switch control, at all times😉👍. I know in the UK you have live neutral and switch live at the ceiling rose. But this is unique to the UK only. Most places around the world you only get switch live and neutral by the light fitting.
In the UK you are lucky that you can do that, since you have Live, Neutral and switch live, at the ceiling rose. I actually made a video about that. But the rest of the world only have neutral and switch Live at the light fixture. ua-cam.com/video/ZaAZA8IbaQU/v-deo.html
Aah I see, I was missing something. In your case the circuit is an excellent work around then. I didn't understand the problem but as you say, apart from not having a neutral at the switch itself, we do have lived and neutral at the ceiling. Pity I didn't think more before ordering 5 X components. 🤣🤣🤣
That is a good question! It very much depends upon the type of 2 way lighting circuit. You get the 3 wire and 2 wire system. In the UK the 3 wire system is more common. With the 3 wire system you can just put the diode across the first switch (incoming live and outgoing switched live). With the 2 wire system it's more tricky, the incoming live is at one switch and the outgoing switched live is at the last switch. So it's more difficult to put the diode across both ends🤔🤨. I will think about it and try to find a easy way to do it.
You could use a Lutron pico remote to replace one of the switches and program that to control the Sonoff. I guess the unused wires would need to be connected together with a wirenut, to be ‘always on’, leaving the Sonoff in control. This would require the expense of a Lutron hub, which are $80 on Amazon… but I have one already as I use a lot of their products in my house already.. and I actually find the Lutron Caseta product line to be extremely reliable albeit expensive. Quality ain’t cheap I guess. Let me know if anyone thinks this would work?
You could change the light switches to momentary push button types, and use the existing wires to wire them all in parallel. The sonoff mini can read momentary switches. I believe Screwfix and tool station sell these they look just like ordinary UK light switches. Only about £1. Would still have to add a diode across one of the switches though.
I tried to add support for multiple LED bulbs from the Shelly1 video, but without success. The fusible resistor breaks as soon as I try to turn on the light. On the L out of the Mini R2 I put the diode turned so that the silver mark is facing the Mini R2 and after that the minus from the capacitor, and on the N out plus from the capacitor.
I'm not sure what you are doing wrong 😢. It sounds correct. Maybe the capacitor is short circuit/ faulty? Is it rated at 400v? There is another sonoff "no neutral" video, are you mixing things from the two videos? Did you add a fusible resistor aswell, for safety. You could send me some photos on Facebook messenger, so I can see what you are doing. It's frustrating when things don't work as planned 🤔😢
I see now that with Shelly circuit hack there is one more diode and capacitor used. Which capacitor is used and where to put/soldering this capacitor and diod on Sonoff circuit hack?
The capacitor goes across the light bulb with its positive +terminal connected to the bulb neutral, and the negative terminal goes to the other bulb connection, joining to a diode which then points towards the L-out of the sonoff. Essentially exactly the same as the Shelly circuit. 10uf 400v should work for most LED bulbs.
I'm not sure if it's a problem. But I don't think the light switch is ever considered safe isolation anyway. You should never consider the light switch as turning the power off by the light, as a means of making it safe to work on anyway. Lots of new electronic style light switches have leakage current across them, so they aren't truly "On Off" switches. Think of the "no neutral" type switches(and no neutral PIRs). If you wanted it to be safely turned off, you turn it off at the circuit breaker by the fuse board. Wiring regulations are different in each country.
I found more then one optocupler version (THT or SMD - 35V or 80V): PC817X1NIP1B PC817X2NIP1B PC817X2NSZ1B PC817X3CSZ9F PC817X3NSZ1B PC817X4NSZ1B PC817XNNSZ1B EL817 EL817C LTV-817 Which one is best to use (THT or SMD - 35V or 80V)?
All of them should work fine 😉. It depends on your use case/ PCB design, whether hole or smd is suitable for you. I used "through hole" for my prototype. 80v type might be slightly better safety rating, but it's not necessary.
Yes 😉 remember the polarity of all the diodes are very important. You can use a bigger diode if you want. As long as it's rated for mains voltage and sufficient current rating for your load. You can also add a diode and capacitor to the LED bulb socket, to stop some types of LED bulbs from flickering. My shelly1 hack has this improvement added. ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
My questions about fusible resistor is gone... I found 10ohm 1W (FRN01WK0100A10) and 10ohm 2W (FRN01WK0100A10) fusible resistors. Which is better for use with circuit hack? I one Your video 2W version (red) is used.
Solutia nu e chiar buna. Majoritatea becurilor nu vor functiona corect daca din intreruptor este oprit, si se porneste din WIFI, deoarece prin dioda trece doar o alternanță. Doar puține becuri cu LED vor functiona la intensitate normala, fără să pâlpâie.
@@tudorratait's not a perfect solution but it works okay. You have to test the LED bulb with a diode first. if you find one that works just purchase several of them. The one I use is from ikea, and cost €1. LED lamps that use a capacitive dropper circuit will not work. Buck converter type is the best! (Switch mode power supply SMPS) some of the linear regulator type work as well.
I appreciate that insurance companies won't take liability for any home-made electronic circuits. And of course it won't have fancy certification, to meet specific electrical code, in some countries. That doesn't make it illegal to use in your own home. It just means you can't sell your home like that and expected to meet the right electrical certification. In the '80s I built my own light dimmer switches(it was a project straight out of an electronics magazine), and fit them into my own house. I'm sure lots of electronics enthusiasts over the years have made their own gear. As an electronics guy that's what you do, you make stuff and you put it in your house. It's kind of my house my rules kind of attitude(as long as it's safe). When I sold my house I removed all those things. There's a ton of electronic circuits, that were in magazines that you actually fit directly to your electrical system in your house. When we build DIY electronic circuits, they are not intended to be sold, so they don't need certification for home use. When you build these kind of things the liability on you.
Interesting solution but ultimately futile. I don't see what part of this is better than pulling a neutral cable to your switch And don't start complaining about dangerous current cause you still have to mess with those particular cable's . I mean you push a cable in a pipe vs sourcing component, soldering and messing with more cable's
If you can pull a neutral down to the switch, it's obviously better. But that's not always a option. Sometimes it's almost impossible. Some countries don't use conduit, like in the UK, cables are plasted straight into the wall. And sometimes you just don't have enough room behind the light switch to put the sonoff there. You might get terrible Wi-Fi reception if your switch back box is made out of metal. But if you put the sonoff mini by the light fixture itself, you might get really good Wi-Fi reception. So my circuit hack just gives you more options.
There's an updated version of this circuit hack that makes it compatible with more LED bulbs.
it includes a diode and capacitor that eliminates flicker in many types of LED bulbs. There's an updated version of this circuit hack that makes it compatible with more LED bulbs.
it includes a diode and capacitor that eliminates flicker in many types of LED bulbs. It features the Shelly1 instead of the Sonoff mini
ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
Hello, I've got a small dilema about something, and would appreciate if u could give me your thoughts on it.
Like many people, i have no neutral wire installed behind switches in my apartment, so ive got to use some way to overcome that.
But, there is one thing that, I think, makes it easier for me.
I've got two live wires coming from the switch to ceiling light, so i was thinking of sending one live directly to the light fixture, where i would put smart switch module, and the other one could be controlled by fiscal switch, which would pass 220v when on. I know there are solutions like Shelly 1 and others who accept 220v as external switch trigger, but the only thing I have available for me right now is Sonoff mini, which as u know uses low voltage ground for external switch.
My question for u is, what do you think the best solution for using 220v to bridge S1 and S2 inputs would be?
I was thinking of high voltage relay of some sort but am really curious of your opinion non that? Thank you in advance.
@@petar. yes it is possible to use a relay with a 220 volt coil. The relay contacts can then bridge S1 and S2. You can get quite small relays that have a 220vac coil, but they tend to be rather expensive. It might be easier just to use a Shelly1. But the relay will definitely work.
The solution I was looking for, alas, I've no clue with soldering and electronics, but the fact that you found a solution to this is awesome.
I just did a "circuit hack" and I can say that the thing works as shown in the video. It will save me a lot of time because I have installations without a neutral wire behind the switch.
So ingenious. For electronics guys probably not so much but for electrical guys just wow
It's a bit unorthodox but the bottom line is that it works great.
This is bloody genius indeed!, using half the wave to communicate with the circuit, I second that WOW!
A very elegant and useful solution. 👍
Absolutely genius! Thanks so much for this... I have been looking for a good solution for ages, I actually prefer to have these in the light circuit anyway.. There is very little room in my wall boxes!
Just remember not all LED light bulbs function on half-wave DC. So test your LED bulb with a diode first. Just find one that works. Led strip lighting with LED drivers should also work.
Brilliant idea, thanks so much for sharing.
Clever way round this problem.
Great little project, it solves the issue of getting neutral behind the light switch. One observation on the video itself, please mute/muffle when you call on a voice assistant, my house just went crazy turning all the lights on!!!
Sorry about that I was meant to edit it out but forgot. Next time He or She, that shall not be named, will be removed.🤣🤣🤣👍🤔😅
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Hahaha perfect!
Awesome project! Brilliant solution! Thank you so much for sharing! I was looking for a solution for quite some time! ✊
P.S. Never say “Hey Google… bla bla” on a UA-cam video :))
I know 🤔 I forgot to cut that bit out. Sorry for triggering some people's devices 😜
Smart !
Smart solution 👌
Great Video, thank you for taking the time to share. I would suggest you can now go and buy the Sonoff ZN Mini L which does all this for you :o)
The Sonoff ZN Mini L is a great option😉, but I think you need a ZigBee hub aswell to make it work? My option allows you to put it by the light fixture itself. Up there you get a very good Wi-Fi connection. The switch back box sometimes limits the WiFi reception, especially if it's made out metal and not plastic. I think having more options is good 👍
@@MyProjectBoxChannel I definitely agree with the more options the better. Keep up the great work and thank you again for posting the video
Fantastic.
My New sonoff minir2 hack circuit is much easier/simpler, no soldering required 😉👍
Thanks for a brilliant video!! :)
Though after seeing Your elegant solution I can not help but wonder why Sonoff doesn't include a similar "option" In their products, seeing that it wouldn't have to add many pennies to the price but make their switch much more usable for all "average users" that have this wiring in their houses/apartment's. And possibly in my opinion just as "valuable" it also "Adds the option" for mounting the "on the wire" where ever it's most convenient, rather than having to mount it "with the switch"
Again thanks for the video, best regards.
I think a smart bulb with this circuit inside would be perfect, this way the light switch with diode, won't disable the bulb and keep it powered for WiFi control.
Electric Magic.
What should be the power of the resistors, or 0.125W is enough?
1/4 watt resistors are fine (0.25W). In my Shelly video I made some improvements to the circuit. I added a diode capacitor to the LED bulb. It makes it compatible with more types of LED bulbs. ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
@@MyProjectBoxChannel OK thanks you. 👍
5:27 this is great idea for my 5 gang switch, i’ve been struggling to make it smart because the wires are just too thick behind the switch and I want to avoid adding a spacer or second switch (3gang + 2gang).
1) Since it’s 5 gang, i would need to add 5 diodes on the main switch?
2) With the half wave dc powering the sonoff mini. When the main switch is toggled, this would just toggle the relay for the sonoff mini?
3) I’m planning to buy tuya version of the sonoff mini, the custom pcb should work assuming they work the same way?
The "tuya type" smart switch should in theory work. BUT! People have reported them working, but on some of them the diode polarities need to be reversed, on all the diodes(and capacitor polarity). You can easily test that by powering the "tuya device" through a diode on the neutral, to test which polarity works. Then you arrange all the diodes accordingly. Also this video is quite old, and I've since improved the circuit by adding a diode and capacitor to the LED bulb. This prevents any unwanted flickering in some types of led light bulb. Like in this newer video, the diode and capacitor is included. ua-cam.com/video/9hQFFsBkxaU/v-deo.html You can probably build it on a prototype (Perf board) pcb. It's essentially exactly the same except for the extra diode and capacitor for the light bulb. You of course only need one diode per light switch.
@@MyProjectBoxChannel appreciate the headsup on the reverse polarity. That means i would need to mirror all the diodes from Lin & Lout.
The best way would be testing using the light bulb before the tuya wifi module to avoid smokes if the polarity is wrong as you’ve instructed.
@@thebatu89 Yes you are correct👍. Just set up a test rig with a in-line "old incandescent bulb"💡, for safety current limiting. Verify that everything works. Note down the polarity of all the diodes. Remember if the polarity of one diode changes, you then have to change all of them, and capacitor polarity aswell.
Be safe! This is mains voltage ⚡️ 😉
@@MyProjectBoxChannel thanks, appreciate your advise.
As for the fusible resistor, if it has 5 lines does that count as one? I’m looking at my local marketplace and they’re all just listed as resistors
For soldering wires to diodes, which wire thickness should i get (for smart switches like the switchman)?
@@thebatu89 if you are doing a 5-gang light switch, with 5 separate sonoff/tuya's , then you will need a fusible resistor for each one.
If you are you are using something like the sonoff switchman M5-3C (3-gang switch) ,then you only need one fusible resistor, for the channel with the bypass on it. You can solder 0.75mm2 to the diodes. I normally strip the flex cord from some old appliance. It's very flexible and easy to solder.
Excellent Idea! I think of one drawback: you have to use the same way to power off the light, in other words if you switch the light on through google you have to use the app to switch it off. If you switch the light on using wall switch and then use the app to switch off it becomes complicated because you can not switch on again using wall switch. However, it is a clever idea!
Thanks! BUT trust me it works in all the different combinations of On and Off, by the phone and light switch in halfway and full wave mode any combination works. I have tested all of them. The LED bulb works with half wave DC and full wave AC, so does the sonoff. The optocoupler circuit just detects when the switch is open or closed and triggers the sonoff s1 and s2. That's the magic of putting a diode across the switch.
@@MyProjectBoxChannel if I switch on by the wall switch the full wave goes to optocoupler and this means "on". If you switch off by the app the wall switch remains on full wave indicating "on". Sonoff will switch off lamp but the wall switch says "on". When later use the wall switch to turn on the lamp the wall switch will go at half wave state which means "off" for optocoupler. So you have to press wall switch once to recover the state to "off" and once more to enable again "on". Am I missing something? how is is really working?
@@mariosxenos7157 the sonoff mini is just looking for a trigger. It doesn't matter if the switch is in the on or off position it's just looking for a change of state. (Rising or falling edge trigger) Off to On can trigger it , and so can On to Off.
ua-cam.com/video/RRsvMgCDVjg/v-deo.html
@@MyProjectBoxChannel exactly it’s looking for a change state not a logic
Great project, liked and subbed! For any who also have zigbee systems, sonoff just released the zbmini-l which works without a neutral wire. I wonder if they've incorporated a similar solution into the device. Shelly has the no neutral requiring 1L, but it requires a resistor in series for low current circuits to prevent lights from flickering when off. In any case, things are finally looking up for those of us without neutral wires, haha!
I'll be doing a video on a similar circuit hack for the Shelly 1. So if you don't have a neutral at the switch you can put it at the light fixture instead. And still control it with the light switch. I just wanted to give people some more options 😉
Excellent video. Can i buy something like this? aliexpress?
Thank You for sharing. But in this case You have to be carefull when changing the bulb, because in every case is the plug under voltage ?
No not necessarily because the sonoff turns the power off to the bulb socket not the light switch 😉👍. But it's still a good idea to turn it off on the fuse board 😉
@@MyProjectBoxChannel You are right. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing
What about roller shutters will work with this circuit if i use one of the two hot lines?
I don't think it will work😥. The circuit is mainly intended for some types of LED light bulbs, and possibly some SMPS power supplies. The thing that you are powering needs to be able to tolerate half-wave DC. You could probably power a relay (with a diode and capacitor to smooth the ripple) that triggers something else.
But if you're using an incandescent bulb (or a halogen one, or a fluorescent tube), you'll use half the power in some cases, correct?
And that is not the case with your other more recent circuit, correct ?
Now that I think about it:
If you replace the diode at the switch by a full bridge rectifier, the rest of the circuit will work the same but you would have "full wave DC" (and still be 230V RMS) powering the incandescent bulb, wouldn't you?
Yes half-wave on a resistive load, like a incandescent bulb, will give "half the power". This video is quite old, and in my new videos I added a capacitor to smooth the ripple. Some LED bulbs ( like the one in the video) have a capacitor inside, so the ripple isn't a problem. But adding a smoothing capacitor makes the circuit more universal, and you don't get a reduction in brightness, or unwanted flicker, with some bulbs. ua-cam.com/video/9hQFFsBkxaU/v-deo.html
@@NicksStuff Unfortunately a full bridge rectifier, at the switch won't work🤔☹️. My switch detection circuit, relies on knowing the difference between full wave AC, and half-wave of DC.
@@MyProjectBoxChannel I mays be wrong but I think a full bridge rectifier at the switch would work as your circuit (on the lamp side) detects AC vs DC. With a full bridge at the switch, you'd generate "full-wave DC" when the switch is open and full-wave AC when it's on.
I'll watch that newer video, I hope the circuit will work with a high resistive load and a ZBMini.
EDIT : I watched the video, it doesn't improve the situation if you want to use an incandescent bulb or neon tube.
@@NicksStuff now I'm very curious how you would connect the full bridge rectifier at the switch 🤔. It has 4 terminals. Remember my circuit is only needed if there is no neutral behind the switch! So you can't connect both the line and neutral 🤔. And then the switch needs to bypass the full bridge rectifier somehow. Let me know your thoughts.
I one video suggestions is to put fusible resistor 10 ohm 1w in circuit.
Where tu put it?
You can put the fusible resistor inline, on the L-IN terminal of the Sonoff mini.
10 ohm 1w will be ok?
@@tin101104 yes but remember it has to be the fusible type
Can this hack work with somoff D1 smart dimmer switch?
No unfortunately it will not work with a dimmer type switch. 😩 you may like this no-neutral circuit aswell ua-cam.com/video/oBR5O391m_c/v-deo.html
Thank you for sharing this. Just one question: What' s the polarity of the 470u capacitor?
The diode is connected to the positive of the 470uf capacitor. I really should have indicated the polarity of the cap in the video 😥. By the way I did a video of the Shelly1 version of this circuit. It actually has some improvements that makes it compatible with more types of LED bulbs. If you include a diode and capacitor, it stops many types of LED bulbs from flickering. I strongly urge you to watch the updated video link below
ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Yes you're right. Your Shelly video shows the polarity. With regards to the Sonoff mini, I'm afraid the transistor side of the opto, must have a polarity when connected to the S1 & S2 in order to work because they are not "free contact swich"
@@kdelios you are correct the transistor side of the optocoupler needs to be connected the right way around. This is because S2 is pulled high via a 10K resistor to +3.3v and S1 is connected to ground. I actually reference a mistake in the video in the chapters. It's very brief and the rest of the video is all correct. By the way the polarity of the transistor is also important in the Shelley1 circuit. Inside the Shelly1 the Live terminal, is actually reference to "ground 0v", and the SW input, is pulled up via a resistor to +3.3v
Hi, I like the idea. However you still have to mount the spinoff at the bulb end which means you don't actually need to do anything as there is a live and neutral at the ceiling rose, where you can just put the switch wires direct to the spinoff anyway, making the circuit unnecessary. Am I missing something??🤔
Yes if you do that(put this on up in line with the light bulb), the light switch can't control it. The moment you turn the light switch off, your sonoff is dead/unpowered, and loses all Wi-Fi control. With my hack circuit the sonoff is powered at all times, and the switch acts as a trigger to control the sonoff. In this way you will have both Wi-Fi control and light switch control, at all times😉👍. I know in the UK you have live neutral and switch live at the ceiling rose. But this is unique to the UK only. Most places around the world you only get switch live and neutral by the light fitting.
In the UK you are lucky that you can do that, since you have Live, Neutral and switch live, at the ceiling rose. I actually made a video about that. But the rest of the world only have neutral and switch Live at the light fixture. ua-cam.com/video/ZaAZA8IbaQU/v-deo.html
Aah I see, I was missing something. In your case the circuit is an excellent work around then. I didn't understand the problem but as you say, apart from not having a neutral at the switch itself, we do have lived and neutral at the ceiling. Pity I didn't think more before ordering 5 X components. 🤣🤣🤣
@@0garythebloke0 did you really order the components to build this, even though you don't need it?🤣🤔
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Ha ha yes I did. The 817's came yesterday but they were dead cheap as you said, no worries 😁👍
How do we deal with 2 way switching? Does it require the diode in both switches or is it more complex?
That is a good question! It very much depends upon the type of 2 way lighting circuit. You get the 3 wire and 2 wire system. In the UK the 3 wire system is more common. With the 3 wire system you can just put the diode across the first switch (incoming live and outgoing switched live). With the 2 wire system it's more tricky, the incoming live is at one switch and the outgoing switched live is at the last switch. So it's more difficult to put the diode across both ends🤔🤨. I will think about it and try to find a easy way to do it.
You could use a Lutron pico remote to replace one of the switches and program that to control the Sonoff. I guess the unused wires would need to be connected together with a wirenut, to be ‘always on’, leaving the Sonoff in control. This would require the expense of a Lutron hub, which are $80 on Amazon… but I have one already as I use a lot of their products in my house already.. and I actually find the Lutron Caseta product line to be extremely reliable albeit expensive. Quality ain’t cheap I guess. Let me know if anyone thinks this would work?
Actually, not sure Lutron Caseta products will interface with non-Lutron ecosphere products. Hmmmmm…
You could change the light switches to momentary push button types, and use the existing wires to wire them all in parallel. The sonoff mini can read momentary switches. I believe Screwfix and tool station sell these they look just like ordinary UK light switches. Only about £1. Would still have to add a diode across one of the switches though.
I tried to add support for multiple LED bulbs from the Shelly1 video, but without success. The fusible resistor breaks as soon as I try to turn on the light. On the L out of the Mini R2 I put the diode turned so that the silver mark is facing the Mini R2 and after that the minus from the capacitor, and on the N out plus from the capacitor.
I don't mean multiple LED bulbs but many types LED bulbs :)
I'm not sure what you are doing wrong 😢. It sounds correct. Maybe the capacitor is short circuit/ faulty? Is it rated at 400v? There is another sonoff "no neutral" video, are you mixing things from the two videos? Did you add a fusible resistor aswell, for safety. You could send me some photos on Facebook messenger, so I can see what you are doing. It's frustrating when things don't work as planned 🤔😢
I see now that with Shelly circuit hack there is one more diode and capacitor used. Which capacitor is used and where to put/soldering this capacitor and diod on Sonoff circuit hack?
The capacitor goes across the light bulb with its positive +terminal connected to the bulb neutral, and the negative terminal goes to the other bulb connection, joining to a diode which then points towards the L-out of the sonoff. Essentially exactly the same as the Shelly circuit. 10uf 400v should work for most LED bulbs.
In Shelly1 circuit hack 4,7uF 400V capacitor is used.
10uF will be better?
Better to ask then burn something.
@@tin101104 4.7uf to 10uf at 400+V, should work fine. 10uf just covers most of the LED bulbs with higher wattage rating. (It prevent flickering)
So, you have a switch that traditionally turns the power on and off, shorted by a diode. How does this meet in any way, the wiring regulations?
I'm not sure if it's a problem. But I don't think the light switch is ever considered safe isolation anyway. You should never consider the light switch as turning the power off by the light, as a means of making it safe to work on anyway. Lots of new electronic style light switches have leakage current across them, so they aren't truly "On Off" switches. Think of the "no neutral" type switches(and no neutral PIRs). If you wanted it to be safely turned off, you turn it off at the circuit breaker by the fuse board. Wiring regulations are different in each country.
I found more then one optocupler version (THT or SMD - 35V or 80V):
PC817X1NIP1B
PC817X2NIP1B
PC817X2NSZ1B
PC817X3CSZ9F
PC817X3NSZ1B
PC817X4NSZ1B
PC817XNNSZ1B
EL817
EL817C
LTV-817
Which one is best to use (THT or SMD - 35V or 80V)?
All of them should work fine 😉. It depends on your use case/ PCB design, whether hole or smd is suitable for you. I used "through hole" for my prototype. 80v type might be slightly better safety rating, but it's not necessary.
Thanks for the video.
But please, next time do not leave the "OK google" commands audible ... my house was getting crazy.
Sorry for that 😅. In my later videos I cut the ok google out😉👍
The diode used on the existing switch, is that also an 1n4007?
Yes 😉 remember the polarity of all the diodes are very important. You can use a bigger diode if you want. As long as it's rated for mains voltage and sufficient current rating for your load. You can also add a diode and capacitor to the LED bulb socket, to stop some types of LED bulbs from flickering. My shelly1 hack has this improvement added. ua-cam.com/video/YItMu6VJGBI/v-deo.html
My questions about fusible resistor is gone...
I found 10ohm 1W (FRN01WK0100A10) and 10ohm 2W (FRN01WK0100A10) fusible resistors. Which is better for use with circuit hack?
I one Your video 2W version (red) is used.
Bun bun, dar ce model de octopuler circuit găsim gata făcut?
Solutia nu e chiar buna. Majoritatea becurilor nu vor functiona corect daca din intreruptor este oprit, si se porneste din WIFI, deoarece prin dioda trece doar o alternanță. Doar puține becuri cu LED vor functiona la intensitate normala, fără să pâlpâie.
@@tudorratait's not a perfect solution but it works okay. You have to test the LED bulb with a diode first. if you find one that works just purchase several of them. The one I use is from ikea, and cost €1. LED lamps that use a capacitive dropper circuit will not work. Buck converter type is the best! (Switch mode power supply SMPS) some of the linear regulator type work as well.
Does anyone have PCB layout for this board?
Definitely not legal to put your little home-brew circuit into mains wiring in Australia.
I appreciate that insurance companies won't take liability for any home-made electronic circuits. And of course it won't have fancy certification, to meet specific electrical code, in some countries. That doesn't make it illegal to use in your own home. It just means you can't sell your home like that and expected to meet the right electrical certification. In the '80s I built my own light dimmer switches(it was a project straight out of an electronics magazine), and fit them into my own house. I'm sure lots of electronics enthusiasts over the years have made their own gear. As an electronics guy that's what you do, you make stuff and you put it in your house. It's kind of my house my rules kind of attitude(as long as it's safe). When I sold my house I removed all those things. There's a ton of electronic circuits, that were in magazines that you actually fit directly to your electrical system in your house. When we build DIY electronic circuits, they are not intended to be sold, so they don't need certification for home use. When you build these kind of things the liability on you.
I meant Sonoff not spinoff
there is no neutral smart switch make in China. Works with Ewelink, Alexa, Google.
Interesting solution but ultimately futile.
I don't see what part of this is better than pulling a neutral cable to your switch
And don't start complaining about dangerous current cause you still have to mess with those particular cable's .
I mean you push a cable in a pipe vs sourcing component, soldering and messing with more cable's
If you can pull a neutral down to the switch, it's obviously better. But that's not always a option. Sometimes it's almost impossible. Some countries don't use conduit, like in the UK, cables are plasted straight into the wall. And sometimes you just don't have enough room behind the light switch to put the sonoff there. You might get terrible Wi-Fi reception if your switch back box is made out of metal. But if you put the sonoff mini by the light fixture itself, you might get really good Wi-Fi reception. So my circuit hack just gives you more options.
cleva girl
New MINI No Neutral Wire Required: ua-cam.com/video/pbLVgVTZJNQ/v-deo.html&ab_channel=ITEADStudio
I will have to get one to see how it works inside 🤔😉