Adjustable dusk to dawn sensor

briwire · 24 Jun 2021

I have an existing sensor controlling my outside lights, approx 20w of LED lighting. However they are coming on way too early. It is the panel mounted block type where a circular hole is made in a box and the window containing the LDR is visible protruding.
I've searched the various suppliers for a cheap adjustable type to no avail. Can anyone recommend one?
I see the traditional mushroom shaped ones are available at a major supplier, and that it switches at 70 lux. I've no idea how light that is.
I don't want any time function, simply on when it goes dark, off when light.

333rocky333 · 24 Jun 2021

I think all the mushroom ones are 70 lux unless to special order, to get an idea watch your street lights they will likely be the same 70 lux, sometimes i feel they come on too late and go off to early.

Taylortwocities · 24 Jun 2021

I used the Steinel smart photocell for a couple of projects. They work pretty well. https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/STNM3000B.html

The other option is to use one of the myriad of Alexa (etc) smart switches. You can set them to come on at sunset ( for instance) or 30 minutes before sunset if you like and the on time changes with the seasons. Same with off time.

And - of course - at any time you can yell
“ALEXA! turn on the outside lights”.

Simples

Meerkat

Taylortwocities
11 Dec 2009
53

Harry Bloomfield · 24 Jun 2021

Taylortwocities said:
The other option is to use one of the myriad of Alexa (etc) smart switches. You can set them to come on at sunset ( for instance) or 30 minutes before sunset if you like and the on time changes with the seasons. Same with off time.

Alternatively you can set them to go off at a set time, such as midnight each night, rather than at dawn.

JohnD · 24 Jun 2021

modern LED lamps cost so little to run that it is not worth the trouble and expense to fit sophisticated controls to save a couple of pence a week.

AdrianUK · 24 Jun 2021

The problem with NEMA photocells that switch at 70LUX is that these were designed years ago for use with SOX lighting. The switching level includes a deliberate offset to allow the SOX lamp a warmup period at dusk before it got really dark. These can switch "too early" if used with other lamp types.

Other switch points (eg 35LUX) are available & intended for use with lighting technologies like LED which don't need a warmup period.

I think Danlers do a unit which has an adjustable threshold - the TWSW

ericmark · 24 Jun 2021

The old time switch

could be got with seasonal adjustment but the switch cost that much simply not worth it, I used smart switches, but one by one it seems they are failing, and again one starts to wonder if worth it? So these

are around £4:20 each, OK you will need to alter summer and winter, but on at 5 pm off at 8 am with also off midnight to 5 am it will use less than a photo cell controlled type. Keep it simple.

Harry Bloomfield · 25 Jun 2021

ericmark said:
The old time switch could be got with seasonal adjustment but the switch cost that much simply not worth it,

I would expect those to not only be expensive, but almost impossible to find these days - besides, they need to be designed for your correct latitude. I had one installed for decades, controlling my drive lighting, there was always the problem that if power was lost, they got out of sync.

I have now swapped all my timers and time clocks for Smart Sockets. They are not entirely without issues, but a quick power cycle (reboot) gets them working normally again.

ericmark · 25 Jun 2021

I also for a time used smart devices, been in this house less than 3 years, and had two smart sockets fail, and three smart light switches fail OK fair number of smart devices,

but today use where I can plug in, as easier to renew or remove when they go wrong.

AdrianUK · 25 Jun 2021

Harry Bloomfield said:
I would expect those to not only be expensive, but almost impossible to find these days - besides, they need to be designed for your correct latitude. I had one installed for decades, controlling my drive lighting, there was always the problem that if power was lost, they got out of sync.

Not as obsolete as you might think.....

https://www.sangamo.co.uk/collections/round-pattern-time-switch/products/q551?variant=41085910022

Still very much alive & well & made today. The quartz version has a battery backup so the getting out of sync problem went away some time ago.

Alec_t · 25 Jun 2021

Have you tried simply putting an opaque covering (black tape, felt-tip pen mark) over part of the LDR window ?

EFLImpudence · 25 Jun 2021

That'll make it worse.

Alec_t · 25 Jun 2021

You're right. Senior moment.

Harry Bloomfield · 25 Jun 2021

AdrianUK said:
Not as obsolete as you might think.....

https://www.sangamo.co.uk/collections/round-pattern-time-switch/products/q551?variant=41085910022

Still very much alive & well & made today. The quartz version has a battery backup so the getting out of sync problem went away some time ago.

I would have thought they might have been replaced by now with something digital and cheaper.

333rocky333 · 26 Jun 2021

Harry Bloomfield said:
I would have thought they might have been replaced by now with something digital and cheaper.

Sangamo did make a similar digital version years ago, it never caught on though.

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Adjustable dusk to dawn sensor

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