Dusk till 11pm timer

[DIYTom]

I'm installing some driveway lights and obviously nowadays they need to be auto controlled. What I really want is them on at dusk and off at 11pm or so. Is there a time switch that'll do this for me? I've found plenty of dusk till dawn, and dusk for x hours, but that's not really what I'm after. Even better wouldbe one that could do dusk till 11 then 7 till dawn for the really dark months.

One option would be a dusk till dawn switch wired to a timer switch set from say 12 till 11, but that seems a bit clunky.

 

[seasickstevie]

I've done a few jobs with a photo cell (PEC) in conjunction with a standard timer. Usually set at about 1530 to 1155hrs, and 0630 to 0900hrs.

Not come across an all-in-one unit though.

Only hiccough though is when the clock comes on in the afternoon, and puts supply to PEC, the PEC is closed to begin with, and the light comes on briefly until the cell recognises that it's daylight and switches off.

 

[JohnW2]

I've done a few jobs with a photo cell (PEC) in conjunction with a standard timer. Usually set at about 1530 to 1155hrs, and 0630 to 0900hrs. ... Only hiccough though is when the clock comes on in the afternoon, and puts supply to PEC, the PEC is closed to begin with, and the light comes on briefly until the cell recognises that it's daylight and switches off.

I have precisely that arrangement at my house and it's worked fine for many years - the 30 seconds or so of light in mid-afternoon is not really a problem.

There are some clever timers (Sangamo? - possibly conceived for street lighting) which automatically track the time of sunrise and sunset throughout the year and can be programmed to switch on and off relative to those times. However, they are expensive and, unlike the 'engineered' version above, do not switch the lights on earlier if (due to weather) it gets dark earlier than the sunset-based timer thinks it should!

Kind Regards, John

 

[mfarrow]

Indeed dusk till dawn usually implies one of those special timers with an eccentric cam of some sorts if mechanical or just a clever formula built in if electronic. They're therefore confused by clear evenings or heavy thunder clouds as John implies.

People think Intelligence when they read "automatically adjusts to the rising and setting of the sun" and my mate uses just that line to sell them with his lights.

I would say +1 therefore to the photocell and separate timer arrangement. Set the timer up for say 0700-0900 and 1600-2300 GMT to give you back up when the photocell fails and you'll be laughing.

 

[slup]

Have a look at the Steinel 3000 photocell. It's not exactly what you're asking for, but is very clever and works well.

Read the manual to understand how it works and I think you'll agree it's suitable.

 

[slup]

Sorry, ignore that. I re-read your original post and see that you don't want a dusk + n hours one.

 

[planemad]

Just get a Sangamo solar dial (Q551), it will track the daylight by time and has 1 user set switch off point as well as dawn - will last you years and you can pick them up on ebay for £40-50.

 

[JohnW2]

Indeed dusk till dawn usually implies one of those special timers with an eccentric cam of some sorts if mechanical or just a clever formula built in if electronic. They're therefore confused by clear evenings or heavy thunder clouds as John implies.

Indeed. In practice, the time of getting dark (dark enough to need the lighting) varies quiet considerably relative to the time of sunset. With the photocell+timer arrangement, the early evening switch-on time is controlled only by the photocell. That arrangement also allows the photocell to switch the lights on temporarily (during the timer 'on-period) in the event of transient darkness due to passing early evening clouds etc.

I would say +1 therefore to the photocell and separate timer arrangement. Set the timer up for say 0700-0900 and 1600-2300 GMT to give you back up when the photocell fails and you'll be laughing.

As for that last point, IME when the photocell fails it usually fails open-circuit - so, if it's in series with the timer, the timer unfortunately does not afford any 'back up'!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Just get a Sangamo solar dial (Q551), it will track the daylight by time and has 1 user set switch off point as well as dawn - will last you years and you can pick them up on ebay for £40-50.

As I've said, that's one approach (I/m assuming that the device you mention is just a time-driven one) - but, as I've also indicated, there are some advantages of having a photocell in the equation, rather than just relying of the time of sunset (or sunrise).

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Indeed dusk till dawn usually implies one of those special timers with an eccentric cam of some sorts if mechanical or just a clever formula built in if electronic. They're therefore confused by clear evenings or heavy thunder clouds as John implies.

Indeed. In practice, the time of getting dark (dark enough to need the lighting) varies quiet considerably relative to the time of sunset. With the photocell+timer arrangement, the early evening switch-on time is controlled only by the photocell. That arrangement also allows the photocell to switch the lights on temporarily (during the timer 'on-period) in the event of transient darkness due to passing early evening clouds etc.

Why would a 'dusk till dawn' operation require any timer?

Whether thunder cloud or total eclipse, if it is dark enough why would you not want the light to come on?

 

[JohnW2]

Why would a 'dusk till dawn' operation require any timer?

For 'dusk to dawn' one does, indeed, not need a timer. However, like me, the OP wants "dusk to 11pm" (and, in his case, also ideally "dawn to 7am") - and that obviously does need a timer.

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes but:

Indeed dusk till dawn usually implies one of those special timers with an eccentric cam of some sorts if mechanical or just a clever formula built in if electronic. They're therefore confused by clear evenings or heavy thunder clouds as John implies.

and:

Indeed.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes but:

Indeed dusk till dawn usually implies one of those special timers with an eccentric cam of some sorts if mechanical or just a clever formula built in if electronic. They're therefore confused by clear evenings or heavy thunder clouds as John implies.

and:

Indeed.

Yes, but, as you have quoted, mfarrow was talking about a dusk-to-dawn timer - i.e. one switching only on the basis of sunset/sunrise times, regardless of how light/dark it is at the switching times. My "Indeed" was in that context.

I have agreed that if one wants dusk-to-dawn functionality (which also takes weather factors into account), one just needs a photocell, not any type of timer.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

Timers like these.

were fitted in every street lamp at one time but not seen them for years.

 

[JohnW2]

Timers like these. ... were fitted in every street lamp at one time but not seen them for years.

Indeed - but, as I've been saying, what they cannot do is take account of the fact that it might get darker earlier, or get light later, than would be expected from the clock time of sunset/sunrise.

Kind Regards, John