Hi all,
I'm trying to make a voltage-controlled dimmer for a typical 120v incandescent light bulb. That is, I want to build a circuit that varies the brightness of a light bulb based on some DC control signal.
I've done some
reading on the use of triacs to control the duty cycle of an AC, but supposedly these circuits can generate significant interference and require a fairly large inductor to suppress this interference.
However, it occurred to me that I might be able to use a solid state relay in conjunction with a small DC PWM signal to make a far simpler dimmer control. The PWM signal would (more easily, in my mind) control the duty cycle of the AC. The relay, of course, would be rated for AC as well as the non-zero cross type.
My knowledge of the workings of triacs and SSRs is limited. I've looked at a few SSRs and a large number of them are described as having a "photo triac" "output device."
I understand that typical incandescent light bulbs have a large inrush current. How would this affect the necessary current ratings for my SSR?
Is my proposed circuit really all that different from the typical triac circuit? Would it still require an inductor to suppress interference? And, most importantly, would it work?
Thanks for any help!