DimmerLink Native Tasmota Driver — Now ESP8266 Compatible

Last month we released the Berry I2C driver for DimmerLink on Tasmota. It works great on ESP32 — but Berry isn't available on ESP8266, and many Tasmota users run 8266-based devices.

Today we're releasing the native C driver (xdrv_94_dimmerlink) that compiles directly into Tasmota firmware. It works on both ESP32 and ESP8266 with a minimal memory footprint.

Why a Native Driver?

The Berry driver is convenient — upload two files and you're done. But it has limitations:

• ESP32 only — Berry runtime doesn't exist on ESP8266
• Runtime overhead — Berry interpreter uses RAM and CPU cycles
• No boot-time integration — Berry loads after Tasmota's core init

The native driver solves all three. It's a standard Tasmota xdrv module (like any built-in sensor driver), compiled into the firmware binary. Detection happens at boot, commands are registered in Tasmota's command table, and the memory footprint is under 250 bytes for 4 devices.

What You Get

Everything the Berry driver offers, plus ESP8266 support:

• Web dashboard — brightness sliders per channel, sensor status display
• 7 Tasmota commands — DlDim, DlCurve, DlFade, DlStatus, DlReset, DlRecalibrate, DlAddress
• MQTT telemetry — brightness, AC frequency, fade, temperature, thermal state
• HTTP API — all commands via http://device-ip/cm?cmnd=...
• Multi-device — up to 4 modules on same I2C bus, 4 channels each
• Three dimming curves — Linear, RMS, Logarithmic — switchable at runtime
• Temperature monitoring — thermal protection alerts (hardware dependent)
• Auto-detection — scans I2C bus at boot, no manual configuration needed

How to Install

The driver requires compiling Tasmota from source with PlatformIO:

1. Clone the Tasmota repository
2. Copy xdrv_94_dimmerlink.ino to tasmota/tasmota_xdrv_driver/
3. Add #define USE_DIMMERLINK to user_config_override.h
4. Build and flash

After flashing, configure I2C pins in Tasmota's web UI and restart. DimmerLink devices are detected automatically.

Full build instructions: Build & Flash guide

Berry vs Native — Which to Choose?

Both drivers use the same I2C protocol and hardware. You can switch between them — just don't run both at the same time.

Documentation

• Native Driver Overview — features, requirements, quick start
• Build & Flash — PlatformIO setup, compilation, flashing
• Command Reference — all 7 commands with examples
• Web, MQTT & HTTP — dashboard, telemetry, API
• Advanced Features — curves, fade, temperature, migration
• Reference & Troubleshooting — error codes, register map, common issues

Download

• xdrv_94_dimmerlink.ino — driver source (685 lines)
• Full Tasmota integration — both drivers + docs

Feedback Welcome

We'd especially like to hear from ESP8266 users — this is the first release with 8266 support. If you test it, please share: - Which ESP8266 board you're using - Load type (LED dimmable, incandescent, halogen) - Any issues with detection or commands

Report issues on GitHub or reply in the Tasmota forum discussion.