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AC Dimmer via MQTT with ESP32 and ESP8266

Feb 26, 2026

0 2209

FAQ

TL;DR: Install rbdimmerESP32 (for ESP32) or RBDdimmer (for ESP8266) plus PubSubClient . Connect to your MQTT broker, subscribe to a brightness topic, and call rbdimmer_set_level() in the callback. Pub...

ac-dimmer ESP32 home-automation MQTT tutorial

AC Dimmer with Home Assistant: ESPHome and DimmerLink Guide

Feb 26, 2026

0 4397

FAQ

TL;DR: Two integration paths exist. Path A (standard ESPHome ac_dimmer platform) is simple but causes ISR/WiFi conflicts on dual-core ESP32. Path B (DimmerLink ESPHome component) offloads TRIAC timing...

ac-dimmer dimmerlink ESP32 home-automation tutorial

ESPHome YAML for AC TRIAC Dimmer: Standard and DimmerLink

Feb 26, 2026

0 2238

FAQ

TL;DR: Two ESPHome integration methods exist. The standard ac_dimmer platform works out-of-the-box but has ISR/WiFi conflicts on ESP32. The DimmerLink external component uses a hardware controller for...

ac-dimmer dimmerlink ESP32 esphome tutorial

Which AC Dimmer Module to Choose: Complete Buyer's Guide

Feb 26, 2026

0 4802

FAQ

TL;DR: Three questions determine your choice: (1) load type — resistive (heater, incandescent) or inductive (motor); (2) load power in watts → calculate amps → pick a rating with a ×1.3 safety margin;...

ac-dimmer Arduino buyer-guide dimmerlink ESP32 TRIAC tutorial

Zero-Cross Not Detected: AC Dimmer Doesn't Respond to Commands

Feb 26, 2026

0 2326

FAQ

TL;DR: An AC dimmer can't regulate the load if the microcontroller isn't receiving the zero-cross signal (the sine wave crossing zero). Without this signal it's impossible to calculate the TRIAC firin...

ac-dimmer Arduino ESP32 troubleshooting zero-cross

Wrong Library: RBDdimmer Instead of rbdimmerESP32 on ESP32

Feb 26, 2026

0 2212

FAQ

TL;DR: For ESP32 you need rbdimmerESP32 — not the old RBDdimmer . The old library was written for Arduino AVR: no IRAM_ATTR , no core pinning, no race condition protection. On ESP32 it causes Guru Med...

ac-dimmer Arduino ESP32 troubleshooting

TRIAC Overheating: AC Dimmer Runs Hot or Burns Out

Feb 26, 2026

0 2833

FAQ

TL;DR: A TRIAC is an active device with a voltage drop of ~1.2V. At load currents above 2A it dissipates several watts as heat. Without thermal management: overheating, thermal protection triggering, ...

ac-dimmer Arduino TRIAC troubleshooting

ESP32-S2/C3/H2: AC Dimmer Doesn't Work on Single-Core ESP32

Feb 26, 2026

0 2102

FAQ

TL;DR: rbdimmerESP32 is designed for dual-core ESP32 (original and S3). ESP32-S2, C3, C6, and H2 are single-core. The library tries to isolate the dimmer task on a dedicated core — which is impossible...

ac-dimmer dimmerlink ESP32 troubleshooting

ESP32 + AC Dimmer: Guru Meditation Error and IRAM_ATTR — Causes and Fix

Feb 26, 2026

0 1997

FAQ

TL;DR: If your ESP32 with an AC dimmer crashes ("Guru Meditation Error" or "Cache disabled but cached memory region accessed"), the cause is that the zero-cross ISR handler is not marked with IRAM_ATT...

ac-dimmer ESP32 IRAM_ATTR troubleshooting WiFi

AC TRIAC Dimmer Is Not PWM: How Phase-Cut Dimming Works

Feb 26, 2026

0 2654

FAQ

TL;DR: analogWrite() and PWM don't work with an AC TRIAC dimmer. A TRIAC is not a resistor or a DC transistor. It regulates power using phase-cut control : it opens at a precisely calculated moment ea...

ac-dimmer Arduino ESP32 TRIAC troubleshooting

LED Lamps with AC Dimmer: TRIAC or MOSFET — Compatibility Guide

Feb 26, 2026

0 2687

FAQ

Short answer: There are two types of AC dimmers: TRIAC (leading edge — for incandescent bulbs, halogen, heaters) and MOSFET AC dimmer (trailing edge — purpose-built for LED lamps). If an LED lamp flic...

ac-dimmer Arduino LED MOSFET trailing-edge TRIAC tutorial

Trailing Edge vs Leading Edge: Which Dimmer Method to Choose

Feb 26, 2026

0 4670

FAQ

Short answer: Leading edge is the standard TRIAC dimmer — it opens the load in the second half of each AC half-cycle (best for incandescent bulbs and heaters). Trailing edge is a MOSFET dimmer — it op...

ac-dimmer Arduino leading-edge LED MOSFET trailing-edge TRIAC tutorial

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