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Native Driver Overview — DimmerLink Tasmota

Driver: xdrv_94_dimmerlink.ino (XDRV_94 / XI2C_100) Platforms: ESP32, ESP8266

What is the native driver?

The DimmerLink native C driver (xdrv_94_dimmerlink.ino) integrates the MCU TRIAC AC dimmer controller into Tasmota as a compiled driver. Unlike the Berry scripted driver, the native driver is compiled directly into the firmware binary and requires no file upload or autoexec.be configuration. It activates automatically at boot whenever a compatible DimmerLink device is detected on the I2C bus.

Key differences from the Berry driver

Aspect Native C driver Berry driver
Activation Automatic — compiled in, detects I2C at boot Manual — files uploaded, configured in autoexec.be
Platform ESP32 and ESP8266 ESP32 only (Berry not available on ESP8266)
Configuration user_config_override.h at compile time /dimmerlink.json at runtime
Command prefix Dl (e.g., DlDim, DlCurve) DimmerLink (e.g., DimmerLink_Kitchen)
Named instances Not supported — devices indexed as Dev1, Dev2 Supported — each device has a label
Auto-scan Full I2C bus scan across all buses (0x08-0x77) Manual address configuration

Key features

  • Up to 4 devices, each with up to 4 channels (16 channels total)
  • Web UI brightness sliders and sensor display
  • MQTT telemetry with per-channel JSON data
  • HTTP API for remote control via curl or automation systems
  • Three dimming curves: LINEAR, RMS, LOG (per channel)
  • Hardware fade transitions (0 to 25.5 seconds)
  • Temperature monitoring and thermal protection reporting
  • Automatic AC frequency detection (50/60 Hz)

Requirements

Category Details
Build tool PlatformIO (CLI or VS Code extension)
MCU ESP32 (any variant) or ESP8266
Hardware DimmerLink device with I2C mode enabled
Wiring SDA, SCL, GND, VCC with 4.7 kOhm pull-ups

Driver files

File Purpose
xdrv_94_dimmerlink.ino Driver source — place in tasmota/ directory
user_config_override.h Enable USE_DIMMERLINK define

Documentation

Page Description
Build & Flash PlatformIO setup, compilation, flashing via USB and OTA
Commands Full command reference — DlDim, DlCurve, DlFade, DlStatus, DlReset, DlRecalibrate, DlAddress
Web, MQTT & HTTP Web UI sliders, MQTT telemetry JSON, HTTP API endpoints
Advanced Features Dimming curves explained, fade control, temperature monitoring, multi-device setup, migration from Berry
Reference Troubleshooting, error codes, I2C register map, thermal states
What is the native driver? Key differences from the Berry driver Key features Requirements Driver files Documentation