dimming using 1-10V Booster

Using Arduino General Electronics
1

Hello,

I want to control a 1 - 10v Booster with my Arduino Uno. I believe I've worked out my programming for the dimming but how do I create the additional circuit? I know there have been already many threads about 0 - 10V where the arduino provides the current, but with 1 - 10 v the arduino has to deal with the current from the Booster. What do I do?

I am an absolute beginner so please do not presume any pre-existing knowledge (Diagrams are always nice!!!).

Thanks a lot in advance,

Josy.

2

Diagrams are always nice!

Yes they are and until you supply a diagram of your voltage booster it is impossible to say how to get an arduino to control it.

What are you dimming? Controlling the voltage is not a good way of dimming LEDs, you are much better with PWM.

3

sorry, I wasn't specific enough, and wrote booster instead of ballast... Apologies.

I'm dimming flourescent tubes with a dimmable ballast. To control the level of brightness you need to control the voltage level between 1 and 10 and the booster/ballast does the rest of the work for the flourescent tubes.

I stumbled upon the difference between 0 -10v and 1 - 10v in this forum post: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1191596668

Does this make things clearer?

Josy.

4

That is altogether a different question. Use a transistor and an RC filter to get a smooth changing voltage when you apply a PWM signal to it.
Imgur

This is what PWM is all about:-
http://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Tutorial/PWM.html

5

Okay, super thank you,

and this should work regardless of what 'ck' says in this post: http://www.arduino.cc/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1191596668 ?

and also is all of the component information on that diagram? i.e. could I use that I can use the diagram to buy all that I need, or do I need more specific information?

thanks, and apologies for my ignorance,

Josy

6

Using an op amp is another way of doing thinks but I think that this is simpler.

Just get the stuff for the diagram and use 10 to 12 V. Is the biast isolated? That is make sure there is no direct connection to the mains. If it is you will need an opto isolated transistor to protect your arduino.