I'm looking for a gizmo to make a light go on when it is dark. More specifically, it should go into a bayonet light socket, and allow a bulb to plug in on the other side.
I've seen such devices (and in fact have one, by TimeGuard) but they all seem to be far too clever, and have various modes switching on and off at random, but amazingly do not have a mode which simply switches on when it is dark, and off when it is light.
In article , Timothy Murphy writes
Ah!, its not as simple as that, as consider where would the sensor be?, somewhere near the light I'll wager, so when the light comes on how's it going to tell when its dark again?.
You'll need something with a remote sensor, preferably outside like what we've got here, the sensor being remote from where any lights are, and it has a delay system so that passing headlights etc don't switch the lights off!....
I had such a device, which came free with my house insurance one year. So they do exist. It was very simple with no controls at all. Even worked with low energy bulbs. (This should be an essential feature of such a device, really).
Christian.
When it turns on, it does so only for a period, such as 15 minutes. Then it turns off again. If it is still dark, it will relight. This appears to the user as a very brief flicker.
Christian.
I also had one free with my insurance about 7 years ago, but mine is still sealed in its packet. It is branded as "Uni-Com Security",
Would a low energy lamp with built in sensor be suitable? Screwfix have them at 12.95 quid (quote no. 18491). They claim to come on at dusk and off again at dawn and would avoid the need for an adapter.
You can buy compact fluorescent lamps with built-in photocell which do this. There is a dependancy that the fitting doesn't reflect too much light back into the photocell, or it obviously won't work.
I've been using one of these for some time (Osram Sensor Plus) in a conventional external light fitting. It's a 15w low energy lamp. Something to be aware of is that they are a bit longer than a normal lamp (4.5 cm in the case of the one I've got) so check it will go in your fitting. Nick.
I've got one of these things (lower half of page) which replaces the normal light switch.
HTH
Neil
OK, thanks - that is probably why my device turns off at regular intervals. I thought it was just a slightly bizarre scheme to scare off burglars. So maybe I already have what I want!
Thanks, I'll have a lookout for that.
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