Great job sir! Looks awesome... I'm not there yet hahahaha, just getting started but OMG great work..

That wiring, that was what I needed to see. Thanks man

I know this video is a few years but it’s an excellent project that has inspired me to do something similar. I love the wiring too, great work. Cheers.

awesome job. I suggest lining up all your outputs in one line to avoid wiring mess later. Wires coming in from your lights will be crossing the other terminal blocks, unless you use some wireways.

This is gorgeous. Inspiration for this year's Christmas lights.

Already done this for my final year project and using this as my base circuit..but for my project, i add some feature such as web-based gui, switch, temperature sensor, and pir sensor..thank you for the great tutorial..it really help me a lot.. 😊

Love the sound of those little relays clicking. Why the sequential delay between them?

Just found your channel today, fantastic videos! Thanks for taking the time to make and share!

I am curious outside just tinkering for fun what this would be applicable for. As they sell kits that can expand far beyond this capability in the $100+ range. And my guess with the pi, the boards, and everything the cost of this came close to that. Also why pull on a cloth? You can install a switch for that.

That's exactly the plan - I hope my next video will be about the software. I plan to run PyEphem which will enable me to calculate sunrise and sunset and only run the lights at those times (for example, sunset to midnight and 530AM to sunrise). Still need to finish the code to a level I'm happy with - then I'll post it.

For every one here that is asking if a relay can control something, well first I think you should go learn what a relay is used for and how it works then ponder if you can do what ever it is you are trying to do with it. Here is a basic description of what a relay is and its use. A relay is basically an Electro-mechanical activated switch. In most cases the coil voltages has nothing to do with the contacts of the relay. Once the coil has been activated with the proper voltage (in this case 5VDC) the contacts at the other end close (COM and NO contacts) and you have a closed switch similar to one turning on a light switch. A relay is used to control a generally higher heaver load with a small logic (or low voltage) device such as an Arduino or Raspberry Pi. So effectively one could slap together a small program with a motion sensor and a relay with a pi to activate the lights in a room when someone walks in to it. Make sure to always read the contact rating on the relay before switching a higher load to make sure the relay can handle it and always make sure the relay is at least 15% more then the load being switched. It is good practice (for instance) if you want to switch 5A @120VAC to get a relay that is rated for 7-10A @ 240VAC This prevents the relay from pre-maturely burning up or even fire. In the case of switching mains lighting inside a residence, light switches are rated for 15A @ 120VAC even though most light bulbs are only pulling a max of 100W which is roughly 1A @120VAC if you have a single socket lamp attached to that switch.

have you works in panel building shop ?? Its rare to see such neat wiring

Hmmmmm. I trying to build train engine from soldered/welded wire silhouette for Christmas decoration. The wheels will not moving. But on the wheels spokes I can light strings on and have them flash on/off to give that impression they are turning. If I could get the good code I start building for next Christmas. Do you have a video as such?

Hey Jonathan, I made you a video reply explaining the lights I use and what I use them for. Check it out *sorry, I can't post a link here* it's called: "Raspberry Pi: Automated Lighting Control - The Light selection". And, thanks for your comment. I think a lot of people buy the Pi to just be XBMC, which is cool, but only a sliver of what it's capable of. Enjoy.

So far i wired it into a keyboard PCB so i could make the rpi drive a tank in a pc game, Now im thinking of hotwireing it into a old large RC car to see if i can control it with the rpi etc. Its probly going to be a somewhat slow project for me as i dont know much python but i did manage to make a script turn on off relays when pressing 1-8 on keyboard.

The GPIO on the Raspberry PI is not 5V tolerant however I have a similar relay and Ive not seen a voltage higher than 3v on the relay pins but it would not hurt to put protection between the relay and Raspberry GPIO anyway. 3.3V is about safe for the Raspberry PI GPIO.

Ive managed to connect it to my rpi and got all relays going fine , It draws about 500ma from all relays being on at the same time which i assume is okay , I adapted some the python code from the LED blinking demos and managed to make it blink :-). Now i just need to think of some cool project to do with it.

i cant see any fuse on outputs is your power supply still alive?

I presume all the relays do not have to be powered by the same power source but just a choice you decided to make?

i connected the relays without power and cycle the lights i see the light flashing one y one but no clicking sound what is that means please ?

Why would you use an 8 channel relay? if one of the relays go back dont you have to replace the whole thing or your entire system will be down while you repair it? I also would suggest solid state relays as these relays are prone to failure

hi :) thanks for the great video. you have everything laid out so nicely. In regards to your sensor wiring, is there any chance you have a wiring diagram from the breakout to the relay. Thanks so much.

This is a complete work of Art and my OCD is very pleased!!! Where did you get the PI Case? I like that look.

Very nice. I love the organization. What are the model lights you are using, such as wattage I guess is what I am asking. I love the RPI.. just this year I got into coding... so it is really helping me with coding and seeing what I am coding. My first was the XBMC a 1 year ago today. Thanks for the videos.. Subscribed.

Hey Nathaniel, Check my new video *sorry, I can't post a link here* called: "Raspberry Pi: Automated Lighting Control - The Light selection", where I explain which lights I use. It likely won't be much use for your concert lighting - but who knows?

Ok, so your 12v power supply answered my question. To run my bilge in my boat that would be the 12v from my battery, into the relay. All other power for the pi would come in via my usb connector. Good video, and wonderful cabling!

Nice work! What are your plans when it's running? Is the script going to run on boot & only a certain time of the day??

I find your fantastic installation is it possible the diagram?

cool idea. how did you overcome voltage drop? did you inject power at the lights?

I managed to obtain one of these boards the other day , On the jumper what should it be set to if i wanted to use a external 5v source? as someone suggested takeing it from the gpio could damage the rpi.

Hi, i've made similar setup as Yours but with 2 channel relay board module,( not using any script yet ) but in my case there is a problem, when PIR is waiting for movement relay bard is ( "ON" ) when the movement is detected relay is getting "OFF". Is should be inversely. What i could do wrong ?

Man!!! You made my day.

Could you make a video of raspberry pi project of classroom light and fan monitoring

I was thinking of doing this in my new home. Run all the lights on 12vdc but what would be the voltage drop and would I need to have about 500a power supply?

Very cool. Never heard of PyEphem till now, thanks for the info! I'll subscribe and keep updated with your work. -Mitch

Hi I am running an home automation software HA,, Can the relay handle hooking up to a washing machine (+or-) to cut the power off? I have some 5v single relay and I like to ask 1st before I start connecting them to receptacles. Also I notice an 14gauge with cannot fit the relay because the screw cannot screw in. any ideas of relays I can use for my project . I want to cut off my washing machine and well pump when its not is use...

Really Cool Stuff! I just got my first raspberry pi and home automation is my plan. I am a novice in programming so any suggestions, books that might catch me up to speed?

I hope your going to Mount that in a panel that is larger than an industrial star delta starter for a 8kw motor lol

Awesome Project!!!! Really smart!!! Can this be used for 220volt lights as well?

cool video, very inspiring.

Is there the possibility to integrate in the project also "ordinary" button ? Would be interesting create an hybrid manual/remote light control system.

What are the plastic pieces connecting all the wires. Specifically the brand or part no in the video.

Very cool project. What is the gauge of the orange and black wire that you are using?

i have a similar 12 volt lighting setup for my house. i would like to knwo if it is possible to add wifi on off witch that can be controled with my cell phone. is therw a way a could contact you?

is there any way I can pull up particular relay and control it manually On/Off? the same command I can integrate to a we page button so I can press on or off? many thanks, a novice here....

Lovely neat logical wiring

Hi what model on the raspberry do you use??. And great video!!:)

very interesting, thank you. I presume that since there is no "physical" connection between the Pi's GPIO and the power on the other side of the relay you don't need to protect the Pi in any way with a resistor or something from surges or spikes?

so basically you are using rpi as a simple timer? Any timed relay can do that and it would be cheaper also. Its nice project you have here but i just dont see the point.

I would like to learn how to setup like this. Is there a thorough tutorials for beginners?

See my "How to connect it up" video, linked in the description of this video. Sorry, I can't post a link in this section. There are two concerns which lead people to suggest not using the 5v: 1) is about drawing too much power from the 5V which will cause the Raspi to restart - not a problem I've faced. 2) returning 5V to one of the GPIO pins will fry the circuitry, however, I'm returning it to GND, not a GPIO pin (look at a schematic to understand).

You did not use 110v. You hv mounted 12v output to the light. But how many amps did the 12v has

nice idea!!!! but you can realize it easier and cheaper for example with a atmel mega 8 controller

Thanks for the code!

Okay, I have a question. Can you trigger all 8 relays at once, or do you have to trigger them one at a time. I would think you'd want to do them all at once.

stegge awraam Model B, but it could be done on any. I suggest the B+ if starting from scratch.

very cool

Nice, i like this things. i am 15 years old and i want to make this too. how can i made that in smaller One and cheaper. i want to play with this things. sorry for me had Englisch.

Will you be able to provide a code please ? if possible ? really good tutorial I would like to see how the code works

What I was trying to get is the code you have with both Relays and PIR. I haven't seen any code with the two together...

what are the white things that join the cable called?

Glad to hear you've got it working. Check out my new video which is opening and closing my garage doors! And, keep me posted on what you end up getting yours to do. Cheers, P

Pete, I keep trying to find definitive instructions on how to use the GPIO pins as input. I keep running into crazy complex and boring spec sheets. They all talk about using resistors and other such stuff. Any videos or blogs on how to use them? I want to use my RPi for a double garage door control using my phone. I'm getting closer with using gpiopi, but the hardware (on the input side...) still mystifies me. Resources?

Dude you are way too orgenized :D

I have a light that runs on 6v. Can I use the 12v 8 channel relay to control the light?

im wanting to use a rasbery pi and a relay board to control 12v aux applications in my vehicle. do you happen to have the software to do this and the software to allow me to control these items from a touch screen connected to the rasberry pi? the only programming i have done was years ago with visual basic 6 and im unfamiliar with the rasberry pi's language.

Hello, great project! Good explainations! I plan to implement an simular project using those relais boards and a raspberry pi 2 B+. The plan is to control my gardening environent like pumps, filters and lamps by a webserver and PHP. I guess you are also using the GPIO's, provided by the Raspberry. I ask myself, if the 3.3VDC outputs of the GPIO's are really able to control the 5VDC inputs of the relais-board. I mean - in your video I'm able to see that, but in other forums, people tend to include an amplifier or transistors to push the signal. Do you have any experiances with that or does that really work rock solid without amplifying the signals? Greetings from germany. Alex

Can we use atmega instead of raspberry pi??

Hey Nathaniel, I did this for 12V LED lights. Contact a professional Electrician before playing with mains.

im looking to control billiard table lights. Any suggestion how this can be achieved? I need to have a program with table icons that when clicked will switch table light on and start recording the cost of the table. For example if it was 10 pence per minute, each minute that the table is on the total for that table would increase by 10 pence. I need this for 16 tables. Anyone out there able to write the script for this? Willing to pay.

Hi, thanks for the video. It's very useful. Just out of interest what 12V power supply are you using?

Where can i get the script and what would i need to set it up to work

Do you have diagram of that and component ?can have copy....hihihi

Hey, I called my attention that the hot line goes into NO connection in the relay, instead of COM. Is this correct? I have seen other tutorials where the hot line goes to COM and the hot line of the equipment goes to the NO. Since this could be dangerous, I would like to get the whole concept right, thanks in advance.

what are you using to control the pi with another computer?

can the PI work more thin just 8 relays ? maybe 200?

Great!

is it a better idea to be switching the LIVE signal instead of NEUTRAL? i dont remember which one is better or if there is a better way.

please ,I want to know how i can control it by whats app commands

Any chance you have a searchable part number for that bank of relays ? and which interface on the PasberryPi did you use to connect them ?

Really fucking cool man. Is this on github? I found your channel for keyboard stuff but I love the hardware stuff as well. I just built my first pi project. We kinda reverse engineered Alexa using node.js and google cloud speech to text api. Hard wired some LEDs and TA DA cheap knockoff of Alexa. That project kinda made me want to play with hardware more so I figure I have to build my next board instead of buying something.

This can be done by aurdino !!! I think ... Why u used rasberry?

FYI- The link to get the 5V/2A power supply is dead!

Pete, how are you wiring up the motion sensors? Also, do you have the script that incorporates those motion sensors? In part two, I see the python script but it doesn't seem to match up with the one shown here in Part 3... Thanks for your videos!

Ugh, I thought this related to openhab somehow. Nice work though!

Hi SkyWithPete, have you ever experienced some trouble with the 8 channel relay? I experience that the relay might be clicking on and off for some of the relays, when I have 6 channels running at the same time. Could you maybe solve my problem? I have tried with two different raspberries. One old and one new version. No difference. The 8 channel relay is a 5V channel relay and I have tried to use the JD-VCC connections for extra power supply. Still no difference. What should I do? :-(

Can you control the relays with an app?

can you tell me the tools used in this ?

what is the max voltage/amperage this relay can control?

using a pi for this really overkill

85k holy smokes

why do you need to run your lighting script with sudo?

have you tried this with a raspberry pi 3?

wow wish i could do that. i know people with ling driveways need automatic lights all around the house

can i know how to make this project?

KDE4 :D

You seem to know enough to be dangerous.... YIKES!

A Arduino would do that just fine. It's cheaper and more reliable..

Damnit I need to learn python

I hope you are not really switching the neutral on all of those outlets! That would be begging to kill someone. The narrow blade of the receptacle is the hot wire and that is the one that should be switched. The wider blade is the neutral or 'grounded' side of the outlet and should never be disconnected. Please check with any electrician before you get yourself or someone else killed! - Other that that - nice project -