Very nice video, I love your no neutral circuit, it looks good and seems to work well, as you are a very cleaver fellow how about designing a switch with dimmer circuit for LED bulbs? All the best Bob in the UK
@ChristopheLABRUYERE5 ай бұрын
I made myself your "no neutral circuit" with sonoff Minir4m, following your intructions on the vidéo and it works ! ! Thank you very much for sharing it here.
@MyProjectBoxChannel5 ай бұрын
I'm so glad it worked for you 😉 👍. I'm continuously looking for ways to improve the circuit👍
@ChristopheLABRUYERE5 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel I tried to synchronize my Sonoff MINIR4M in Homekit and it worked. But after several on/off trials, something flashed on my circuit, i think the fusible-resistor 4.7ohm 2Watt. I did my tests without load (in fact, i put a female sector plug with nothing on it), do you think it could be the reason of my issue ?
@MyProjectBoxChannel5 ай бұрын
@@ChristopheLABRUYERE Oh dear🤔 You should really have the load connected! It's hard to say what has failed without doing some testing. Did you build the new version of the circuit from the mini-R4M video? In that circuit, even if the fusible resistor is blown, then the circuit can still function, but with no smoothing capacitor working, the the LED bulb might flicker badly. You can also bridge out the fusible resistor( and see if the circuit works) Try doing some continuity testing with a multi meter, on the fusible resistor. Discharge resistor can be removed as it is optional anyway. Diodes can be tested with a multi meter. You can also just replace them. It's possible that some components were faulty/bad quality🤔. Is the capacitor rated at 400V or more?
@ChristopheLABRUYERE5 ай бұрын
I tested diodes, they were all ok. I tested the fusible resistor and it was cut so I just replaced it and now the circuit works again (with a load this time 😅) Thank you for your quick answer. So happy to use this circuit.
@MyProjectBoxChannel5 ай бұрын
@@ChristopheLABRUYERE this circuit is still in the prototype stages, so if your fusible resistor keeps blowing, you could experiment with different values. Maybe use two 10ohm in parallel 🤔. Or a higher wattage 4.7 ohm?
@tomriesz2869Ай бұрын
There should be a fuse on the reverse diode at the light fitting between neutral and switched live. If someone decides to remove the sonoff and wiring at the switch side in the future, replacing it with a standard switch without realising that additional circuitry has been added to the light fitting, there will be a bang. The same outcome will happen if a diode fails short-circuit.
@MyProjectBoxChannelАй бұрын
@@tomriesz2869 you can add a inline fuse if you want, it's not a bad idea. In my previous circuit the "fusible resistor" was in the main current path for that very reason. But I have chosen bigger "oversized diodes", so the if there is a short-circuit like you described, the circuit breaker in the house should safely trip. Adding a additional fuse will take up precious space, so in order to keep things compact I decided to leave it out, and rely on the building circuit protection(in the UK it's normally 5Amp or 10Amp circuit breaker). In my older circuit, people were having trouble with the fusible resistor blowing, with bigger connected loads. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paiCaLJknpfRj5c.html
@tomriesz2869Ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel It's a smart circuit design and a well put together video. My main concern is that, as you are probably well aware, it wouldn't meet the wiring code & device standards in many countries. One must ask the question, what was the intent of the standards and what are the consequences of not meeting them? If someone else was to work on this circuit without realising the changes, they could quite easily cause a short circuit.
@MyProjectBoxChannelАй бұрын
@@tomriesz2869 I have been thinking of adding a 3A small solderable fuse, on the lamp side of the circuit. On the next circuit update😉. If you think about it space saving is less of a concern at the light fixture, than at the light switch box, were things can get pretty cramped. I don't think any home made "prototype circuit" is ever going to pass any sort of electrical certification, but that is what electronics enthusiasts do, we build our own electronic gadgets!🤔
@Fiskelord9 ай бұрын
Hey man, i got a bit of advice for you if you want it. If i read your patreon page correctly, it is setup to withdraw money every month, but the gap between this one and the one before it was something like 4 months. Im sure that will deter some people who would have supported you, as they "get nothing from the donation", so you should consider putting it in the mode where a donation is sent for every video produced, though a maximum of one donation per month. I appreciate your video, happy tinkering :)
@MyProjectBoxChannel9 ай бұрын
Thanks for the advice 😉👍. I'm a newbie to Patreon, And it clearly needs a lot of work to add value for my potential Patreons. Sometimes I wish I could just focus on making KZfaq videos, and not have to worry about the admin side of things😩🤣. It can get a bit much for my severely dyslexic brain😜🤣.
@WiseSimpson7 ай бұрын
First of all, thanks for the video. I started to make this circuit today and linked to my led light. Unfortunately it doesn't work for me. The Sonoff can be powered up but every time I turned it on my main switch tripped.
@WiseSimpson7 ай бұрын
To debug I left only the bypass installed and it's still tripping. Should it work like a normal switch with only the bypass?
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
It sounds like you have One or more diodes the wrong way around. Replace your diodes, or test them. The diodes can look completely normal but still be faulty. In this video I use a old style incandescent light bulb, as safety current limiting, so you can safely test your circuit without damaging anything. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paiCaLJknpfRj5c.html At 12:55 time stamp😉
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
@@WiseSimpson you have to have both modules in circuit!! If you only connect the bypass, you will definitely have a short-circuit!! Because the diodes in the bypass are shorting out on every half cycle of the AC waveform!! In this circuit there is no room for errors, every component needs to be in the correct polarity and place , otherwise you will have a short-circuit and probably damage something. That's why my current limiting test circuit is a good idea trust me(from this video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paiCaLJknpfRj5c.html )
@WiseSimpson7 ай бұрын
Thanks for the reply. It’s definitely useful. I maybe try it another day
@sachinmagdum4 ай бұрын
Superbh! ❤ What type of diode do you use? What is its reverse bias voltage? Can it withstand voltage spikes?
@MyProjectBoxChannel4 ай бұрын
The diodes are all of the 10A10 type rated at 1000v and 10Amp. It's a bit overkill for LED lighting, but make for a tough/robust circuit.
@sachinmagdum4 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Awesome! 👏
@MustAccord3 ай бұрын
Thanks for the video, but why not just use Sonoff ZBMiniL2 which does not require the neutral wire?
@MyProjectBoxChannel3 ай бұрын
Because it doesn't support matter (yet). The modules also gives you more freedom to use different smart switches without a neutral. Like NSpanel and NSpanelPro
@hoanglongukАй бұрын
Hi thanks for your video! Really helped me alot. One question, would it make sense to use a regular fuse cartridge on the load line instead of a fusible resistor? E.g. a 3amp fuses for the 3amps diodes?
@MyProjectBoxChannelАй бұрын
Yes, You can definitely use a 3A fuse, inline with the L, if you like. But the resistor has two jobs, it acts as a inrush current limiter, for when the capacitor initially charges up, and secondly as a fuse(If the capacitor failed). It should still work fine without the resistor, but the lifespan is increased, by adding a resistor. It puts less stress on the capacitor.
@hoanglongukАй бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Great thank you for such a prompt response! Because I couldn’t easily find a fusible resistor where I am. I guess an 5-10ohm thermistor would also work instead of the fusible resistor?
@MyProjectBoxChannelАй бұрын
@@hoanglonguk yes a NTC thermistor is even better, but not good for turning on and off repeatedly in a short time, because they need time to cool down( like when used for inrush limiting in a SMPS). You can also use a "normal resistor" inline with a fuse. 1 or 2 W , 5-10 ohm. The circuit should work fine without the resistor or fuse, if you want to test it out first.
@hoanglongukАй бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel ah good point wrt to cool down! I’ll give the inline resistor and fuse a go. Thanks for all your help and pointers much appreciated!
@hoanglongukАй бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel FYI the circuit seems to works many thanks again for all your help! Circuit seems to also work fine them on the aqara relay and switches. Though in some rooms with the Thorn Amy down lights, it seems they don’t play nice with the half wave circuit at all. Since the lights down the chain seem to flicker quite badly. Do you have any suggestion to remedy this in the main bypass circuit? Otherwise I think there will be too many points of failures if I go and put a capacitor on every light 🥲
@iTsYaBoiii9 ай бұрын
I've recently started looking into Smartifying my home and these videos on Sonoff have been very useful. Very sad that Sonoff still haven't released a no-neutral version of the matter enabled mini R4 device, I'm torn on if I should go with the no-neutral zigbee version for now or get this one and do the bypass.
@MyProjectBoxChannel9 ай бұрын
I know what you mean 😏. The bypass makes sense when using it with the more expensive sonoff switchman m5 and nspanel that don't have a NO-NEUTRAL option.
@mattpanexАй бұрын
Hi there, do you still sell these circuit hacks. Where are you based? I am based in South Africa and I don't have a neutral wire behind the switch. thanks
@MyProjectBoxChannelАй бұрын
@@mattpanex I live in the UK and Portugal some times. I haven't had much spare time to build these things. It's not really worth the time and effort, for the little money I can change from it. I have some updates I want to make to my design. So maybe I will make a few prototypes available for people to try.
@NicksStuff8 ай бұрын
Would this newer beefed up version work with a much bigger load (say a 500W halogen lamp)?
@MyProjectBoxChannel8 ай бұрын
I wouldn't recommend it. It might be ok , but the capacitor won't be very effective at reducing the ripple from the half-wave rectification. So you may lose some lamp brightness, and possibly have a very slight bit of flickering. The circuit really was designed for LED lamps as a load.
@fluxcapacitor7 ай бұрын
Why did Sonoff make the Zigbee version non-neutral but the Matter version with a mandatory neutral? What were they thinking?
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
I think it's because zigbee devices have very low current consumption. So it's easier to make it work without a neutral. Remember you are "stealing" power from the light bulb, but trying to do it without turning it on. You are effectively getting the neutral return path through the light bulb.
@fluxcapacitor7 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel good point. Then Sonoff should have made a non-neutral Matter over Thread module instead of Wi-Fi.
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
@@fluxcapacitor mabe it will be possible with a firmware upgrade. I'm not sure if the hardware is capable of doing this 🤔. Maybe the Sonoff zigbee bridge will get a Matter-enabled firmware update?
@fluxcapacitor7 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel A possibility indeed, that in my opinion is fundamentally flaw as Matter allows us to finally get rid of all these proprietary hubs. May I add another remark to fuel your first hypothesis above about the power levels flawing through these Wi-Fi circuits. Maybe the problem does not come from the Wi-Fi chip only, but the CPU and memory requirements too: We can recall that the Shelly 1L (alas now discontinued) and Shelly Dimmer 2 do not require a neutral wire. They can be flashed with HAA (Home Accessory Architect) which brings HomeKit to these Wi-Fi (yes, Wi-Fi!) modules, yet the LEDs didn't glow in the dark due to the leakage current. However, these two modules used an ESP8266 instead of an ESP32, which could account for the energy savings. ESP8266 are not powerful enough for Matter. Henceforth, many Shelly modules use a more powerful ESP32, meaning that they can now run Matter (e.g. flashing them with Tasmota) but they do not have the non-neutral feature anymore… Hence you may certainly be on the right track about this.
@rcwilli199116 күн бұрын
Isn't the zbmini exactly what you are looking for? Or what's the difference?
@MyProjectBoxChannel16 күн бұрын
@@rcwilli1991 the difference is zbmini is not Matter-enabled. With "matter", it can be controlled locally and "cloud free", by many devices like amazon alexa and Google home. You don't need to rely on the Chinese app and worry about cloud services going down.
@Scorpio88ify2 ай бұрын
1. If I turn off the light using the wall switch, can I then turn it on using the mobile app? 2. If I turn off the light using the mobile app, can I then turn it on using the wall switch?
@MyProjectBoxChannel2 ай бұрын
Yes and yes, that's the point of it😉👍
@acidspermdicktears6 ай бұрын
So if I use an M5 switch and an mini R4 extreme, i don't have the matter one yet, do I still need to use the diodes and capacitor circuit?
@MyProjectBoxChannel6 ай бұрын
If you don't have the neutral wire connection they require to operate, close to it, then Yes, my diodes and cap circuit will provide a "virtual-neutral" for them to work. Are you using the M5 and minir4 together on the same circuit, or in different places?
@acidspermdicktears6 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel I wanted to use for the same circuit. The switch has only the live, the light fixture has also the neutral. I will probably use the mini R4 and just replace the switches with regular but better looking ones. Will this be the right option?
@permacultureecuador29253 ай бұрын
I'd love to purchase these, it's just what i need & the problem i ran into. But i no longer see them available
@MyProjectBoxChannel3 ай бұрын
I don't have much spare time to build them. Is also not worth all the time and effort for the very little money, I can charge for them😮💨😔😪. I have a older video, with a much simpler circuit, to make your self. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paiCaLJknpfRj5c.html
@UG-232 ай бұрын
This scheme turned out to be more difficult for me. I hope everything will work according to the OLD scheme. Versions 1))
@MyProjectBoxChannel2 ай бұрын
It has worked perfectly good for many people, so it should be just fine😉👍. You could try just moving the resistor if you prefer. You simply put it inline with the capacitor (Series with the positive) but that's up to you. I suggest you build everything up on a test circuit first (powered from a socket) just to verify its all working. Then do the final installation.
@UG-232 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks for the advice ! Thanks for the quick feedback! I watch your video through a translator. I am also writing to you through a translator)) I HOPE I WILL NOT MAKE ANY MISTAKES IN THE CHAIN😂
@jackipiegg9 ай бұрын
8:23 This won't be up to code even in the UK due to accessibility. You can't turn off the light bulb fully to install/replace one in the future. The lightbulb connector is live regardless of the switch orientation due to your circuit at the bulb side.
@MyProjectBoxChannel9 ай бұрын
I don't think any home made circuit can meet code or electrical certification anyway. But it's worth mentioning that when the smart sonoff relay is off, with my circuit, the voltage at the light bulb socket is effectively at 0-Volt or at Neutral potential.(after the capacitor is discharged by its bleed resistor). I was always taught that a light switch, should ever be considered a safe means of isolation for maintenance. The circuit should always be isolated, on the circuit breaker, before working on it. If you look at "staircase switching" or 3-way switching, It's very difficult to know if the switch is in the ON or OFF position. Especially if the bulb failed while on. Lots of commercial smart lighting options, have the light fixture permanently powered!, and the light switch merely acts as a remote control for that light fixture/Smart bulb. Most no-neutral solutions, also have current permanently at the light bulb socket, like the sonoff s-mate. The concept of a physical switch cutting the power the the lamp socket is also not so clear cut anymore. It could be a triac or some other electronic switch, not actual switch contacts. The light switch can't be trusted for isolation, if it can be remotely controlled/overridden!
@jackipiegg9 ай бұрын
@MyProjectBoxChannel The only thing that I can think of to solve your simple circuit is to add a small "killswitch" at the "light switch side" so your "bulb circuit" doesn't get connected to live at the "switch side". There are so many flaws in this but I'll touch on this. When the "beefier" diodes fail due to overcurrent (lightning) or overload of your house total appliances, it will essentially render your trip breaker useless without you even knowing. Even if you put back the fuse to the original position, it will not pop at all due to the faulty diode. Do not do this people.
@MyProjectBoxChannel9 ай бұрын
@@jackipiegg you do have lamp socket bases, here in the UK, with built-in light switches, so that could be a option. A UK lighting circuit is normally on a 6Amp circuit breaker. 10AMPs on 230Vac! , that means the the diodes are good for over 2000w of LED lights!!!!! How do you overlaod a lighting circuit with more than 10Amps (my led bulbs draw 35Ma, thats 0.035A). Most LED light are not even 10w! I know on 110V systems the current is double, but overloading a lighting circuit over 10AMP is very difficult to do with LED lighting. Maybe in North American you may require a inline fuse, for the larger current circuit breakers. I have done some sort-circuit testing, with my bypass on 6AMP and 10AMP circuit breakers. The diodes have survived the fault current so far in my testing(they can handle over 200Amp for a brief instant). Obviously the house wiring has some impedance, so the fault current would be different for each situation.
@jackipiegg9 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Perhaps I said it wrongly. Lightning not lighting. A lightning strike could potentially overload the diodes.
@MyProjectBoxChannel9 ай бұрын
@@jackipiegg yes lightning can definitely fry electronics 😉👍. I could also add a gas discharge arrestor, for lightning protection and other voltage surge. Maybe a metal oxide varistor MOV. But it's a rare occurrence, depending on where you live.
@optic19727 ай бұрын
Fantastic video. I'm in the UK and have replicated your circuits and also have both a Sonoff R4 mini Extreme and a couple of Tuya based mini switches. The issue that I have is my consumer unit has RCBOs and when connected this instantly trips the lighting circuit. I suspect the RCBO is too sensitive to the effective short that this is creating. Have you come across this?
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
No I have RCBOs aswell, and have not experienced any tripping. Have you tried to make a test mockup circuit on a plug socket? It's also useful to use my current limiting test circuit, so you don't damage any thing. It's not always possible to see if a diode is damaged. Check all polarities. Look at this video example. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paiCaLJknpfRj5c.html
@optic19727 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel after I posted I did read more replies so will definitely build the circuit again. I'll report back with my findings.
@optic19727 ай бұрын
Well, produced the circuit again but simply using wagos and it works a treat. So you are absolutely right it does work with rcbo's 👍 Thanks for your videos!
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
@@optic1972 thanks for confirming that. I was starting to doubting myself for a minute.🤔🤨👍
@user-fg5fc5um8j21 күн бұрын
Thanks for the video, would that work if there's an RCD installed in the house?
@MyProjectBoxChannel21 күн бұрын
Yes, absolutely. It will not trigger the RCD😉👍. I have RCDs/RCBOs in my house. There is no current "leaking to Earth", and the the load is balanced between L and N.
@filipelcarvalho6 ай бұрын
I want your bypass system for my NSPanel Pro and shelly 1 mini gen 3. When it will be available? 👌👍
@MyProjectBoxChannel6 ай бұрын
I don't have any modules available at the moment 😢. When I get time I may make some more. It's not really economically viable for me. I make them all by hand and it takes up a lot of my time. I can't change much money for them. I have not tested it with NSpanelPro yet, but I believe that it will work. Are you planning to bring the "neutral" back from a light, to power the NSpanelPro? But what will be controlling that light, if the NSpanelPro does not have a relay output?
@filipelcarvalho6 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel if i put NSPanel Pro on wall I will control the lights via Wi-Fi. Like I dont have neutral on Light Switchs I use the sonoff smate 2 and some Philips hue wireless modules too. And my wall boxes are small, almost cant fit a module inside 😅
@alfricko8 ай бұрын
I would love to receive the NO-NEUTRAL adaptor kit in Kenya. is it possible?
@MyProjectBoxChannel6 ай бұрын
For all the diodes: 10A10 (or similar) Fusible-Resistor: 4.7ohm 2Watt (4.7 to 10ohm should be ok) Capacitor: 15uF 400V (10uF to 15uf and 400V to 450v should be OK) www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222523863966?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=_6NQH98_Q8C&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=qu3kmgcqR9W&var=521380291755&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166556019261?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=PNnOX8BWT2S&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=qu3kmgcqR9W&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394333920820?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=r05p0t2csk-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=qu3kmgcqR9W&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
@Gloggles6 ай бұрын
Hi, I think I am a little late, but are you still selling these? I don't have the ability to make this and would really appreciate if you could give me a way to buy both the modules. Thanks.
@MyProjectBoxChannel6 ай бұрын
I will probably build some more of these modules as soon as I have some spare time. Keep a eye out in the description of this video, for links were to get them from. It's difficult to justify the work going into making them, for so little money.
@Gloggles6 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannelI completely understand and thank you for the effort you are putting in to help people like me that are not too comfortable with making diy circuits with mains. If you do think you will make some more could you let me know around when you will be selling them if possible. Thanks.
@MyProjectBoxChannel6 ай бұрын
@@Gloggles no problem 😉👍
@Gloggles6 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel I am considering making the circuit, would it be possible to give the links to the components you used, if not could you give more detail of the individual components as I am not too sure on which ones to buy, as there are many different types of for example 5 ohm fusible resistors. Thanks.
@Gloggles6 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Would this be possible? As I do not know which components to buy.
@GodxPoseidonАй бұрын
Are you still selling these?
@MyProjectBoxChannelАй бұрын
I am currently working on a new version, but I just don't have the spare time to produce them for people to try out, at the moment. I will put a link in the description if they became available.
@larsw.larsen41737 ай бұрын
Does it work with 220v and up to 20w led bulp?
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
Yes I think it would work fine, especially with the bigger 10A10 Diodes. The capacitor value should be OK, but you can increase the value if you get some flickering. My circuits have all been tested on "220v-240v"👍. If you look at this older video, I have a safe testing procedure, so nothing gets destroyed, if you make a mistake. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/paiCaLJknpfRj5c.html
@larsw.larsen41737 ай бұрын
@@MyProjectBoxChannel thanks👍🏻. Would it work with corresponding switches - like one switch in each side of a hallway and the light in the middle of the ceiling? Thinks it runs like phase to switch one, - to switch two, - back to one - througt light bulp to - Zero… : or could be phase to light bulp to switch one, to switch 2, back to one - to Zero. This I have in one house.
@MyProjectBoxChannel7 ай бұрын
@@larsw.larsen4173 I think you might be referring to 2-way or 3-way light switching 🤔. The problem is if its wired the European way. You will need to get to the first switch supply feed, and the last switch, switched line out going back up to the light bulb. These two ends need to somehow go to S1 and S2. That probably means pulling extra wires! In the UK it's wired differently, and you can just connect it at the first switch. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bc1gns13nN_Tkp8.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b86Beamkp9HckYk.html
@larswlarsen7 ай бұрын
👍🏻 it’s in Denmark and Sweden. Denmark. 2 switches for one light bulp. Both switches kan operate lightbulp. Both on or og off gives light to lightbulp. One on one off gives no light. Phase is going to light bulp. 0 comes from the switch most far away. Right now I have both switches on = mini just works lige an Son-off RF switch. Seems like I needs to draw 3 new wires - 1 wire from 0 to Son-off mini. 2 wires phase from son-off mini S1 to switches and one back to son-off mini S2. This seems to need a lot of wiriring that I dont have space for. Do you think that the Son-off zigbee mini could solve this issue?
@darkepiclord23746 ай бұрын
remove "no-neutral" from the title, it's just click bait...
@MyProjectBoxChannel6 ай бұрын
Would you prefer the title to be called, NO-NEUTRAL adaptor for mini-R4M? I'm the only person that came up with a circuit solution, for not having a neutral behind your light switch, and still being able to use the mini-R4M with no neutral! Sonoff have not made a NO-NEUTRAL version that is matter compatible yet. So this solution can help many people. Lots of people have built my circuits and are happy with the result.