• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homemade Circuit Projects

Get free circuit help 24/7

  • 1000+ Circuits
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Videos – Circuit Test Results
You are here: Home / DIY LED Projects / Sunrise Sunset Simulator LED Circuit

Sunrise Sunset Simulator LED Circuit

Last Updated on March 13, 2019 by Swagatam Leave a Comment

In this post we learn how to make a sunrise/sunset simulator circuit using LEDs and just a couple of BJTs.

The idea was requested by Mr. Jerry

Circuit Objectives and Requirements

  1. Apparently natural daylight is best for humans in regulating our circadian rhythm. I would like to build an LED lighting circuit to control ceiling LED lamps for my darker and windowless rooms. I'm hoping for thin flat panel lamps with a nice trim could mimic the characteristics of natural daylight (as coming through a window).
  2. I envision a solar panel outside regulating our circuit and possibly charging a back-up battery.
  3. To create the change of kelvin and brightness that natural daylight has during a typical day, we may be required to use a soft-white and a bright-white LED combo to create about 1100 lumin from each lamp.
  4. Kelvins and brightness start low in the morning and increase towards midday then fall off as evening approaches.
  5. None of the companies I've seen do this any of this well imo. Some don’t have a kelvin adjustment. Other companies went Wi-FI smart bulb route, but they have timing circuits that get out of sync with the seasons and other issues.
  6. I'd like to make thin flat panel lamps with nice molding trim and maybe have 2 lamps per circuit. Making it to handle 1 to 4 lamps would be an ideal option, but more issues in the circuit build.
  7. Using a small solar panel outside and a battery/ charge circuit indoors for night time lamp use and power outage lighting.
  8. I appreciate any thoughts. Making just a single one lamp circuit and using simple power supply for night time use would be a great start to make lighting work this winter

The Design

As proposed, a simple sunrise and sunset simulator circuit can be implemented using the circuit shown in the following diagram:

The entire circuit can be seen powered from a single solar panel for the required sunrise/sunset simulation effect on the connected LEDs.

The NPN BJT stage using the TIP122 becomes the main section of the circuit and can be expected to execute the required slow brightening of the yellow/white LEDs proportionately in response to the rising sunlight level exposed on the solar panel.

The PNP stage using TIP127 is optional and this stage is introduced to do the exact opposite of its NPN counterpart. The indicated cool white/blue LEDs are supposed to gradually illuminate and get brighter as the sunsets.

During day time, the solar panel operates the gradual brightening of the warm LEDs simulating sunrise effect, and simultaneously it also charges an attached back up battery.

When night falls, the same battery provides power to the cool white LEDs which keeps the house illuminated when its completely dark.

The battery is also under-charge protected since the 4 LEDs which are connected in series simply stop conducting as soon as the battery voltage drops below the 11V mark making sure that it does not go through a deep discharge.

For the above shown example sunrise/sunset simulator circuit using LEDs, the approximate specifications of the components could be selected as described below:

Specifications

Solar Panel: 18V, 1 amp
Battery: 12V/7AH
LEDs: 3.3V 1 watt




Previous: How to Interface 4×4 Keypad with Arduino
Next: Password Security Lock Circuit Using 4×4 Keypad and Arduino

About Swagatam

I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

You'll also like:

  • 1.  Transformerless Relay Driver Stage
  • 2.  110 V to 310 V Converter Circuit
  • 3.  Solar Insect Killer Circuit for Protecting Crops in Farms
  • 4.  IC 555 Automatic Emergency Light Circuit
  • 5.  Simple RGB LED Controller Circuit
  • 6.  Making LED Lamp using Cellphone Charger

Please Subscribe (Only if you are Genuinely Interested in our Newsletters)


 

Reader Interactions

Your Comments are too Valuable! But please see that they are related to the above article, and are not off-topic! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Electronic Projects Categories

  • 3-Phase Power (15)
  • 324 IC Circuits (19)
  • 4017 IC Circuits (51)
  • 4060 IC Circuits (25)
  • 555 IC Circuits (92)
  • 741 IC Circuits (18)
  • Amplifiers (49)
  • Arduino Engineering Projects (82)
  • Audio Projects (83)
  • Battery Chargers (75)
  • Car and Motorcycle (87)
  • Datasheets (44)
  • Decorative Lighting (Diwali, Christmas) (31)
  • DIY LED Projects (81)
  • Electronic Components (96)
  • Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (34)
  • Electronics Tutorial (99)
  • Fish Aquarium (5)
  • Free Energy (34)
  • Games (2)
  • GSM Projects (9)
  • Health Related (17)
  • Heater Controllers (23)
  • Home Electrical Circuits (98)
  • Incubator Related (6)
  • Industrial Electronics (25)
  • Infrared (IR) (39)
  • Inverter Circuits (94)
  • Laser Projects (10)
  • LM317/LM338 (21)
  • LM3915 IC (24)
  • Meters and Testers (52)
  • Mini Projects (152)
  • Motor Controller (64)
  • MPPT (7)
  • Oscillator Circuits (12)
  • PIR (Passive Infrared) (8)
  • Power Electronics (32)
  • Power Supply Circuits (65)
  • Radio Circuits (9)
  • Remote Control (46)
  • Security and Alarm (55)
  • Sensors and Detectors (115)
  • SG3525 IC (4)
  • Simple Circuits (72)
  • SMPS (30)
  • Solar Controllers (60)
  • Timer and Delay Relay (51)
  • TL494 IC (5)
  • Transformerless Power Supply (8)
  • Transmitter Circuits (37)
  • Ultrasonic Projects (12)
  • Water Level Controller (45)

Follow Homemade Circuits

Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
My Facebook-Page
Quora

Feeds

Post RSS
Comment RSS

Circuit Calculators

  • AWG to Millimeter Converter
  • Battery Back up Time Calculator
  • Capacitance Reactance Calculator
  • IC 555 Astable Calculator
  • IC 555 Monostable Calculator
  • Inductance Calculator
  • LC Resonance Calculator
  • LM317, LM338, LM396 Calculator
  • Ohm’s Law Calculator
  • Phase Angle Phase Shift Calculator
  • Power Factor (PF) Calculator
  • Reactance Calculator
  • Small Signal Transistor(BJT) and Diode Quick Datasheet
  • Transistor Astable Calculator
  • Transistor base Resistor Calculator
  • Voltage Divider Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • Zener Diode Calculator

© 2021 · Swagatam Innovations

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok