November 2011
Our church has analog controlled dimmer modules. The controller has four scenes learned in some type of memory. After a power failure, the controller does not know the state it was in at the time of the failure. The default setting is that the controller selects scene 4 after the power is restored.
Since most of the time the power interruptions are at night when the church is not occupied, the system is wasting energy. For safety reasons, this was acceptable at one time, but the cost of energy is a concern. The four scenes and off modes are selected by a momentary contact closure. The manufacturer solution is to upgrade to digital control.
Is there a circuit design using a microcontroller that could capture the state the controller was in at the time of the power failure and restore the controller to the mode after power is available?
Please log in to post an answer.
