Cheap method for USB Lighting control

[danbrookwell]

I run a home haunt and am always looking for cheap ways to do things. I want dim lighting this year so I am using USB powered book lights as my lighting instruments. I have 7 of them leading back to a 7 port splitter/hum which is plugged into a wall outlet via a USB/AC converter.

Any suggestions, concerns or comments?

Thanks,
Dan

[Amiers]

Well if you want them to be at a constant dim with out them fading up and down then just go with a standard house hold dimmer switch connected to the outlet that you plugged the lights into. You could even go as far as getting one with a remote.

Remote Control Dimmer from Lutron | The Home Depot - Model MIR-600THW-WH

[Chris15]

In all likelihood that won't work and may end up releasing the magic smoke.

Your options will be governed by the power supply you are using between USB and mains.
That is where any power alteration needs to occur.

What level of control are you after? It's not clear whether you are trying to dim these lights or just switch them on and later off...

[danbrookwell]

I want the overall effect of dim lighting, however the fixtures themselves are just turned on and off. what is this "magic smoke" ?? I will be running 7usb lines out of a splitter connected to a wall outlet.

thanks
dan

[Tex]

The "magic smoke" is the smoke that comes out of an electronic device immediately before it stops working.

[Kelite]

Yep, while humorous within a forum posting that 'magic smoke' gets a bit pricey.
One would think the 7 USB lines running to the book lights would be somewhat dim to begin with. If they are still too bright perhaps a bit of diffusion over them would be the ticket to an enchanted haunt-

[dberm22]

I use an arduino for all my LED lighting. It's extremely customizable, but that may require alot of custom coding. You can pick one up for about 25 bucks on amazon, and re-use it thousands of times for different projects.

[danbrookwell]

Do you think one AC outlet would be too much power for the splitter hub/USB cables/booklights to handle?

[jhochb]

Good Morning

The MAGIC SMOKE is the what manufactures put in all electrical devices that makes it work.
If you let the MAGIC SMOKE out, the device stops working.
Often, it is possible to put the SMOKE back in, but it can get VERY pricey.

DON"T LET THE SMOKE OUT

[derekleffew]

...Often, it is possible to put the SMOKE back in, but it can get VERY pricey. ...

Especially if it's Jaguar smoke.

Lucas - Prince of Darkness - Lucas Electrical Humor Jokes
-----

Do you think one AC outlet would be too much power for the splitter hub/USB cables/booklights to handle?

USB is 5V, so you can put 24 of them on a 120V receptacle. (I think that's how it works.)

[dberm22]

Do you think one AC outlet would be too much power for the splitter hub/USB cables/booklights to handle?

You need an AC/DC converter, just make sure it converts it to the correct voltage (5V or 12V). You can't "overpower" something, but you can "overvolt" something. So don't worry about the wattage...only the voltage.

[Chris15]

Errr, no.

Wattage DOES matter. Your power supply must be rated to deliver at least the load you want to draw from it.

A USB 2.0 port is specified to be guaranteed able to deliver 100mA (Low power mode) and where the power is available, up to 500mA (this should onley take place after negotiation, but in some devices this ste pis omitted.)

The viablity of this project will depend largely on 3 things, the book lights chosen, and their current draw, the hub selected, and whether it is bus or self powered, and the mains to USB power adapter desired to be used.

Any one of those three can kill the system...