Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place.

I have a very industrial loft apartment. I want to install a massive, vintage industrial control mechanism at the entrance to control the main lighing function. Basically, this is a massive (5 foot tall) 100year old speed control mechanism with a large handle. I would like to make this speed control mechanism be the dimmer for the main apartment lights next to the entrance. Everyone I discuss this with looks at me strangely.

Simply put, I would prefer not to have this hardwired into the electric. I would like to be able to remotely cause the sliding of this massive handle be a dimmer for the main lights. I am an engineer and quite handy, but I dont really see anyone selling pieces of any radio control. I would like to have some rotary control or potentiometer translate into radio dimmer signals. Anyone have any suggestions as to how to make this work?? Very much appreciate any help.

and just because I'm from Illinois

Say No More!!!! You've said it all.

haha! awesome idea. This could actually be done pretty easily.

RadioRA 2 or Homeworks tied in via RS232 or IP with an "automation controller" place a contact switch within the unit and have it trigger a scene through the automation system.

Where is your location, im sure a number of guys here would be willing to help you out with your project, it is a really cool idea!

Edit - actually this could be done through radio ra2 or homework's exclusively, no need for an automation system. its been a long mothers day :)

I find "very industrial" a bit comic.


Why do you even mention them looking at you strangely? OF COURSE they do! This is a fantastic [in the original sense of the word] idea and nobody who thinks Restoration Hardware has really cool stuff has the imagination to see what you're getting at. Get over their strange looks and soldier on.

Give us some specs on it. What's its input? What's its output? What's it make and model? I've seen a speed control mechanism that is a set of three spinning balls, but I'm completely assuming you mean transformer. Bridge the gap. Let us in on what the hell you're talking about.

Assuming it's a variable transformer, then if it's wired up to have its output go from 120VAC to 0 VAC, that could be fed to a 120VAC to 12VAC transformer, with some small power supply circuitry following, and it would give a DC voltage from 0 to 12 (of 16 if you don't do it right). That's a perfect voltage range to use to tell other devices that ARE wired to the power grid.


That last seems meaningless. Taking you literally, go to any RC store and you'll see planes and helicopters that use pieces of radio control. NOT taking you literally, this is your first mention of RC so I don't have a context by which to understand what you mean.


I thought you wanted the big-ass device do this... if you are saying you want a rotary control or potentiometer do this translation, then you are limiting your options. Back up a step and ask how to do this, instead of deciding on a method without knowing it's the best way, then asking how to implement a possibly dubious method.


I've given my suggestions. If they are not clear, it's because there's not enough firm information to hook onto and suggest anything correspondingly firm and real. Sounds like a hoot, though, and I'd love to be involved, even if just on paper.

The device you mention reminds me of slider type lighting controls I've seen at Apex Electronics in Sun Valley, CA (where the parts for the movie's Flux Capacitor were purchased), big-ass transformers with sliding surfaces similar to a pot or variac, the surfaces more than a foot from front to back! I suppose I should have bought one of those by now, encased it in plexi, lit it with LEDs, and used it to turn my iPod volume up and down....

+1
Very easy to do with RA2. Should be a cool project

It's not that easy to do with typical lighting products. Contact closure at the on and off positions would be easy but if you read his post again he wants the sliding handle to act as the dimmer.

So now you need to build a custom "keypad" out of the slider. Maybe multiple contact closures that send 0% thru 100% when the slide handle hits them.

Very easy to do it the way Ernie said, if its a variable resistor wire it up to a DC power supply to provide 0-10/16 V.

Run that into say the Analog input of a Crestron control processor, and run that value through a scaler to ensure you get OFF at 0 and FULL ON at 10/16.

  Thanks all.  I think I have some ideas from your many helpful replies.  To answer a few questions, the device is called an engine room telegraph and looks like this (well, it will look something like this after I refurbish it):

[Link: amhistory.si.edu]

It will be mounted to the floor, so running the hot wires through the device won't work.  Instead, as 3Pedal suggested, I would like to send out remote signals understood by wall or table dimmers to dim the lights as the arm is rotated.  It could be at fixed intervals (i.e., 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, full, on/off) or gradual.  The telegraph itself will be backlit and will have power.

I will go look at the RA2 materials.  I am in New York city if anyone is local and is interested.

It's relatively easy to accomplish...

You'll have to take the unit apart and figure out how to integrate a 0-10k linear pot with the lever. Shouldn't be that hard to figure out between a few beers, a Mouser catalog, and a McMaster Carr catalog. Use a 12V power supply, and feed the wiper of the pot into an analog input on a Crestron control processor. You'd bury a small form factor processor like this one [Link: crestron.com] in the unit, then run an Ethernet cable from the telegraph back to the network with the rest of the lighting / AV / et cetera.

Through programming you can convert that 0-10V analog value to trigger anything you'd like. "Full ahead" could turn all of the lights on, raise the shades, and trigger a Pandora station. "Full stop" could turn off all of the lights, AV, and arm the security system away...

I miss understood your first post, was thinking this was an "on/off" kinda deal. your going to need a processor to be able to convert the values, mikeZTC has it perfectly. the thing is your going to have to work with an integrator to be able to make this happen as most of the parts you need to accomplish this will be available only through authorized CI's.

like i said, many here would love to be part of your awesome project. Where are you located?

That is SO cool. Definitely let us know how it goes. Take pics!

Man, I wish you were on my coast, I love doing these kinds of things! MikeZTC nailed it, either a pot connected to the handle or use the existing contacts as set points. Then use automation processor of choice (I'd start with Lutron RA2), and program it to control what you want. If using RA2, you can just replace the dimmers with RA2 ones and still use the switch normally, but the processor could also control the loads via wireless when the telegraph handle is moved. 

how would ra2 handle 0-10v from a pot to dim lights?

So far excellent advice. To further refine, you could use this [Link: crestron.com] which is even smaller and cheaper. Connect it to a small switch, with a wireless Infinet gateway. Then swap out the light switches in the house with Crestron dimmers. The whole thing could conceivably live inside the telegraph if wiring is a limitation.

On the DIY front, I wonder if you could do something with Arduino or a similar hobbyist microprocessor. I have no idea what, as we are not in the DIY market. With the professional integration products mentioned here, as everyone said, it would be fairly simple.