A light sensor, also called a twilight switch or photo relay, is used to automate the street lighting system and at the same time (the light will turn on and off depending on how dark it is outside on a day-night basis). The scope of its application can be very diverse: a lawn in a country house, an entrance to a country house and even an entrance to an apartment. Next, we will talk about how to properly connect a photo relay for street lighting with your own hands, having examined step-by-step photo instructions, diagrams and a visual video example.

The principle of operation of the device

So, first, let's look at how the twilight switch works so that you catch the features of its connection, which we will provide below.

The design of the photorelay includes three main elements: a photocell, a comparator and a relay.

As for the photocell (and it is mainly a photodiode, phototransistor or photoresistor), its main purpose is to analyze the intensity of light. If it gets dark or bright outside, the photocell will let you know about it, on the basis of which the light will turn on / off. The comparator is the so-called system response threshold. If the voltage supplied by the photocell exceeds the setting, the comparator will turn on the relay, and accordingly the lamp. A relay (or triac) is an output device that switches the load (in our case, this is a light bulb).

Simply put, the principle of operation is as follows: when the light level decreases, the resistance on the photoresistor changes, as a result of which the voltage rises and the relay operates. The result is that the lamp to which the device is connected turns on until it starts to get light.

Video review of the detector from Feron, model SEN27:

Device characteristic

Connection diagrams

Before moving on to installing a light control switch (another popular name) instead of a regular light switch, you need to figure out how to connect the wires to the lamp and sensor terminals. So, the scheme for connecting a photorelay for street lighting can be presented in two versions: using a junction box and without using it. The first option is usually used when it happens, because. in this case, you will need to bring a new line out of the junction box.

The wiring looks like this:

As you can see, connecting a photo relay to a lamp is practically the same as. As well as in the usual version, the phase is broken, and zero goes directly to the lantern. The only difference is that the neutral wire must also be wound into the photosensor itself.

If you have already made repairs in the house and do not want to ditch the wall for a new line, you can use the second option for connecting the photorelay with your own hands - directly:

In this case, all 3 wires: phase, zero and ground are brought inside the case and pressed with terminals. Both the first and the second installation method are correct. Having chosen the appropriate option, you can proceed further - to installing a photocell with your own hands.

Step by step installation instructions

I would immediately like to move away from the topic a little and advise you to simultaneously connect the photorelay and. Together, these two devices will allow you to turn on the lamp when it gets dark, only if a person has appeared in the detection zone. If there is no one on the site, then the bulbs will not light up, which will significantly save electricity.

The method of installation depends on what protection class and type of fastening of the twilight light switch you bought.

To date, there are various manufacturing options, namely:

• with fastening on a DIN rail, on a wall or on a horizontal surface;
• outdoor or indoor use (depending on);
• photocell built-in or external.

In the instructions, we will provide, for example, the installation of a photo relay for street lighting with a wall mount. Connection is carried out at the stand for convenience, especially since this is just an example.

So, in order to connect the photorelay to the lamp yourself, you must complete the following steps:

1. We turn off the electricity at the input shield and check the presence of current in the junction box, from which we will lead the wire.
   
2. We stretch the supply wire to the installation site of the photorelay (next to the lighting fixture). We recommend that you use a three-wire switch to connect the twilight switch, which has proven itself to be a reliable and not too expensive conductor option.
   
3. We clean the wires from insulation by 10-12 mm to connect them to the terminals.
   
4. We create holes in the case for the institution of cores in order to connect the photorelay to the network and the lamp.
   
5. To increase the tightness of the case, we fix special rubber seals in the cut out holes, which protect against dust and moisture from entering inside. By the way, you need to place the twilight switch in such a way that the inlet holes are at the bottom, which will prevent moisture from penetrating under the cover.
   
6. We carry out the connection of a photo relay for street lighting according to the electrical diagram that we provided above. As you can see in the photo, the input phase is connected to the L connector, and the input neutral to N. A separate screw terminal with the appropriate designation is used for grounding.
   
7. We cut off the required length of wire to connect the photorelay to the light bulb (in reality, it can even be an LED spotlight). We also strip the insulation by 10-12 mm and connect it to the N 'and L' terminals, respectively. The second end of the conductor is brought to and connected to the terminals of the cartridge. If the luminaire body is non-conductive, ground connection is not necessary.
   
   
8. Installation and connection are over, we proceed to setting up the photorelay with our own hands. There is nothing complicated here, there is a special black bag in the kit, which is necessary in order to simulate the night. On the body of the light sensor, you can see the regulator (signed with the abbreviation LUX), which serves to select the intensity of illumination at which the relay will operate. If you want to save energy, set the rotary control to minimum (mark "-"). In this case, the signal to turn on will be given when it is completely dark outside. Usually the regulator is located next to the screw terminals, a little to the left and above (as shown in the photo).
   
9. The last step in connecting the photorelay is to attach the protective cover and turn on the electricity on the shield. Once you have done this, you can proceed to testing the device.
   

That's all I wanted to tell you about how to install and connect a photo relay with your own hands. We also recommend that you watch a visual video lesson, which shows in detail the whole essence of wiring.

Every evening you have to turn it on, and every morning you have to turn it off. And if in good weather you can somehow put up with this, then in rain or snow ... Therefore, the idea arises to automate the switching on and off of lamps. This is what the photorelay for street lighting does.

There are many names for this device. In the literature there is the name of a light-control switch or a light-sensitive machine, and when communicating you can hear - a light or light sensor, a photo sensor, a twilight / twilight sensor or day / night. Perhaps there are others. But all this is about one device that turns on the lights at dusk and turns it off at dawn.

The photorelay is made on the basis of a photoresistor or phototransistor, which change their parameters when the illumination changes. As long as enough light hits them, the power circuit remains open. As darkness falls, the parameters of the photoresistor / transistor change and, at a certain value (set by settings), the circuit closes. In the morning, the process takes place exactly the opposite: when the illumination reaches a certain level, the power circuit breaks.

Specifications

First of all, you need to decide whether you want a photo relay for street lighting with a remote or built-in light sensor. The remote sensor is small and it is easier to protect it from backlighting, but the device itself can be placed in the house, for example, in a shield. There are even models for din-rail. A photorelay with a built-in light sensor can be placed near the lamp. It is only important to choose a place so that the light from the lamp does not affect the photosensor. This option is more convenient, for example, for .

Performance characteristics

Having decided on the type of sensor, we proceed to the technical parameters:

To choose a photorelay for street lighting, these characteristics are required. Their correct choice determines the performance of the device. But there are some other parameters that affect the correct operation of the device.

Customization options

There are several adjustments that allow you to customize the operation of the photorelay in each case. The problem is that the settings are made manually by turning the desired knob and it is unrealistic to achieve exactly the same parameters for several devices. There are always some differences in their work.

Using these settings, you can make the operation of the photo relay to automatically turn on the area lighting comfortable, and eliminate false positives.

Where to put

Choosing the right place to install a photo relay for street lighting is another quest. Several requirements must be taken into account:

With all this, the installation height of the photorelay is at the level of 1.8-2 m. This will make it possible to adjust the parameters “from the ground”. It can be higher, but you need a stepladder / ladder or a chair / stool.

As you can imagine, this place is not easy to find. There are a few tricks that make the decision easier:

And another piece of advice from practice: it is easier to adjust the operating parameters if the light sensor of the photorelay is on the east or west wall. But only if there are no brightly luminous objects. In this case, it is best to choose the side where the “flare” is the least.

Types of photorelay

As already mentioned, there is a photo relay with a built-in and remote light sensor. In addition, you can find the following varieties:

If you need one of the functions described above, it is not at all necessary to buy a photo relay with a motion sensor or a timer. You can install a conventional sensor, and, in series with it, connect the desired device (motion sensor or timer). The functions will be the same, and repairs and replacements will cost less. If one of the parts fails in a photorelay with additional functions, you will have to change the device completely, but this option costs more than a “no-frills” fellow.

Connection diagrams for photorelay for street lighting

The purpose of a photo relay for street lighting is to supply power at dusk and turn it off at dawn. That is, it is a kind of switch, but instead of a key, a light-sensitive element is installed in it. Therefore, its connection scheme is similar: a phase is supplied to the photo relay, removed from its outputs and fed to lamps or a group of lamps.

The simplest case is the connection diagram of the photorelay to the lamp

Since the photo relay also needs power to work, zero is applied to the corresponding contacts, it is also advisable to connect the ground.

As mentioned earlier, it is necessary to select a photorelay according to the power of the connected load. But one pattern is observed: with an increase in power, prices increase significantly. To save money, you can supply power not through the photo relay, but through. It is designed for frequent power on / off, and it can also be used to connect power using a photosensitive element with a small connected load. In fact, it includes only a magnetic starter, therefore only its power consumption is taken into account. And a powerful load can also be connected to the conclusions of the magnetic starter.

If, in addition to the day / night sensor, you also need to connect a timer or motion sensor, they are placed in series after the lighting relay. The order in which the movement/timer is set is not important.

If a motion sensor or a timer is not needed, simply remove them from the circuit. She remains functional.

Installation and setup

For a photo relay with a built-in photo sensor, three wires come out of the housing. They are always connected in the same way:

• Red goes to the load - a lantern, light bulbs, lamps.
• The brown or black wire is connected to the phase taken from the shield.
• The neutral is connected to the blue from the bus with the "working zero" from the shield.

It is also desirable to ground the device by connecting it to the appropriate terminal on the case. The cross section of the wires is selected depending on the power of the connected load.

The relay is configured after it is installed and connected. At dusk, wait for such a state when you would like the lighting to turn on. Take a small screwdriver, turn the tuning wheel until the light comes on.

The procedure for connecting a photorelay with a remote sensor is slightly different:

• connect the phase to terminal A1 (L) (in the upper part of the device);
• we start zero on terminal A2 (N);
• from the output (depending on the model, it may be located in the upper part of the housing, then it is indicated by L 'or in the lower part of the housing), the phase is supplied to the lighting fixtures.

One of the connection options is in the video. Here is a circuit with a magnetic starter.

How to check if your relay is working?

Watch the video

The device worked for several hours, the lamp went out

Check if your lamp is burned out? Obviously, the fuse in the device burned out, since you did not take into account the starting currents of the lighting installations. Replace the device with a more powerful one. Change the fuse and use the device at a lower load.

When the photorelay is connected, the lamp immediately lights up, and the LED on the device reacts to the illumination

In this case, most likely there was a short circuit at the output of the device, so the semiconductor burned out. Try when installing and wiring a new lighting system, first check the serviceability, and then connect the device. To replace the semiconductor, contact the warranty service of our company or replace the semiconductor (VTA24 or VTV24 or VT140)

I bought FR-16A, checked it, installed it, worked for a day, now the lighting is always on, the LED goes out during the day

Most likely, the relay contacts are stuck, since the current passing through them is higher than the nominal value, the load is connected more than the permissible one, the photo relay is working properly, the 24 volt relay needs to be replaced, you can buy it in electronic component stores. The same can happen on FR-7A, FR-8A, FR-10, FR-10A. Consider the starting currents of the lighting system. Always place a circuit breaker on the load.

I close the sensor in the daytime with my palm - the lighting does not turn on, the LED on the device also

Daylight is quite intense and penetrates through your palm, therefore, to check the operation, you need to close the cover of the device and the photo sensor window with a black curtain.

The lamp flashes continuously

In this case, you installed the device directly under the lighting to be switched on, so when dusk came, the device turned on the lighting, the light from it hit the sensor and the device turned off the lighting, and so on periodically. Install the device away from the switched on lighting.

Installed - turned on at dusk and started turning off / on for 5 minutes

Error on the previous question, only in your case there is a throttle lamp of the DRL type. Such lamps have inertia when turned on, and when they are turned on again, the lamp does not immediately light up, first it cools down, and the device also has a turn-off delay, so this effect can be an on-off interval of 5-10 minutes. Reinstall the device.

I installed it in the summer, it worked fine, it snowed, it started turning on and off

The fallen snow affected the illumination of the sensor, the light is reflected from the switched on lighting. Place a small galvanized plate under the sensor window to prevent specular reflection.

Car headlights turn off lights

This problem applies only to the photorelay FR-2E, FR-7A, FR-8A, FB-2, FB-5, since there is no turn-off delay on the device. The figure in the product passport shows a diagram of how to avoid this phenomenon. If the sensor is installed at the level of the second floor, the headlights of the car do not affect the operation of the device, when the illumination is set to at least 20 lux.

I want the device to turn on at an earlier time

What to do if water gets inside the device

Firstly, when installing the device and connecting the wires (the most common mistake), cut off a ring at the hermetic boot with a diameter two times smaller than your wire, so that water does not get into the junction, it usually drains through the wires into the device.

Worked for one year and failed

According to the previous point, water obviously got into the device, the sensor was immersed in water for a long time, the resistance changed and the device failed. Contact the manufacturer's warranty workshop.

And instead of anthers, is it possible to supply with pressure seals?

Taking into account the wishes of customers since January 2012, all of our sealed light relays are equipped with pressure seals

How to buy your devices in bulk in Moscow and what will be the prices there?

I heard about such a term as photorelay hysteresis. What is it and what is it in your devices?

Read below and you will understand.

Memorandum to the marketing department of the ITM company.

Our group of employees, led by me, the leading engineer of the company Tikhomirov V.V. a study was conducted on the market for energy saving devices in the North-West region and the city of St. Petersburg. Namely, a number of devices (photo relay, light relay, twilight switch) were purchased in order to analyze the technologies and capabilities of the goods presented in this segment.

I would like to note that the vast majority of devices do not meet the declared characteristics. Ninety percent of photorelays have analog circuitry, apparently and obviously, this causes a fairly wide band of insensitivity of these relays to changes in the level of illumination (on-off hysteresis). This means that the lighting is turned on and off at different illumination values, that is, the relay turns on the lighting at dusk (100 Lux), and turns it off when it is already light. This difference reaches 200 percent or more (especially for Chinese photorelays - "caps" for 117 rubles). The savings in the use of such technologies is very conditional, the analog relay increases the time of senseless burning of electricity (up to 200 hours per year).

Relays with zero hysteresis have the ability to turn on / off the lighting at the moment with the same level of illumination (at dusk or at dawn), when the illumination threshold of 80-200 Lux is overcome, depending on the device settings. Devices of this group of relays save electricity more efficiently. We are represented by a small group of imported devices at a price of 1700 to 3000 rubles.

I would also like to note the manufacturers of digital photorelays, these are the companies "MEANDR" and "ELECTROPROJECT".

The most advanced are photorelays with inverse hysteresis. This is when the lighting, controlled by the relay, turns on at dusk, and turns off when the dawn has just dawned (from 2 to 8 lux). Relays with reverse hysteresis are presented only by a domestic manufacturer, these are devices of the NTK ELECTRONICS company.

I consider this type of device the most cost-effective and expedient for distribution in our stores, while the price of such devices (FB-2M, FB-5M and FB-9) starts at 690 rubles.

Your light relay FB-2M has been standing at the dacha for 2 years, thank you, I am very pleased. But now, with the new tariffs, I think to use the light relay only when I am there, in the country. And when I leave, I want it not to work. Is there a way to turn it off without unplugging it?

Of course you can. Light relay FB-2M has a removable sensor (sensor). It is fixed on the device board on a separate small terminal block. Attach two wires of convenient length to the same terminal block (without disconnecting the sensor), and connect a conventional switch on the other side of the wires. Now when you need to turn off the light relay, you simply turn on the switch. When you arrive at the cottage again, turn off the switch and the light relay will work in normal mode.

We live in Yakutia, in winter the temperature drops to minus 50 degrees. Are there photorelays that will work in our climatic conditions? Thank you.

Yes, they exist, but we produce them. The device is called a light relay FB-11. Available but currents 10,15,25 Amperes. Light relay FB-11 is guaranteed to operate at temperatures down to minus 50 degrees Celsius. We have partners in your region, according to their information, FB-11 successfully worked at minus 56 !!!. You can contact them. Coordinates will be provided upon request.

I had a photorelay FR-601, it worked disgustingly, just a few clouds in the sky and the light is already on. A week ago, the light stopped working altogether. What do you recommend to replace? (only FR-601 do not offer)

We do not offer FR-601 because we do not have such and are not going to. In such devices, the simplest circuitry is used, which does not allow achieving high-quality adjustments. Set the FB-2M light relay to a current of up to 10A and adjust the response threshold as you wish. There will be no problems.

Below we place a table for replacing devices from other manufacturers with ours, which may come in handy (ours are in the left column))

1041001016 Photosensitive relay (analogue) FB-11M (contact 25A/IP56) NTK El-ka	no analogues
1041000450 Photosensitive relay (digital) FB-3M (contactless 10A/IP55) NTK El-ka	analogue of photorelay fb-3 (composite)
1041004172 Photosensitive relay (digital) FB-4M (contact 3x30A/IP56) NTK El-ka	similar photorelay TF-3 (composite), similar to one phase LUNA 112, TWA-2(ABB)
1041004191 Photorelay (analogue) FR-7A (contact 7A/IP40) Hermosensor 2 meters, on DIN rail 2 mod. (NTK E-ka)	analogues FR-7 (relays and automation) photorelay DLS (Bulgaria), FR-7E, RFS-11, FR-675, FR-2903, FR-1-3, FR-94-3, FR-7N, FR-7E , FR-7K,
1041004192 Photorelay (analogue) FR-10 (contact 10А/IP40) Hermetic sensor, for din-rail 2 mod. (NTK El-ka)	analogue in circuitry FR-1M, FR-2 UZ, FR-75, FR-94, FR-95, FR-601, FR-94-7, FR-94-10, FR-94-II,
1041004193 Photorelay (analogue) FR-16A (contact 16A/IP40) Hermetic sensor 2 meters, on DIN rail 1 mod. (NTK E-ka	analogues FR-M01-1-15, FR-M02 "MEANDR", FR-9M (relays and automation), SOU-1 / UNI 16A (ELKO EP Czech Republic), AZ-112 220V 16A (Euroautomatics FiF Belarus), TW1 16A (ABB) , UTFR-1RM (Energis Kirov) , FR-135, FR-7M,

I didn't find an answer to my question. Where can you turn for help?

Good day, dear readers of the Electrician's Notes website.

Remember, I already told you that under the federal program, we installed entrances and vestibules. In this article, I want to tell you about a photorelay for street lighting of residential courtyards. .

Outdoor lighting at the entrances, or it is also called canopy lighting, is carried out using cantilever lamps of the ZhKU type with protective polycarbonate glass. So the control of these lamps is carried out using a photorelay.

As a photorelay for street lighting, we use a light control switch of the LXP-02 type. This is how it looks.

Also, this photorelay can be used to illuminate roads, parks, summer cottages and gardens.

Technical characteristics of a photorelay for street lighting type LXP-02

Photorelay type LXP-02 automatically turns on and off the lighting depending on the lighting conditions. Those. as soon as it became dark outside, the photorelay turns on the street lighting. And vice versa, as soon as it became light outside, the photorelay disconnects the lamp from the network.

Thus, there is a significant savings, and the service life of the lamps themselves is also increased.

Below I will give you its technical characteristics:

• power supply 220 (V) AC voltage
• switched circuit up to 10 (A)
• working light level< 5 — 5о (Люкс)

The level of working illumination is set using the regulator at the bottom of the photo relay. If the regulator is moved to the “+” side, then the photo relay will turn on the lamp already with a slight darkening or cloudy weather, but if the regulator is moved to the “-” side, then the photo relay will only work when it gets dark.

Usually I leave the regulator in the middle position.

There are 2 more types of LXP type photo relay. These are LXP-01 and LXP-03. They differ from the LXP-02 only in the amperage of the switched circuit and in the level of working illumination.

Installation of LXP type photo relay

The photorelay is mounted on the wall using a special bracket, which is included in the delivery. The bracket is screwed to the photocell itself.

When installing, make sure that there are no obstructions that prevent natural daylight from reaching the photo relay. And also in front of the photo relay there should not be swinging objects, for example, trees.

Photo relay circuit

The connection diagram for a photorelay for street lighting type LXP-02 is shown both on the packaging box and on the product itself.

In total, 3 wires come out of the photo relay: brown, red and blue.

Knowing, it is not difficult to guess their purpose:

• brown wire - phase
• blue wire - zero
• red wire - switching phase (to the lamp)

Knowing the scheme of the photorelay, we proceed to connect it. produced in a junction box installed in the same place on the wall.

As a load, we use a power of 70 (W).

Connecting a photorelay for street lighting is as follows.

If you paint this scheme in more detail, it will look like this:

If your house uses a grounding system or, then the circuit is powered by a three-core cable (phase, zero, ground). If you are still operating electrical wiring with a grounding system, then the circuit will differ only in the absence of a PE conductor.

The video version of this article, as well as by popular demand at the end of the video, I showed the connection diagram of the photorelay through the contactor:

Addition 1. By popular demand, I posted a photo of the appearance of the printed circuit board of the FR-602 photorelay. I will not apply the circuit - you can find it on specialized sites for electronics.

Addendum 2. Quite often I am asked about the scheme for connecting a lamp so that it is controlled both through a photo relay (in automatic mode) and using a switch (in manual mode at any time of the day). Here I am enclosing a schematic.

P.S. That's basically all I wanted to tell you about the photorelay for street lighting. Currently, this is how we carry out electrical installation of outdoor (canopy) lighting in residential courtyards. If you have any questions, then ask your questions in the comments.

Capacitive street lighting photo relay - a device that allows you to turn on or off the lamps used on the roads, at the entrances and in parks. Their use saves energy and minimizes inconvenience for drivers, residents of the house and ordinary passers-by.

The work is based on a photoresistor or photodiode - semiconductor elements that change their parameters depending on the intensity of the illumination of the environment. During the day, when there is enough light, the light sensor opens the circuit, and the lamp turns off, and at night the reverse sequence of actions occurs: the capacitive relay for lighting control reduces the resistance, and the light turns on.

Photo relay installation

Installing a photorelay with your own hands is not difficult, it is only important to exclude the direct influence of an adjustable light source and protect the device from adverse external influences: moisture, direct sunlight, temperature changes.

For industrial production devices, there are a number of standards that such solutions must comply with: GOST (domestic) and IP (international). It is more difficult to achieve that a home-made photorelay is protected from environmental factors, although it is theoretically possible. But for those who want to install such a device in their yard, near their entrance or garage, it is better to first consider the solutions offered on the market - without having the necessary knowledge and experience, it will be extremely difficult to bring the photo sensor to working condition with your own hands.

FR-601 (602)

When it comes to using standard single-phase photorelays for lighting, the most popular model is the FR-601 and FR-602 devices manufactured by IEK.

They are quite reliable, and even users uninitiated in electronics have no questions about how to connect an automatic backlight controller. These two modifications have minor differences: they both work with the same voltage and frequency, have the same power consumption (0.5 W) and absolutely the same delivery sets.

The differences relate only to the maximum cross-section of the connected conductors: for the 601 model, it is 1.5 square meters. mm., and for 602 - 2.5. Therefore, their rated load current also differs: 10 and 20 A, respectively. The photocell of both models is built-in, its adjustment is possible in the range from 0 to 50 lux in increments of 5 lux.

Making at home

The schematic diagram of the capacitive photorelay FR-602 (like its counterpart) is easily repeated even with little knowledge of electronics. The creation of homemade products is of particular relevance when a large number of devices are needed (for example, to organize automatic switching on and off of lighting depending on the time of day).

For manufacturing, you will need such parts, the designation on the diagram and power will be indicated in brackets:

• 2 bipolar transistors BC857A (Q1 and Q2);
• 5 rectifier diodes 1N4007;
• rectifier diode 1N4148;
• Zener diode 1N4749;
• resistors (R2, R4-R9: 1.5 MΩ, 1 MΩ, 560 kΩ, 200 kΩ, 100 kΩ, 75 kΩ, and 33 kΩ; all 0.125 W);
• resistor (R3, 220 Ohm, 2 W);
• photocell (PH, up to 100 kOhm);
• trimmer resistor (WL, 2.2 mΩ);
• capacitor (C2, 0.7 uF 400 V);
• electrolytic capacitors (С4–С5, 100 µF 50 V and 47 µF 25 V, respectively);
• relay SHA-24VDC-S-A (Rel1).

Given the set and the total cost of parts, as well as the presence of a circuit, the 602 model is a fairly simple solution.

By the way, many parts from the list can be replaced with domestic ones. According to the reviews of those who have already assembled the Q2 bipolar transistor, it can be replaced by the ubiquitous KT3107B, and the 1N4749 zener diode by three D814A or two D814D connected in series. The connection scheme is also not very complicated.

Model Disadvantages

Consider the disadvantages of such a scheme. Oddly enough, from the technical side, the scheme is not inferior to the factory one with due skill of the radio amateur. The difference will be felt in actual use: the factory product has an IP44 protection standard, which means dust and moisture protection.

Also, the factory FR-601 and FR-602 have a larger operating temperature range, and a home-made circuit in frost in December may stop working due to a single poor-quality connection.

Analogues

Among the analogues of this device are FR-75A - a photorelay, the circuit of which is more difficult to manufacture at home, and also less stable and durable in practical use.

Among its advantages is a larger range of operating brightness, ranging from 1 to 200 lux, which is four times superior to the competitor. Another big plus of the FR-75 device is the ability to work in 12 V DC circuits.

Also, the photo sensor is remote, which allows you to install the regulator itself indoors and not worry about environmental factors. In general, the model has no equal in its class and is the best photorelay - 12 volts DC is often used as a power supply for such devices. The connection diagram of the device is shown in the figure.

High power equipment

Among the competitors, you can also consider the FR-7E photorelay, but the lack of protection against moisture (IP40) and the rather high power consumption speak against it.

Also, the disadvantages include open contact clamps and the lack of protection of the trimmer resistor on the front panel. A positive point is that the FR-7 can work in AC networks with a voltage of 220 volts with a voltage of up to 5 amperes, which is almost an order of magnitude more than that of the competitors discussed above. The adjustment range of 10 lux is also set only by a specialist - you cannot adjust it yourself.

In terms of dimensions, the FR-7 also exceeds the photorelays considered in the article (see drawing).

Conclusion

Taking into account the experience of operating a photorelay in domestic and industrial conditions, the most stable and easily reproducible at home is the FR-602 model or its less powerful variation FR-601 from AIK. They show themselves well in various operating modes, have a good margin of durability and, most importantly, have a minimum cost. In addition, their assembly is facilitated by the ability to replace many foreign parts with cheap domestic counterparts.

Video