We have the Ikea smart lighting since it was initially available. Trådfri as it is named is an affordable smart lighting solution. Although the number of devices is limited, it was an improvement compared to our current remote controlled switches. We were able to replace all our current lamps and remote switches with Ikea Trädfri products, except one.

We have a large lamp which has a 250W halogen bulb and needs to be dimmable not to flood the whole room in a bright light. Ikea has no Trädfri led-lamp with a E26 socket comparable with the required halogen lamp. In April 2018 there were rumours that Ikea would sell a smart plug later that year, so i waited what was coming.

In october 2018 Ikea released a smart plug. Unfortunately it was a switch and not able to dim incandescent lamps. So it was time to see if i could create my own Ikea Trådfri dimmer.

Step 1: Acquire a AC PWM Dimmer

There are multiple source describing the inner details of the Zigbee module used in Trådfri lamps. I mainly used articles from Marco van Nieuwenhoven and Bas Stottelaar. This module has two outputs i was interested in, 3.3v and a PWM signal. I connected the module to my analyser to get an idea of the PWM signal. And it seemed that the PWM signal had a frequency around 600Hz or pulse with of 1.66ms.

Now it was time to find a AC dimmer which could use this signal as an input signal. I found one from Krida electronics. It accepts a PWM input signal up to 10kHz and is able to control an output up to 3A 80..240V AC.

Step 2: Print the Enclosure

To make everything neat and tidy i created an enclosure. You can clone and modify the designs on Tinkercad or just export the parts to print the original design.

Follow the instruction video at the top of this article to create your own Ikea Trådri outlet dimmer.