SomeDanGuy

Thanks for the replies guys. I found a clock kit with a relay output, so now I'll look into this pulse width modulation business at the site here and see if I can figure something out.

I've spent the past several days looking at "dawn simulators" and being aghast at their prices. This has led me to wondering how difficult it would be to create one independently. Unfortunately, I am only familiar with electronics from physics class and the few little breadboard projects we did there. However, if someone who actually knows what they're doing is looking for a project which could be useful to themselves and maybe even marketable, this seems like it has potential. The idea is to work essentially like an alarm, where you set a time at which to trigger an event. Instead of making noise however, it would begin the process of slooooooowly turning on a light, which would not come to its full intensity until perhaps 30-60 minutes later. It is difficult to find many of these devices that cost under $100; am I crazy in thinking it could be built for much less than that? Would it be easier to make a module that a lamp plugs into, or have the light on-board? Anyone know of an electronics kit that would contain components capable of making this? I don't have experience with electronics, but I'm a very logic-oriented person and can usually figure stuff out eventually. Heck if any of you electro-gurus could make something like this for cheaper than the store, I'd happily commission the project. - Dan (A single-poster who speaks english natively!)