hey there @RussellMcMahon, how've things been?

@Sha

@Shalvenay Highly variable :-)

@RussellMcMahon eheheh, yeah, no kidding

hello :)

I have a LED ceiling lamp which have a remote control. With that remote I can change the brightness, color and so on. But when I switch the lamp off with the wall switch all settings I made with the remote are gone. Do you guys think its worth a question about how to change that or is it hopelessly?

@undefined . . Your question could fit in with diy.stackexchange.com

@Marla but its electronic related? Because I guess one would have to figure out when on the circuit board of the lamp things happen

for example if and when where to attach a battery or something like that

but yes I am not sure if it fit in here but I would guess yes

@undefined . . Modifying consumer electronics is on topic in EE stack, however ; you need a reasonable amount of electronic skills and at the very least a schematic of the item.

@Marla the schematic of the board is sadly not available, if you mean a circuit layout plan. I do have some skills and at my work I have access to equipment like an Oscilloscope and various other electronic equipment

its just like this question seems kinda hard or impossible because I already asked the engineer in my office and they couldn't help

so I thought maybe someone here may have a brilliant idea or work around which no one else have thought about yet

if you think the question could fit, I can try to craft a nice question out of it :)

@undefined Don't use the wall switch, and turn the Lamp down to minimum brightness.

@Marla yes, if I dont use the wall switches and only use the remote, everything works fine

but its just so annoying not being able to use the switches. For example, I for myself know not to use them, but visitors doesn't and using the switch. Then I either have to disconnect or cover the wall switches

I know it is possible but I'm not skilled enough to figure out how. I bet there is one point on the circuit board where I could add a small primary lithium battery which will give enough power to the component where the settings are temporary stored

@undefined . . Yes, an annoying situation with the lamp. And a little paper tag saying "don't turn off" would look terrible. . . . Reverse engineering (tracking down each component and connections) is about your only option to create a schematic.

I ask the manufacturer for a layout but they refused, sadly, saying something from company secrets

and if I have listed all components, would that improve my questions? + photos?

because there is one big circuit board and then one smaller attached to the big one. And on the smaller one are the components for the remote control and stuff

@undefined . . With the information you have, I am certain the question would be quickly closed here on EE.

You can try it. Just don't get irritated at the question being closed quickly.

alright, then I know what I need to do @Marla

no no that's why I came here to the chat, to gather information about how to write a good question here

and to get the information what information are important

schematic, schematic, schematic , Best wishes.

@Marla I thought or hoped, someone skilled enough got spot the right place on the circuit board on a photo. But I guess that's wishful thinking

@undefined You might look and see if the manufacturer makes a light switch replacement. I have a fan with similar functionality, and they basically built a remote into a decora slot. The switch is still there in case of emergency, but you wouldn't accidentally hit it.

(e.g. homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-Ceiling-Fan-Wall-Switch-9050H/… )

Ganssle has an interesting article this month: ganssle.com/tem/tem403.html#article4

So true Scott.

@ScottSeidman yeah, I'm nowhere near a systems person -- I can make a micro do something more than blinkenlights, but am not familiar with more advanced controls stuff, and RTLs just like...are alien to the way I think about digital logic, making programmable logic devices a major obstacle for me

(I'm also very much not a microwave/mmWave or high-speed-digital type)

(one of my "pen pal" types is closer to the "systems dude" Ganssle describes -- can go from FPGA dev all the way up to Web apps, but he's a rare breed indeed, CS PhD who went into security research, largely on embedded things)

@Marla One approach is to run an additional mains wire to the lamp - it should be relatively easy to separate the feeds to map and motor in the lamp. | If that's not practical then using a cheap general purpose remote to turn off the mains in the lamp and leaving the wall switch on may work. || Battery backup may be possible - good enough photos may allow us to assist. Brand and model will help. Links will help.

A possible solution is to have a device that drives the remote control and which remembers sequences - may not be as hard as you'd imagine. An Arduino for a few dollars could do most of the work. || As above - good quality photos (focus, lighting, resolution) of boith side of the PCB may help us help you.