I have had some Intermatic Dimmers go bad (HA03) so I removed the Zwave modules from them. The Zwave modules are usually not damaged. The high voltage parts are usually what gets fried.
Decided to try to add some circuitry to control control some 12vdc LED cabinet lights with them. This is what I have and I have been using it for over a year with no problems.
I put all the parts back inside the module case except for the 12vdc power supply. If you have some electronic skills give it a try. Attached is the schematic I used to build the circuit.
Excellent work! Thank you for sharing.
Hey @jackpot. I’m fairly new here and to z-wave. Just noticed your little DIY post. Very nice. I’m hoping you will indulge me a question or two.
I’m guessing the purpose of the multivibrator is to replace a 60hz clock into the z module. Is that right? And the transistor is just for level conversion? Any issues if the clock is off the 60hz by 5 or 10 %?
The output circuit looks straightforward. A driver for the optoisolator, which isolates and controls the mosfet switch. I’m thinking a simple solid state relay driving 12vdc or even 120vac could be used in place of all that if one were so inclined. I know your source module was a dimmer. Is or can the output be modulated to control light level? Is that how they work?
You don’t use an LED from the z module which is fine. And the switch is pulled high. Question about that. How do you include the device to your network? My understanding is usually you have to hit a button or switch to do that.
Nice work and great schematic. Thanks!
David
David,
Yes the LM555 replaces the 60 cycle AC needed for the Z-wave module. I found that a little less than 60 hz ( 55 to 60) is ok but more than 60 hz can cause a problem. The values of the timing resistor and capacitor define the frequency. Make sure you use the values listed. Yes indeed the transistor is used to level shift the 12vdc output from the LM555 to 3.3vdc for the Z-wave module.
I am using this circuit to control the brightness of some LED cabinet lights, so yes this module is a Lamp Dimmer module (modulated as you said). In Vera it still shows up as a Dimmer.
The INCLUDE button and the LED is part of the Z-wave module so it can still be included. If you have a HA-03 Dimmer module and took it apart you would see what I mean.
I used a Mosfet because that’s what I had on hand and they have a very low ON resistance.
Hope this helps…
Cool. Yes it does. Thanks.
If I ever toast one of my switch units I might just have to pull it apart and see what I can do with the z-wave module. Hook it up to the cat or something like that 
I was thinking something like this:
Using a DC up converter (about $2) like xl6009 -heatsink for sale | eBay
and an FGS221