Flowering Elbow

When you have completed the basic circuit, look it over a lot’ – check for boo boos and out of place solder. Check each track, to ensure it is not accidentally connected to any other.  

If all is well you can test it with a 60W incandescent light bulb. It has to be this old type – new compact fluorescent ones will not like the chopped current.

Turning this baby on is one of those exciting moments where things should work nicely.

By using the variable resistor you should be able to vary the light from completely off all the way through to full brightness.

Be very careful. Remember that as soon as you plug this little thing in it will have uninsulated mains voltage all over the place, including over the heatsink. Make absolutely sure the workspace is clear and safe and your not going to have it accidentally knock over or into something conductive. Test it briefly then disconnect from the mains (well ok, you can play with it a little bit, but remember those connections are live, and the crock clips don’t exactly meet domestic wiring regulations). Clear away as soon as you’re done so no stray or inquisitive fingers can easily plug it in.