DIY Smart Switch - Part 1 how to use a relay

In this video series I'm going to show you how to get started in home automation with a simple project that will allow you to control your lights and other devices in your house. One popular home automation project that many people start with is controlling their lights. There is a great satisfaction that comes from being able to control a light using your own electronics and code. However a major roadblock for many people is the realization that they have to work with mains voltage which can be dangerous if you don't know what your doing. In reality learning how to safely work with the high voltage an high current electricity in your house is not as difficult as you may think. If you aren't comfortable with how the electricity in your house works, I encourage you to spend a few minutes researching the topic on the internet. Make sure you are getting your information from reputable sources. In a future video I'll show you how to control lights and appliances in your house without having to mess with high voltage electricity. It's a pretty neat little trick and I'm excited to share it with you. There are several ways you could tackle the problem of controlling a light in your house. The first, and definitely most popular approach to this problem is using a relay to switch the voltage on and off. The lights in your house are connected to a mechanical switch on the wall that you have to toggle on/off with your hand. A relay does the same thing as the switch on the wall...