Shelly1 without Neutral make a DIY bypass circuit hack!

I wanted to see if it was possible to use the standard Shelly1 without a neutral. I know that it is possible to do so with the Shelly1L , you just require a special bypass unit. So I came up with a experimental circuit that allows the standard Shelley 1, to be used without a neutral connection, behind the light switch. My circuit hack is basically a "custom load bypass" that specifically works with the smaller Shelly1. The circuit is very inexpensive and easy to make yourself. The best thing about it, is that NO soldering iron is required. I honestly think the circuit is worth further investigation. You guys are welcome to give it a try and give me some feedback.
00:00 Intro
00:28 Shelly1 v Shelly1L that requires a load bypass for it's NO-NEUTRAL function.
00:40 Maybe it's possible with a clever circuit hack to use the Shelly1 without a neutral.
01:37 Making the basic "No-soldering version" of the circuit.
05:32 Let's look at the wiring diagram with its component values for the test circuit.
05:46 Wiring everything up, and test the basic circuit with Wi-Fi and manual switch operation.
07:59 Using heat shrinks tubing to insulate all the exposed Live metal parts.
08:39 Improving the basic circuit to add safety and reliability. By adding a inrush current limiter/ over current protection.
09:29 Safely test your circuit by putting it in line with an old school incandescent light bulb. Stop the Magic Smoke from escaping.
10:40 Don't Fear The soldering iron. Make a much neater version with modules and flexible wires.
11:51 let's install it on a mock-up, of a possible real life installation example.
13:54 Some worrying pictures of the Shelly bypass, burnt out, that could be a possible concern!
14:52 If you would like to know in detail ,exactly how the circuit functions you should watch the sonoff mini R2 video. It's basically identical to this circuit.

[@rwtha6475]

Man. you made my day!!! I've been searching the internet for days to find out how shelly bypass works or to find a cirquit diagram. My intention was the same as yours: how to design a DIY solution that provides the "without neutral" functionality - for sure at much lower costs as buying the original shelly bypass. Thank you so much for your video(s) about this solution!!! Well presented and explained. Easy to undestand and to copy into my installation. Thumbs up. Keep up the good work! kind regards from Frankonia ( / bavaria / germany)

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Thank you. My circuit works in a slightly different way than the official shelly bypass. Its works with most LED bulbs/Lights, but not all types. LED bulbs with a "capacitor-dropper" LED driver , will NOT work. Although the circuit works well, I have made several "improvements" , to make It more robust, and able to handle bigger loads, without blowing the fusible resistor. The main difference, is the fusible resistor is now in series with the capacitor, so it won't have to carry the full load current. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6vRqWOupKtrec0

[@3mic0r81]

This hack working great also with the Shelly 1 Mini Gen 3. As a capacitor, I found a 450V 10 uF and I use this instead of the suggested 400V 10uF. Thanks a lot for this video, incredibly useful and well explained. 🙂

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing your findings. It's great to know that it works with the newer version too😉. I can't test my circuits with every smart switch available on the market, so this kind of feedback is extremely important 👌. I'm constantly trying to improve my circuits, and I made a more robust/tougher version, in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6vRqWOupKtrec0

[@m0nad539]

After a while my Shelly 1L lost network connectivity. Switch still worked, but schedules didn't. Small LED lamp only, with original bypass, who knows... So, I whipped up your circuit. Great idea! And so far things look good, thanks for sharing! Let's see how long this is going to be stable, but I have more faith in your half-phase approach than in the bypass.💡

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Interesting🤔. I never thought of trying it with the shelly1L. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@r1ng0s4]

i have the shelly 1 L also but i cant get the lamp not to flicker no matter the switch possition :( can you share your diagramm? thank you very much

[@m0nad539]

@@r1ng0s4 Oh, a misunderstanding here: I ditched the Shelly 1L and used "your circuit" literally, with a non-L Shelly. I have not tried with the 1L either.

[@m0nad539]

FYI, I have tried with Shelly 1L now and that seems to work as well, in principle. Comms is stable, alas the LED flickers. I do not (yet) use the bypass (I don't think that would make sense electrically) and I am not sure if the flicker might be related to the specific LED lightbulb I'm using right now - it's not the same bulb as the one I'm using with my more permanent Shelly 1 (non-L) setup. YMMV.

[@portumaan]

Thank for the video. Learned a lot! What I was actually looking for is what happens if you have the fisical switch on, and want to control it with the app. What happens then?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

You can use both switch and app, at the same time or independently. Or Google/Alexa control, and have manual switch control as well. It doesn't matter which position the light-switch is in, you will still have app control as well. The Shelly just gets an edge trigger from the switch. Whether the switch is on or off, it's just a trigger for the Shelly. Both on to off transition, is a trigger. And off to on transition, is another trigger.

[@petslavov]

Thanks for the helpful video. I was wondering is it possible to use this schema to build a bypass for the "shelly 1l" (if you don't have the shelly bypass ) - maybe will be only the part with the capacitor ? Do you have an idea?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

The way the Shelly1L bypass works is completely different!! Please don't attempt to use my circuit on the Shelly1L. I haven't experimented with the 1L Yet. But I will leave a message here if if I know how to make it work. If you however do want to experiment your self, please put a "current limiting" light bulb, inline with the Live wire, feeding your test setup. (must be old style incandescent light bulb) That way nothing will go bang!

[@randumtasx]

Love this. Any thoughts on how to put the shelly at fixture with the same safety features and set up? Would love to see a follow up on this. Unfortunately my switch boxes are too tight.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

I have a similar circuit, were you are able to put the shelly1 directly by the light fixture. It's slightly more complex. You only need to put a diode across your light switch, and everything else goes up by the light fixture. Here is the video for the shelly1 kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3rXfqhsi696eKs You can do 3-way (2-way) light switching aswell, as shown with this Sonoff example example, of the same circuit. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5m0d3mpd9Crl7c

[@randumtasx]

Thank you! I will check this out

[@randumtasx]

Any chance you have the walk through of actually how to make the module on the Board? (novice here) looks like a great option.

[@ComputingCode]

I'm curious if a regular Shelly One work in the following setup. L to L, O to the bulb, N to the L side of a SmartBulb! Tanking into account the smartbulb is always powered (not always ON though), will the shelly work? In this case 240VAC would be split among the 2 seried consumers, Basically making 120VAC fall on each.

[@andreasenns1044]

Thanks for the video. I have 2 lights at 2 different outlets, left and right beside a mirror. Do in need the part with the capacitor on both lights?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

You could have two LED light bulbs connected(in parallel) to one "bypass circuit". But you might have to increase the capacitor size. It's probably better and easier, to have a separate "bypass circuit" for every bulb. Because you would have to know what bulb is being fed from the switch first, then connect the bypass there. Then the second bulb would have to be connected after the bypass to the first bulb. You could easily make a mistake! And blow something up! I recommend you make a test circuit first, and verify that it all works as planned. If you test it with a "safety limiting incandescent lamp" , in-line with the L supply. Then nothing will blow up if you make a mistake with your test circuit. Remember this circuit is a experimental prototype! So you could use bigger diodes/capacitors for more current, that meets your specific requirements. It's worth remembering that not all LED bulbs will work with this circuit, but most newer ones will work just fine. Good luck! and let us know how you get on😉👍

[@andreasenns1044]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks for your reply. I don't know how the cables are inside the wall, so I did it with seperate "bypass circuits" for each light and it works like a charm. Used a shelly plus 1 and the components you mentioned in your video. The only thing is, that its very tight behind the switch with the additional components, but i had luck and it fits. Thank you very much :)

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@andreasenns1044 I'm glad that you got it working in the end😉👍. It's nice to know that it works with the shelly plus1, as I have not tested it on the plus1 yet😉. If you solder some flexible wires to the diodes, it might make the installation a bit easier.

[@r1ng0s4]

hi! love your video. do i need the same components for 220V mains? thank you in advance

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Yes I used 220v in this video👍😉

[@r1ng0s4]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel hi again Ty for the prompt response. can you post a brief diagramm for the shelly L1 since i cant Get it to work without the led lamp constant flickering. Thank you again

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@r1ng0s4 I don't own a shelly1L . So I can't personally verify the circuit works with it. Some people have reported that it does work. I would need to experiment with the 1L first, before I provide a circuit example.

[@thedaffyduck]

Hello, great video. I have no neutral wire and will try this hack. About the fusible resistor, 10 ohm 1W or 2W?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

2W is better.😉👍 I'm constantly trying to improve my circuits, and I made a more robust/tougher version, in this video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6vRqWOupKtrec0

[@thedaffyduck]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks mate! One silly doubt: If the switch operates not one but two or more lamps, I guess ALL lamps MUST have the diode/condenser circuit conduit? what happens if a lamp doesn't have it, blows up, blows the fuse, doesn't light up?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@thedaffyduck you can use just one diode capacitor feeding more than one light, but it needs to be at the first light supplied from the switch. It is better to have a capacitor/diodes on every light, you will have less chance of making a mistake, and blow something up.

[@bulusomer]

First of all thank you for the great work. I have made your circuit but all I had was the blinking lamp. Where can I be mistaken?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

You probably have a diode in the wrong polarity. But be aware that you can now have a damaged diode, and it might not show physical signs of damage. You could replace all the diodes and make sure that the polarity is correct, or test for faulty one and replace it. It's a simple circuit, but easy to make a mistake and damage something.

[@bulusomer]

Already had a shortcut and freaked out :) after that I have remade the circuit and all is well

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

​@@bulusomerI'm glad it works now 😅. Just be careful with mains voltage circuits ⚡️

[@mooniksiz]

Another great video! Would it work the same way 2-gang switch and Shelly 2.5?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Yes I think it will. You only need the bypass on one output channel. The second channel can work as normal without the bypass and diodes. I have a similar example with a sonoff m5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpmVamBmp9WEgNE and with a sonoff dual-r3 kzbin.infoWXQtRh0gYJM?feature=share Please let me know how it works out for you😉

[@mooniksiz]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks a lot for quick and prompt answer!

[@mooniksiz]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Quite a lot of work esp. first time but worth it. It works! Thanks again!

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@mooniksiz so you managed to get my bypass circuit working on the shelly 2.5?

[@mooniksiz]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Yes, exactly!

[@johno1234utube]

When you toggled the light with the switch, the app didn't reflect the change in state of the load?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

This video was made quite a while ago, so maybe the new version of the shelly app responds more quickly🤔. I'm not entirely sure.

[@haligali386]

Let me know if and when it burns. Looks like great idea :)

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

I've tested it extensively with both the Shelly1 and sonoff miniR2. So far so good. Adding the fusible resistor is a good idea, because it takes a lot of stress off of the capacitor and diodes. It acts as a safety fuse if anything goes wrong. Obviously the more people that test this circuit. The more we will have information on its reliability.

[@haligali386]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel I just had removed my V1 Bypasses from Shelly as i was afraid to burn down the apartment. As IT guys i have some understandung but its more like 1%. Will monitore this here for future feedbacks

[@adi_tudor]

Hello! Thanks, nice idea! I'm thinking to try this on Shelly 2.5. Do you think it will work? I really need a no neutral 2 channel relay...

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@adi_tudor it might work, but only for LED bulbs. Don't try it with AC motors. I haven't tested the circuit with the Shelly2.5 yet. Let me know if it works, if you give it a try( use a "safety current limiting" incandescent bulb, to test your circuit first). You probably won't be able to do it on a version with Dimming function.

[@AnotherJoe]

Could the Shelly 1 also be used in the European 2 gang configuration without neutral?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

If you want to make a double light switch, then the shelly2.5 could work without neutral(its better than using 2 shelly1s). It could be wired like my sonoff dual-r3 circuit in this video. kzbin.infoWXQtRh0gYJM?feature=share

[@AnotherJoe]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks! I’ll have a look at that!

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@AnotherJoe here is the same concept but with a sonoff M5 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpmVamBmp9WEgNE

[@yangjuin]

Hi I was wondering if you have figured out how to work with a dimmable wifi module?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

It will be very tricky/difficult, to make a simple circuit for a dimmer WiFi-enabled module. My "simple circuit" definitely won't work 😕 🤨😢

[@yangjuin]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel haha thank you for responding I did try it and yes it didn’t work! But thank you for sharing this work around as it worked with my previous wifi switch😊😊

[@EVPaddy]

Just nitpicking: You don't always need the bypass with the 1L

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

That's true, but you need a lot of LED lamps connected in parallel, or use old school tungsten filament lamps. So most people would need it.

[@DIYGUYIL]

can it work with a 33uf 400v capacitor?

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Yes 33uf is fine, but you should add the 10R fusible, Inrush current limiting resistor, for such a big capacitor. You can also use bigger diodes if you need more current.

[@DIYGUYIL]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thank you, It's working perfect. I don't need more current, only one LED light, probably like 10W. I used a Shely Plus 1, works perfect.

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@DIYGUYIL no problem happy to help. Thanks for testing it on a different device and verifying that it works.

[@frolfe1]

Hi, great video, what is the specification of the fusible resistor (Watts, voltage, current, etc) and where do you source yours. How did you choose 10R

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@frolfe1 10 ohm 1watt fusible resistor. The value is not critical( it can be 1/2w or 15ohm, just has to be fusible type). You can steal one, out of a old LED light bulb. It's a common value fusible resistor used in these type of things. The circuit doesn't "need" it to function, it's just for safety and in Rush current protection, of the capacitor. I got mine from Robert Mauser. mauser.pt/catalog/pesquisa.php?keywords=Resist%C3%AAncia%20fusivel%2010R%20

[@adi_tudor]

Hello! I tried this circuit, using an incandescent light bulb and and Compact Fluorescent Lamp (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_fluorescent_lamp). Every time the circuit worked for a couple of seconds and then the inline fusible resistor burned out. Is this because the light bulbs? Should this work only with LED bulbs? Thanks!

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

Yes you are correct. My experimental circuit was designed for LED bulbs. BUT it should work fine with some CFL lamps. It's possible the load is to much for the 10 ohm resistor. It's also possible that the capacitor is connected with incorrect polarity. Or maybe a diode is the incorrect polarity.

[@adi_tudor]

@@MyProjectBoxChannel Thanks! I double checked the polarity and recreated the circuit with new components. Every time the fusible resistor burned. So, probably you are right about the load. I will go and buy some new LED bulbs and test again. Will keep you posted with the results. Cheers!

[@MyProjectBoxChannel]

@@adi_tudor You could also try it with the light bulb disconnected/removed, and see if the fusible resistor still burns out. That way at least you know your components are connected correctly. Be aware of the capacitor holding a charge, after the power is disconnected, So you don't get a nasty zap from it.