Wiring Schematic Diagram

A light dimmer circuit is a means of controlling the "brightness" level of a lamp, in this circuit we will use a 555 timer to control the brightness level of a low voltage incandescent bulb of up to 60 watts.

The circuit works by pulse-width modulating the 12V supply to the lamp. The 555 timer is configured as a "variable cycle", astable oscillator running some where around 300 Hz.

Potentiometer 47K from minimum to maximum varies the values accordingly the duty cycle of the 555 timer controlling light dimmer circuit.

The power mosfet used here would be a TO-220 type such as MTP3055E or similar. Note the need for a TO-220 type heat sink for full rated loads.