For a long time, I have been looking for the perfect light switch. (I do that in my spare time when I am not busy looking for the perfect remote control.) It's easy to find most of the features I need, but not combined into a single switch. Since the LED strips are 12V, standard wall switches (US 110-120v) won't work out anyhow.

Here are the features I am looking for:

• Dimmer
• Timer
• Motion detector
• Pilot light ("find me in the dark")
• Three-way (or more) operation

It's also fairly easy to find those things pre-packaged to work with LEDs, but, again, not all in one little switch box or even a combination of little boxes that work together the way I want.

I'm pretty sure I can build something with a microprocessor and have it all fit fairly neatly in a standard US in-wall electrical box. I think I can also put my controls on a standard switch-plate blank for that kind of box, but if I can't I might 3D print one. I won't be able to completely hide the wires into and out of the controller, but it should look nice enough for a garage.

This is a bit of a learning exercise for me since I'm not completely sure of some of the pragmatic aspects of the electronic interfaces ("do I need a decoupling cap?", "should I put a diode there?"). I am mostly borrowing ideas from things that people have already built and explained. It's amazing how much it simplifies part selection when someone has already chosen.