I'm trying a lighting project and have the requirements of adding a dimmer. I only have 6V for the entire circuit, so I set up the separate circuit components in a parallel format to maintain the voltage. I'm thinking about using LED's for the majority of the lighting, but I'm stuck at the dimmer. Is there a way that I can get dimming LED's or use a simple low-voltage lamp in place of it?

 

You can use pulse width modulation to dim LEDs. Change the duty cycle to change apparent brightness. Pwm frequency of 100 tp 400 hz usually works well. Look on a DATASHEET of 555 timer for a Pwm circuit.

 

If you can control the amount of current flowing through the LEDs, then you can control the brightness of the LEDs.

 

There is a good circuit on this website which shows how you can use a 555 timer as a PWM. Basically you are turning the LEDs on and off very fast. By changing the duty cycle (percentage on time) you can change the effective brightness of the LEDs. The variable resistor allows you to alter the duty cycle of the 555 timer.