Ahh just one last question. I know the cap goes in parallel with the relay coil, but I cant get what was meant above. does the diode go in series along the + wire just before the cap?

like so:

Notice the + and - on the diode and capacitor, is this all correct? No need to pop caps doing this!

 

Depending on what you mean by + and - for the diode, you might have it backwards. It'll be easy to tell (works versus doesn't). But otherwise you've got it.

 

yeah it was backwards, I noticed after I submitted haha
thanks

 

Why not use an ac supply for the lamp and use a switch to short a diode to the lamp for the highest brightness.When the switch is open the diode will reduce the power to the lamp by half.

 

Why not try reading a topic from the first post to the last post? You might be surprised what's posted in-between.