@attoparsec Thanks, looks like I have 2 SGS (yes pre-ST merger) NE555s that would do the job! Hopefully they still work.

Does this astable multivibrator circuit look about right? I'm not that familiar with using 555s and not sure if this is LLM generated nonsense

The LTC6992 looks like what I need but just that one chip isn't enough for a digikey/wherever order and they're mega pricey on ebay (£18+ for the TSOT23 version)

Anyone know of a chip that will take in a voltage input (from a potentiometer) and output a varying PWM duty cycle?

For my lamp it just seems excessive to put a whole microcontroller in there just as a voltage-to-duty-cycle convertor. But it does have the bonus of allowing me to adjust scaling (e.g. approximate a logarithmic response with a linear pot).

@s0 thanks! I think I was overcomplicating it with the earlier ones - keeping it plain and boxy fits the bedpost better and will look less obtrusive.

@amd Yeah I'd love to make the whole thing work as a giant brightness dial but I decided it's probably too hard (and not very ergonomic when you're laying in bed)

@amd yes! But the "reading lamp" part is very much a minor use case. I actually like the one in the bottom right the most - the top half of it is cloth-covered so it'll hopefully just be a nice glow

@kestral thanks! Really should do this more often

Going with a pot with a built in switch for the power so that there's less chance of lasering my eyes out with full power in the middle of the night. It'll always start at minimum brightness - if I turn it up too far it's my own fault.

Trying to design a lamp for on top of our bedposts because it's Free Real Estate