Is this a joke? Remote-control light switch - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 10:49:23 pm
content: Trying to be positive, I'm going to assume this was a strictly learning exercise in mechanical design:https://www.instructables.com/Remote-Control-Light-Switch-1/

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 11:37:57 pm
content: There are actual products that do this kind of thing:https://www.amazon.co.uk/SwitchBot-Smart-Switch-Button-Pusher/dp/B07B7NXV4ROne problem with shoving the smarts behind the pattress is lack of a neutral wire. Lack of space can be an issue too.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 11:41:05 pm
content: great idea,no modification to the fixed wiring,so no rules broken

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 11:52:06 pm
content: Seems like a Bluetooth-enabled light bulb would be a simpler solution.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 12:06:40 am
content: There's a product like that made for pushing buttons on electrical switchgear when there's a danger of arc flash. There were a few times when I was working on boatanchor equipment that one of those would have been nice to have.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 12:21:42 am
content: Quote from: AlbertL on March 11, 2022, 11:52:06 pmPossibly not: lack of neutral wire again. Plus, if you switch off at the switch you can't turn it on with BT. Similarly, if you turn it off with BT you can't turn it on at the switch.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 12:24:38 am
content: In the hardware store the other day I noticed voice controlled smart lightbulbs as a regular item. So the advantage of bespoke or custom solutions seems to be fading away.

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 12:49:54 am
content: I believe the X10 system was the first widely available remote control for lights and other mains powered things.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X10_(industry_standard)I still have a few of these devices and use them for holiday lighting. If it ain't broke, I see no reason to reinvent it.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 12:56:39 am
content: Quote from: AlbertL on March 11, 2022, 10:49:23 pmNote what is said in the instructable:QuoteHe likely doesn't own the building he sleeps in so modifying/replacing the light switch is probably not an option for him.Besides, he's an ME student -- a young guy looking for problems to solve.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 02:04:20 am
content: The mechanism is a bit overcomplicated but I guess that's what engineers do. There's a much simpler design on Thingiverse that simply holds the servo in the right place, using one of the arms supplied with the servo to flip the switch.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 02:12:53 am
content: This is what happens when you silo competencies. The mechanical engineer comes up with a mechanical solution. With more time and money than buying a remote control switch at the local big box or Amazon. Electronics engineers do the same kind of thing, designing in pressure sensors, valves and a microprocessor to do what a burst disk does.Another way of saying this is when you have a hammer everything looks like a nail.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 02:16:12 am
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on March 12, 2022, 02:04:20 amAll you need is three eyelets and some string. One string pulls the switch up when it's down the other the opposite way. One eyelet goes below the switch to reverse the direction of the string that pulls the switch down. The other two eyelets route the string to the bed overhead.Yea, but that's too simplistic ...

author: eugene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 03:03:19 am
content: Um... how many of you have never built anything just because you found the process entertaining? All of the women in my extended family spin their own string and yarn. Some knit, others weave. Should I suggest to them that there are other, more practical ways to obtain hats and bathroom rugs?

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 04:37:41 am
content: Definitely overly complicated even if you wanted electronics and wireless. The idea of slowly operating a switch that might arc in transit if it wasn't allowed to go over-center quickly is a little worrying. A solenoid doesn't have this problem, and switches far more quickly and decisively.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 02:51:35 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on March 12, 2022, 02:16:12 amWhen I was a teenager ( yes I can remember back that far, barely ) I made a “pull on-pull off” mechanism for my bedroom light switch out of Lego, then routed the string across 2 perpendicular walls with cupboards. “Because I can”. Not everything is about “buy cheap shit from China”.This is cool, but it needs more Heath Robinson.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 03:10:18 pm
content: That's a very cool project! Version 2 should be a walking robot that will turn on any light in the house. Speech recognition required... "Flipper - turn off the kitchen lights" I suppose Alexa gets involved about here. Computer vision for determining which switch to turn off along with some AI to create a route. Or just tell the kids to do it! See which one is easier!We're only just beginning with human-machine interface.

author: eugene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 03:25:25 pm
content: Obviously, if I were tasked with making a remote control switch for lights it would be entirely electronic. If I were told that it *must* be mechanical, then it would probably include a lead screw and a small stepper motor.Having said all of that, I can appreciate interesting mechanisms and see a kind of beauty in the exposed rack and pinion gearing. I give the person credit for creativity and a sense of aesthetics. It's clear from the posts in this thread that not everyone appreciates the aesthetics, but I'll bet a lot of the guy's ME friends do.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 03:32:09 pm
content: Even if we accept the premise that a mechanical operator is the best way to meet the requirements, it's overly complicated. Seems like a better approach would be to put the rack above or below the switch, so the rack motion would be directly in line with the switch handle movement. That would simplify the linkage and reduce the risk that binding of the guide rods would jam the mechanism.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 03:51:10 pm
content: Here's the industrial version:https://cbsarcsafe.com/chicken-switch/

author: emece67
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 05:32:20 pm
content: .

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 07:15:50 pm
content: That second one is great

author: Capernicus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 07:34:39 pm
content: remote controlled anything always offers some perk i reckon.

author: dkonigs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2022, 02:24:46 am
content: Quote from: themadhippy on March 11, 2022, 11:41:05 pmYeah, this is what everyone else is likely missing. We sometimes find ourselves in situations where "the rules" prohibit us from implementing the "proper/obvious solution" to a problem. Thus, weird kludges are necessary.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2022, 02:46:13 am
content: Quote from: dkonigs on March 14, 2022, 02:24:46 amAnyone remember acoustic coupler modems? Sometime in the mid 2000s, I seen one in a hotel room with its own keyboard and a composite cable to plug it into the TV, most likely unused for years if not a decade or more. I guess at one point it was common for business travelers to dial into the office with one of those?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2022, 03:04:38 am
content: Quote from: dkonigs on March 14, 2022, 02:24:46 amI though of that, but to me it feels like removing a face plate and attaching a custom contraption is already a problem here. This switch can't be operated by anyone other than the creator. What if there is an emergency and you need to have the light on? Will you fumble around for the phone?Those simpler ones that you stick with a tape are better in that respect.

author: Swainster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2022, 03:37:49 am
content: A young engineer that I hired back in the day is the founder of switchbot. They have been very successful in Japan so he's now doing very well for himself. Not bad for such a simple concept.

author: MLXXXp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2022, 09:50:56 pm
content: Many (about 40) years ago we had a similar device for ourHoneywell round thermostat. You removed the thermostat bezel and this battery operated box had a round cutout with a ring that clamped onto the thermostat dial. The ring was rotated by an electric motor. It had a time-of-day clock, so turned the thermostat into a programmable "setback" thermostat. There were also "up" and "down" buttons that allowed you to manually control the motor, to temporarily override the automatic settings.It worked well and we used it for many years.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2022, 10:06:57 pm
content: It says he's a mechanical engineering student. This is a mechanical solution to the problem and was probably fun to implement.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2022, 06:12:27 am
content: Three words:Garage door opener.

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2022, 01:23:18 pm
content: Quote from: AlbertL on March 11, 2022, 10:49:23 pmWell, looks like a great home automation learning project. It still has the wireless bits on it.. the only thing that's missing is a relay. Instead, he made his own relay with a servo and the existing switch mechanism.Ideal for rental places or shared rooms where access to electrical wiring is tedious. When moving out, putting back some frontplates is much easier than putting back all the original electrical switches (not to mention you don'thaveto cut power for a couple of platesifyou're careful, e.g. a shared circuit in the student house).It's obviously not as nicely integrated, can't work without power supply, etc. But whatever, if it works..

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2022, 01:56:35 pm
content: I think it's great. Of course from an EE point of view it's a silly bodge, but from the ME's view it's what he came up with. Isn't that the most important thing? The student came up with a solution to a problem, developed it and built it. That is certainly a good thing for someone wanting to be an engineer.Btw. I bet that red button lets you switch the light on or off locally.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2022, 02:07:39 pm
content: At least he didn't use a 10kW three-phase motor.However, the switch can't be operated manually anymore, which is a huge drawback. In case someone likes to control his lights remotely, there are plenty of COTS solutions available. Also more pleasing to the eye and SWMBO.PS: I love my dumb light switches and their tactile response.

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2022, 02:33:27 pm
content: I've put some of these in because I like the feel and sound so much:https://www.thpg.de/drehschalter-wechsel-bakelit.html

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 17, 2022, 04:46:24 pm
content: They look like they'd be jolly useful when the old arthritis starts playing upBut not suffering that, maybe a normal switch is easier to jab than a knob to twist. Hopefully I'll be around long enough to find out...