Monday, October 03, 2011

There, I fixed it! Part III

The back entrance to my new apartment has a single light switch at the top of a very long staircase.
Above is a photo of the staircase with the light on. Below is what the staircase looks like from the same point when the light is off. 
This arrangement would typically have a 3-way electric switch so you don't need to walk up or down the stairs in the dark.


I built a mechanical 3-way switch which allows you to turn the light on and off from the bottom of the stairs by pulling on some wires. I eventually plan to replace the cereal-box cardboard gears with something sturdier and make an actual switch at the bottom end.


2 comments:

  1. How about a touch capacitive switch (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQWVE6) along with a wire running the length of the rail -- underneath.

    Touch the underside and flip on the lights? And it's out of sight (even when the lights are on).

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  2. oh that would be cool - I'm trying to avoid dealing with any sort of electric wiring though.

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