Phil's switchgear light switch cover

Nice!

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Phil, are you going to make it so that you can screw it right to the electrical box, rather than gluing it to a faceplate?

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That was my thought when I saw the original post.

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I’d love to make one of these but most of our light switches look like this

I’ll have to do a UK redesign :wink:

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All you would really need to do is make the slot wider and run a dowel across the opening so that it pressed across the button and “flipped” the switch. Doesn’t seem like it would need much change other than that or something similar.

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Other than internal switch box safety! Magic arcing/sparking, etc.

Hey Phil, this is really cool! Do you mind sharing your project file? I’d love to mess around with one. I can deal with pretty much any format you’re working in.

Ok no worries! I’ll mess around with one :slight_smile:

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@PhilJohnson, Beautifully done!

Say, I’m missing the point of the brown/hardboard-looking layer underneath the sliding top layer… The bottom layer holds the piece together and gets screwed into the box, and the mechanism is anchored into the bottom layer. With the top sliding over, I don’t see the purpose of the middle plate. Add strength/thickness to the connections? Thanks!

My opinion… I would have to look at my NEC code book… There should be no issue… like Phil said, there are wooden face plates. it is not interfering with the action of the switch… either way a disclaimer would probably be warranted about checking your own local code prior to installing.

Phil, when it is made, I think you may need some sort of clip to hold the throw in the ‘up’ position. maybe not, but I am thinking some sort of spring clip.

Ultimately, we all decide what is safe. Codes are minimalist guide lines. 10-04 and out the door.

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Phil, just looking at the aesthetics of this, would it be possible to cut the area above and below the switch hole to something like half an inch? I don’t see anything that it would cause issue with and that would keep the sliding plate within the inner frame and also keep it from sticking above and below the outside footprint of the base.

I’m just looking at this from the animation, apologies if I’m not seeing something correctly.

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Oh, just for design. Got it. The design looks nice, just wondered if there was a structural function I was missing.

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there are 2 wood cover types that we used when I worked construction. Some situations there was no code for it but the ones that had to follow code were wood covers that had a thin metal plate glued into a recess on the back and was only required for commercial and not residential construction but every place is different. I live in a town that if you want a pond in your yard then go for it no code for anything.

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Ha Phil, you’re making me eat my words about sharing designs, which is a compliment.

Seeing the things you crank out (pun intended), you should check out cognate linkages for four-bar linkages. I had an entire 300 level class as an undergrad. It was the coolest thing ever! We had to design an ornithopter as the semester project. I even watched Dune for ideas…:sunglasses:

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What about adding “ON/OFF” in some cool gothic font?

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who else saw the blue loctite?!

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Where is the blue accelerator for the superglue?

I know it was super glue Phil, I was just yanking some chains…

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han solo lightplate seems to be a great way to make your house-guests feel awkward.