Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
The leaning tower of Piezo

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


             

illuminated switch plates

Illuminated Switch Plates
  (-1)
(-1)
  [vote for,
against]

It is often hard to find switches in the dark, especially in an unfamiliar building.

I'd like to be able to buy standard sized switch plates that include an electroluminescent bezel around each switch. This would be wired directly to the switch such that it was constantly powered (small EL panels such as these consume very small amounts of power and so can be left on all the time). In the dark each switch would have an illuminated rectangle around it sufficient to allow one to see exactly where to find the switches.

I have found on the market single switch plates that are double-wide and include a large area of EL material to serve as a night light, but I would rather have one that indicates specifically the location of each switch.

The plastic encasing the EL panel could be impregnated with glow-in-the-dark powder to cause the switches to continue to glow when the power is out. This would provide a familiar beacon for navigation when the power goes out.

Glow-in-the-dark powder would not be sufficient for the basis of the device because even long-glow powders do not provide sufficient illumination after many hours of darkness (such as when finding switches in the morning, or for switches in constantly dark basements and stairwells).

codesuidae, Apr 17 2007

1 http://www.liteaswitch.com/
[jhomrighaus, Apr 18 2007]

3 http://www.lkmfg.co...P/Hierarchy/01.html
[jhomrighaus, Apr 18 2007]

[link]






       Google "illuminated light switches" for similar things.
Galbinus_Caeli, Apr 17 2007
  

       I've run afoul of what's considered 'widely known' in the past, however this time, surely.
Texticle, Apr 17 2007
  

       WIBNI no one had thought of this before.
MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 17 2007
  

       My uncle had "illuminated light switch plates" only about 20 years ago. They were single size, and powered by the house, not photluminescent, so that part is well baked, and probably widely known to exist.   

       Admittedly, it was not the switch itself that glowed, nor was it an EL plate...   

       All the same, I think a change in idea title to qualify the type of illumination might be good.
ye_river_xiv, Apr 18 2007
  
      
[annotate]
  


 

back: main index

business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle