Flip The Switch!

     
         post 8


        Back to the Monitor. Now that the monitor was built and the roll top desk as made. I needed to figure out a way to turn on and off everything. The monitor On/Off buttons will no longer work with the way I had built the screen surround. But I didn't want to just add some lame buttons on the side. I thought about making the buttons to look like old Underwood typewriter keys, But could not figure out a good way to fasten them to the build itself. Nor could i figure out a way to make them look good and not out of place.

        A solution finally came to me as I was thinking of making new handles for my wood lathe chisels. I am going to make levers. That's right levers. The thought of a lever system seemed great to me it would give me a unique On/Off switch for the new monitor, and it would give it more of the Steampunk look that until
now was kind of lacking. The lever handles I spun down on my wood lathe and the levers themselves are made of 3/4" copper pipe.

        All the picture are of the switch box after it was made. Looking back now I wish I had some of the process of me making it but I think these will serve the purpose. To the right is the picture of the finished (not stained) switch box. At first it was for the ON/Off switch of the monitor. The lever closest to the camera or to the right in the picture below is for the monitor. This was a single button press that turned on the monitor and the same button press to turn it off. The lever only needed to touch contact to turn on and off the monitor. So knowing i didn't have to keep contact I put a spring from and old dishwasher door on it to pull it back to the upright position every time you pull it. This works remarkably well and I think it gives a very Steampunk look and feel to this lever.

        Next I needed a lever to turn on and off the Speakers that are built into the side of the monitor. The furthest lever from the camera in the picture above or the one on the right hand side of the picture to the left turns on and off the speakers. Now this one did need to have a constant contact. What was on the speakers originally was a toggle switch. so this lever rises up and stay in the upright position when on. to turn it off you simply return the lever to the lying down position.

         The knife switch in the center of the two levers runs the lights in the roll top desk. These lights were purely cosmetic. They serve no purpose at all but to look cool. I think they pull it off quite nicely. I do plan on putting more LED's under the desk put that is going to have to wait till I make the legs. The legs build is still a few post out yet, But I can assure you that they will be pretty cool themselves.

        The picture to the right is taken of the underside of the lever box. I felt like putting this one in the post just to show that all the working of the switches were made by hand and have no mass produced modern crap attached to them. As you can see all the power contacts are made simply by touching one peace of copper with a wire attached to it to another. This takes the place of the switches and completes the necessary circuit to turn on and off the devices they are running.

         Please excuse my extremely messy work station.
         Here is how the project looks after the switch box was done and attached to the side of the desk.
This is where it will stay I didn't ant the switches to impede on the rest of the workings of the desk and the future additions to it. So off to one side was a good decision for me. Also I just like the idea of throwing levers to turn it all on in a mad scientist sort of way. (I know I'm a dork)  If I have any more ideas of something else I am going to add to this I might in fact add a few more levers. But for now this is how she sits. Ready to be brought to life with the throw of a lever. Now if I could just figure out how to get that obligatory crash sound from all the old mad scientist films to play when i turn on and off the computer that would be amazing.

         Below is a video I made of the Levers in action




       Again thanks for reading and if you like what you see please subscribe, rate and comment. any feedback is good feedback. And it will give me more motivation to keep building and Blogging.