This project was developed because of the annoying task of having to press the light switch without being able to reach it. The solution was to build a machine equipped with 2 stepper motors and 1 DC motor to control the light switch remotely.

This is done with an Arduino Uno on wich a cnc shield was installed. The two stepper motors can then be controlled.

The board in the middle is a self-made H-bridge to control the dc motor, wich finally presses the light switch. This is necessary to allow the motor to rotate in both directions with the required current. Another aim of the project was to ensure that it is still possible to use the switch normally. That's why there is a stepper motor for the x-direction to prevent the light switch from being blocked.

The actual device consists of white 3d-printed pla plastic wich is screwed to a connector wich in turn is attached to an aluminium plate. As this is the case with all components, they can be detached from the plate by loosening their screws.

Currently I enter the commands manually, which defeats the whole purpose of this machine to operate the light switch, as you have to go to the machine that is right next to the light switch, which then operates it. But a 433mhz receiver is already installed so that the light switch can be operated remotely.

Another interesting point is that this project consists largely of reused materials. Only the Arduino Uno with its CNC shield and the 433mhz receiver were bought new. The 2 stepper motors and the dc motor were taken from old DVD drives and they are each installed in a custom made 3d printed frame. All electronic components of the H-bridge were desoldered out of old circuit boards. The function of the machine is shown in the video above.