No Touch Light Switch - Magnet Powered

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, anything you touch could be contaminated. Mostly the things you touch with your hands. This is why I made a No Touch Light Switch. So if you come home from work or school and might have the virus on your hands, you could install this on your bathroom light switch. You could turn on the light without touching the switch, and then wash your hands immediately after.

My design uses no electricity and instead uses a magnet to move the switch. I made it as small as possible so it won't be too bulky and could be reproduced easily. It fits most pole switches but not flat switches.

This instructable was made as clear as possible and it also includes a DEMO video at the end.

I'm 13 and will be studying in 8th grade this Fall.

You will need. . .

• 3D printer (or go to a local maker space)
• 3D printed parts
• Superglue
• Two - 8x2 mm disk magnets
• Flat head screwdriver
• Light switch
• Tinkercad (If you're designing your own)

The next couple of steps (1-4) are completely optional, unless you're designing your own.

The case is the part that connects to the light switch.

First, using Tinkercad, I got two cylinders, a rectangle, and some holes (the screw holes) to make the base of the case.

I then combined the base, a capsule shape, and two holes to give it more shape.

Lastly, I got a two wedge shapes and put them on the inside. This is where the slider will sit on.

The slider is the part that actually moves the switch up and down.

I got three cylinders and one hole to make the slider. The pegs on the bottom is what moves the switch. The hole on the top is where you'll glue in a magnet. (More on that later.)

The top is what holds the slider in the case so it won't fall out.

For the top, I made a capsule shape with two cylinders and a rectangle. I then used a hole to make a... hole.

The keychain is used to move the slider without touching it with your hands.

I used two cylinders, a rectangle, a triangle, and a bunch of holes to make the keychain. The hole on the bottom is where you'll glue in a magnet. (Again, more on that later.)

Place them like so and they are ready to print. In my case, I'm printing some parts white and some parts red, so I'll have to print them separately.

I designed them specifically to not need supports but depending on your printer, you my need them. There is a 8mm bridge where the magnet holes are, but my printer (Ender 3) was able to print it perfectly.

My settings were,

- 0.1 mm layer height

- 60 degrees C bed

- 190 degrees C nozzle

If you'd like to print your own, here are my STL files.

For this step you will need. . .

A - Slider

B - Keychain

C - Two magnets

D - Superglue

First, glue one of the magnets into the slider. Then glue the other magnet into the keychain. Make sure the magnets have the correct polarities +/-. (Basically make sure the magnets stick together and don't repel.)

For this step you will need. . .

A - Case

B - Slider

C - Top

D - Toothpick

E - Superglue

First, place the slider into the case with the pegs facing down. Then, use superglue to glue the top into the groves in the case.

Be sure to not accidently glue the slider onto the case. The tip of my glue tube was too big, so to be more precise, I used a toothpick to spread the glue around.

To put it onto your light switch, unscrew the two screws on the switch. Next, place the "no touch switch" on top of the switch and make sure the pegs on the slider are on either side of the switch. Screw the screws back on and your done!

Above is a short video I made. (If you'd like to check out some of my other projects, click this link.)

Using it is pretty simple. First, put the keychain on something such as keys or a backpack. It's optional but helps you keep track of it.

Now, when you want to turn on the light all you have to do is put the two magnets together and slide it upward. The magnets snap together and help you not fumble while trying to get the keychain in the right spot. They also are used to pull the slider up or down.

You could either leave the keychain in the switch, or take it out. To turn the light off just slide the slider down and remove the keychain.

You can move the slider without the keychain, but that defeats the whole purpose of "no touch". But, maybe your kids stay at home and won't have infected hands, then they can use the switch just fine without a keychain.

Like I said it's really simple but helps a lot. This all happens without you touching the switch and will help decrease the spread of the virus.