Turn off your light switch from bed with pulleys.

Yep, pulley and string simple as that.

You will need:
4 pulleys (can be done with 3-5)
string or fishing line(enough to wrap up the wall, across the ceiling, and down the other wall)
Drill & Screws
Tape

Here is a video of it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PJW3t2bJpE

If anyone has ideas that would improve my idea please let me know. I would like a cheaper, lighter, smaller pulley that can directly connect to the wall.

Step 1: Find where you wish to control your switch and screw

Bed, couch, bathroom, special little place in the corner of your room.. etc
I put in next to my bed.

Screw 2 pulleys into the upper wall or ceiling so that the cord will hang where you can reach it.

Screw another pulley(s) above the light switch in the room.

Screw a pulley under the light switch. (you may be able to just slide it under the light plate or take off the plate and use the screw of the plate to hold the pulley)

Comments

[vincent7520]

Much better than a remote switch !!…
Has a Buster Keaton flair to it that I simply love !!!

[thealeks]

Omg seriously you are my hero! I dreamt up this exact idea in my teen years but never actually built it. Maybe my wife will let me put it on our room...

[archembo]

that reminds me of Mr Bean turning off his light with a gun...
guys.. wireless remote control was invented in 1956!!!

[black hole]

Behold the man who is a bean!

[archembo]

Awesome!!

[Foxtrot70]

I am happy to see that Rube Goldberg is alive and well in us all.

[bono80kuriks]

a better solution might be to add another pulley at the end, and make it so that the two ends run through the pulley as one piece (by tying the ends together where the know won't get in the way)

[tweakinreaper]

you can use some spray paint to mark "on"/"off". or even use beads in the string before closing the loop

[hdavidb]

I did this MANY years ago when I was a kid, although I had a 4-post bed that I simply wrapped a long piece of yarn around the top indent of the post and around the dimmer (head of the bed was on the same wall). It was convenient, and my parents called me lazy :)

[Spoiled Potato]

Nice. But a better option would be a remote controlled switch. Best home purchase I've made. A Lutron remote controlled programmable dimmer lightswitch. $40 from Lowes.

[kdlevad]

or you could just buy a clapper

[darthrecneps]

 only works for lamps

[Punkguyta]

Haha, I remember trying to do this as a kid in my room, although it would only turn the light off once it was on.

[Iridium7]

I honestly think that this is too complicated. but good 'ible!

[tommyrusso]

I sketch this out as kid but never tried it. Love it!

[LaserTaser64]

i tried to make a turn on lights automatically'ible, and i failed miserably. type in "simply simple" to view my horrible interwebs failure. also i have a ninja hood that should be next to it

[CaseyCase]

Could have used this idea when I lived in the dorms. Very nice!

[Hycro]

I did this sort of thing when I was younger, only I put a pop-can tab on the light switch, and I also stuck paper clips in the walls and ceiling.

[microman171]

Does this work on and off? Mine is accomplished via sting levers. Too bad it can only be turned off...

[icerc]

Yes. You can see my video of it in action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PJW3t2bJpE

[TheWelfareWarrior]

I had thought out the EXACT same I dea when I was about 5-6 The only problem is I have lath and plaster walls. I even have that same G.I. joe dude (i know thats not what it is...) Be careful though, their abdominal rubber band will wear out with age.

[Phil B]

I once did something like this. But, instead of placing a tube over the toggle, I drilled a hole in the toggle. I was attempting a fail-safe way to make sure the blower for a pipe organ was turned "off" before the rolltop cover was closed. Someone forgot once and it ran from Sunday to Thursday before we found it. I did not need to worry about "on," just "off." I had a piece of wood upright and fastened to the cabinetry outside of the rolltop. The switch was horizontally mounted inside the rolltop. A cord ran from the upright to the toggle. There was enough slack in the cord to push the toggle to "on." When the rolltop came down it shortened the string so the toggle had to flip to "off." You could also have controlled your light with a relay. You would have used a low voltage switch at your bed. Remove the wall switch, put the relay inside the wall box, put on a blank cover, and run clear speaker wire to your bed. See my Instructable on the Oven Timer Problem.

[jumbuck]

Excellent idea!!

[21GeeOff21]

nice i always wanted to do this when i was younger never did though :P