The Lazyman Lights Out is great for people that just don't want to get up. Let's be honest, we all want lay in bed all day and are so excited to go to sleep when the night comes. So, I made bedtime a little bit easier. This project takes around 15 minute to do and contains two simple machines in order to operate, the pulley and the gear. For this project, you will need some cardboard, two pulleys (I used two 10 pound dumbbells), two gears, an axle (chapstick), tape, and string.

Step 1: Sketch and Print

For this first step, I started by drawing a basic layout of what the contraption is going to look at as well as looking for a gear template to trace onto the cardboard. I started this project by drawing a sketch because this way, I will know what supplies will be needed and what steps need to be completed first.

Step 2: Build the Gears Part 1

The next thing needed to do is to make the gears. The gears are the most difficult thing to make in this entire project. Start by using the template that was printed and cut out four gears. One of the finished gears is going to need to be thick so I cut out long strips of cardboard to be the filler.

Step 3: Build the Gears Part Two

For the second part if making the gears, I started using the long strips to make a space in between the two gear shapes, making one gear with a large with. The other two gear shapes are going too be lined up a glued together. The next step is to outline the shape of the chapstick, which I used as an axle. Make sure you outline the chapstick and cut out the hole in the center of the shapes.

Step 4: Assemble the Mechanism

The next step is to put the gears together. Get a small piece of cardboard with enough space for the gears. Then glue the chapstick to the cardboard. You can glue them basically anywhere on the cardboard as long as the teeth match up. Also in this step, we are going to tape the string to my light switch, no specific way is needed.

Step 5: Final Step!

In the final step, it all comes together. Take the piece that has the gears on it and put that on your night stand. The final step is to set up your pulleys. For my pulleys, I used 10 lb dumbbells and I laid them beneath my light dimmer and beneath my night stand. Once the string is attached to the second gear, you are complete.