Introduction: Upcycled RetroPhone Lamp

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About: Hi, I am Gosha, I am originally from Moscow but studying and living in Germany now. I love making stuff with my hands :)

I've found an old phone on a flea market the other day and decided to build a lamp out of it. It turned out pretty nicely so I want to share the process with you. Please be careful with all the tools, do not mess with electricity unless you know the safety measures and realize the dangers.

Supplies

Step 1: Put on Your Safety Glasses

Better be safe than sorry! Besides, they look cool. At least, I hope so.

Step 2: Disassemble the Phone and the Handset

Remove the screws from the base panel, unplug the cables.

Unscrew the covers of the speaker and the microphone, remove the magnets.

Step 3: Drill the Hole for the Gooseneck

Step 4: Prepare the Hole for the LED

My LED has a diameter of 5cm and it fits perfectly into the speaker of the handset. Note that the speaker and the mic covers are exchangeable and since the mic cover has a bigger perforated area, it is easier to cut a hole in there.

  • Take a compasses and set it at around 2,3cm, set the dull end into the center hole of the mic cover and scratch a circle into the plastic
  • Repeat the first step with the backside of the cover (remove the rubbery part, but do not throw it away!)
  • Deepen the circle scratch with a cutter
  • Drill the holes with a 10mm bit
  • Cut out the plastic with a wire cutter
  • Break out the rest of the plastic - if the circle scratch has been done properly, the plastic will break neatly
  • Clean up the edge with a cutter and a sandpaper

Step 5: Put the LED in Place

Step 6: Prepare the Wiring

  • Double the length of your gooseneck to get the right length of the power cable. In my case it's 2 x 20 cm = 40 cm. The inner diameter of the gooseneck is only 4,8mm so it's a tight fit for the cable - I decided to take off the black cover and only put the blue and brown cables.
  • Strip the wires from both ends for about 5mm

Step 7: Put the Wires Through the Gooseneck and Into the Handset

The original hole for the phone cable was a bit tight, so I had to drill through with an 8mm bit.

  • OPTIONAL - Drill a second hole below the main one. This will come in handy if you'd like to wrap the original black wire around the gooseneck like I did.
  • Secure the gooseneck both in the handset and in the base with nuts.

Step 8: Secure the Wires With a Terminal

Then close the cover

Step 9: Drill a Hole for the Switch in the Base

My switch has a 10mm neck = 10mm bit works great

In my opinion, this switch looks best on the right front corner, but it really doesn't matter where you put it - just make sure the cables are long enough to reach it. I learned it the hard way ;)

Step 10: Wire the Switch

I usually put the brown wires into the switch and connect the blue cables with a terminal

Step 11: Check on the Chicken - You Are Hungry and Don't Want to Burn It!

Looks good. Back to work.

Step 12: Test Drive

It works!

Step 13: Dirty Harry

Load the glue gun and secure all the connections, wires, nuts, etc.

Step 14: Almost There!

Step 15: Optional - Wrap the Gooseneck With the Cable

I like the look of the black phone cable more than the shiny metallic gooseneck, so I put a layer of black duct tape on the metal and then apply the double-sided tape on it. Then I tightly wrap the original black phone cable around the gooseneck.

I also realized that the white of the switch did not fit into the color scheme and painted it black.

Step 16: YAY!

Well done: less plastic went into the landfills and now I have a cool lamp!

If you liked the build, let me know in the comments :)

If you feel a bit too lazy to make one of these, you can get a lamp like this from my shop.

Support and feedback will be appreciated ;)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/832901893/

Step 17: