Tag: switch

Replacing a Rigid Shop Vacuum Switch

Nick Momrik1 Comment

I’ve had this Rigid shop vacuum, from Home Depot, for about 20 years.

At some point in the last year, the switch started having issues. The vacuum would only turn on if the switch was actually pressed in, instead of toggled. I’ve never seen that happen, but I’m guessing it was from the accumulation of dirt and dust getting inside the switch body. Then the switch wouldn’t even push in, so the vacuum wouldn’t run.

I figured it would be an easy switch replacement, so I removed a bunch of screws to take off the cover. Sure enough, the switch had two wires clipped on to it, and was held in place by the case.

I had a perfect replacement, salvaged from some device I don’t remember, in my collection of electronics parts.

It fit like a glove and the vacuum turned on as if it was brand new. I screwed the case back together and called it done.

Network Rack Supports

Nick Momrik3 Comments

We’re having a house built next year and it’ll have ethernet ports all over. I’ve already started gathering equipment and setting up a network rack cabinet (from Amazon), so I can start playing around with the stuff in our current house over the winter. The rack will do the job fine, but it’s not super high quality. Since the components usually only mount to the front rails, the heavy equipment can sag quite a bit in the rear. I cut and stained a couple of pieces of scrap wood.

The UPS is the heaviest piece of gear, so it’s mounted at the bottom of the rack. I used a couple of pieces of VHB tape to stick the support beam to the rack floor. The rear of the UPS simply rests on that piece of wood.

The other support piece mounts to the rear rails with washers and screws, propping up the back end of the switch.

Simple and effective improvements.

New Table Saw Switch

Nick Momrik3 Comments

Now that I’ve been in my workshop again, it’s time for some table saw upgrades I’ve been wanting to do. The bigger project I had planned for yesterday couldn’t happen because of part damaged during shipping, so I went with the easy one. Here’s the old switch on my saw.

It worked fine, but I wanted something cooler and safer, so I ordered one from Amazon for about $13. The hardest part was finding an electrical box to would work with the location where I wanted to install the switch. Then I built a simple scrap wood box around it and wired everything.

The START button is recessed and you really have to push it, so there is almost no chance of accidentally turning on the saw. The STOP paddle is a big target and at knee height, which will make it easy to turn off the saw without moving my eyes or hands if an operation becomes dangerous.

New Dimmer Switch

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

I’ve never seen a dimmer (brights / high-beams) switch on the floor until I bought the 1968 Chevy C10. The old switch was rusty and ugly so I ordered a new one as well as a bezel for the hole in the carpet.

img_1056

One of the bolts was extra rusty and stuck, so it stripped right away. After trying several other things, I drilled through the top of the bolt until the head popped off. Then I was able to remove the switch and used locking pliers to twist out the bolt.

img_1054

I put a new pad on the brake pedal, which was also much harder than expected!

A huge box of parts arrived on Friday, so I’ll be making a lot of upgrades over the next two months.

Lamp Repair: Replace Touch Control with a Switch

Nick MomrikLeave a comment

My Mom’s bedroom lamp was malfunctioning so I told her to send it down with my Dad and I’d take a look at it.

The lamp uses a very common TA-306A touch control unit and the BT134 thyristor on the board often gets fried. I think this might have been my bedroom lamp when I lived with my parents 20 years ago, so there is no sense buying parts for it. I replaced the touch controls with a switch I salvaged from a different lamp.

3-Way Smart Wi-Fi Switch

Nick Momrik1 Comment

Last year I installed a bunch of Lutron Caséta switches and remotes with dimming functionality. At the time I forgot to test the ceiling fan in my bedroom. So when I went to use it this summer, I got this nice surprise (turn up the sound)…

Ceiling fans don’t like dimmer switches. I’d done a little searching here and there for a smart 3-way switch alternative, but hadn’t been able to find anything. Then one day while walking through Home Depot I noticed some Leviton Decora Smart switches. I did some research when I got home and ordered a DW15S-1BZ and a DD0SR-DLZ. No dimmers on these. Installation was easy and I can use the ceiling fan again. Check out the difference.

I will mention a few negatives with this Leviton switches. The “remote” is wired in, unlike the Caséta remote which can be placed anywhere. It costs a bit more as well. The last thing probably won’t be a big deal for anyone, but it seems like the system is using a relay because I can hear it click back and forth from across the room when I trigger the switch. The clicking may not be the best for a baby’s room.

Other than those things, the Leviton switches work well so far. Check them out if you’re looking for a 3-way switch.