Keep smart bulb manual switch from unwanted guest

Wiki Projects & Stories
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I am tired of people in my house switching my GE and Cree bulb manual switch to off so I did a little mod and sharing it here in case someone wanted it. Of course do this at your own risk! Follow your local electrical code…

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Drill a hole at the bottom of the switch with a 5/64 drill bit.
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I cut about 2cm clear piece of zap strap.

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And here is the final look. You can’t see the zap strap? That’s the whole point! Simple, cheap and clean look.

4 Likes
2

Did something similar to stop people from locking the lower lock on my yale touchscreen deadbolt.

The issue is, a guest decided that it felt “stuck” and continued to twist the lock until it broke.

I can see someone smashing the dimmer because the lights won’t go off :smile:

Plus, this dimmer doesn’t have an air-gap, so I’m not sure stopping it from turning off is code, since you need to be able to turn power off at the switch to change the bulbs.

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This mod is not really intended for dimmer switch. Just on/off for smart bulb. I did this with Hercule friend in mind. Hence the plastic zap strap and not something else. By having the little zap strap sticking out just a little under a millimetre. Normal pressure on the off won’t work but if Hercule were to punch it. The zap strap will get push in and the light will go off. You can pull it back out with a plier after so a 5/64 hole is ideal. As for code. You can easily pull/push the zap strap with a plier or long finger nails. I was thinking of a way for my lock too but I think my son will outsmart me and causing more harm than good.

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Nice! I put packaging tape over the switch in our laundry room LOL

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Seems like these would be easier:

3 Likes