Clockwork light switch cover

This is a six-piece assembly for a clockwork light switch cover. It will fit a US toggle-style switch with standard hardware.

The completed assembly functions as a timer for the switch. As the pendulum swings and allows the escapement gear to tick, the rack falls until it reaches the toggle and switches it into the down position. There are slots at the bottom of the rack and the pendulum to slip US quarters in to add the right amount of weight to these parts. The rack is fairly light, weighing a bit over 40g with 5 quarters inside, and so only offers about .01 Nm of force on the toggle. Therefore, this assembly should only be used as a switch timer for very sensitive toggles. The actual switch will still function regardless of whether you use it as a timer or just as super cool faceplate art.

To assemble the cover, first attach the escapement gear to the extended cylinder at the bottom of the faceplate. Next, set the rack on the gear so the top portion encompasses the smaller raised gear, then slide it up through the first set of tracks. When the top of the rack is between the two sets of tracks, attach the escapement to the top hole of the faceplate. Once the escapement is in place, the rack should be able to slip up through the second set of tracks (the rack will only slide if the escapement is centered over the rack). Slide the top of the pendulum up through the large hole in the bottom of the escapement and secure with the pin.

The light switch cover can be affixed to the switch while in the assembled configuration. The holes in the gear line up to allow the screw to be applied.

This design has gone through many iterations and while it is functional it is a bit touchy. I am still working on perfecting it so if anyone has any feedback or suggestions I would gladly take them into consideration for future versions!