I'm really happy with the Philips Hue smart lighting system in general, and I think that the dimmer switches are an essential component. For all our desire for automation, we're still programmed to reach for a wall switch to turn lights on and off. The downside to the Hue dimmer switches is that the existing wall switch is still there, which creates the opportunity for someone to turn the light off accidentally. It also looks ugly, in my opinion.
So I decided to make a new wall plate which would do away with the existing wall switch. So the first thing I did was remove the switch and replace it with a 13A connector. The bulb is now powered up all the time.
Then I designed a new wall plate that picked up the mounting points in the wall box, and mimic-ed the shape of the Philips wall plate. For initial testing I had this 3D printed in ABS.
The final touch was to add some disc magnets to the new wall plate, so that the dimmer switch remains in place.
So I decided to make a new wall plate which would do away with the existing wall switch. So the first thing I did was remove the switch and replace it with a 13A connector. The bulb is now powered up all the time.
Then I designed a new wall plate that picked up the mounting points in the wall box, and mimic-ed the shape of the Philips wall plate. For initial testing I had this 3D printed in ABS.
The final touch was to add some disc magnets to the new wall plate, so that the dimmer switch remains in place.
The end result is certainly more aesthetically pleasing than before, although printing ABS at 200 microns doesn't give a smooth enough finish. I'll have to look at acetone smoothing, or experiment with other materials, to see if I can improve the looks.
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