This has me stumped. There are lots of light switches actuated by closet doors. But I have a closet with a double bifold door (two bifolds that close towards the middle).
I can't think of, or find, any switch that can be readily mounted to this. The rail on which the doors travel make it impossible to use top switches. Switches meant for the jamb side of the door won't work because they expect the door to hinge away from the jamb, which it doesn't. Switches made for the leading edge of the door won't work because both leading edges move several feet and there is nothing else in the middle.
Some unwieldy ideas I have, but all of them have implementation issues:
- Use a motion switch. That doesn't work for my situation because the door is left open much of the time, and I want the light on whenever it's open without any timeout.
- Put a switch on the leading edge of one door, that butts against the other door when closed. But the wire to the switch would have to travel on a horseshoe-shaped track, like the cables to an elevator or a print head. That seems crazy but maybe it could work? Maybe I could even pillage a broken (but very wide) printer for the carriage?
- Use a magnetic switch. This would be easy to install! But I can't find a magnetic switch that is pre-packaged and UL approved for 120V use, and they all have exposed terminals leaving the job to me of building a safe electrical enclosure or using a relay.
Of all the above, the most approachable approach for me is the magnetic switch with a relay. The relay would go in a project box or perhaps inside a PVC junction box that I'd mount next to the receptacle where I pick up power. But this seems a bit Rube Goldberg for the purpose
Ideas?
Best Answer
I think you have already worked out the solution in your own mind. Good for you! 😆
If you're looking for an opinion on your conclusion, I would say that low voltage magnetic reed switch is your best option. This of course would require the use of a relay, but being a person who uses relays on a mundane daily basis, I would not consider such a solution to be Rube Goldberg. Well, maybe I'm a little bit Dr. Suessian, but I certainly wouldn't consider this a complex design, at least not overly-so.
Functional Devices makes a crazy contraption called a RIB CLC106 closet lighting control. It has the relay and low voltage power supply built in, eliminating the need for a project box and potentially pesky UL listing concerns. It also comes with the magnetic reed switch as a bonus. And the best part: it's dirt cheap!
EDIT:
You could certainly use a low voltage LED light fixture or even LED tape. They produce magnetic reed switches in a variety of voltage and current limitations. Please refer to this PDF for an idea of just how many options you have. You would need to select a switch capable of carrying the current of the load you are expecting to switch. Arcing, due to interrupting the capacitive load of the LED array could shorten the lifespan of the very tiny contacts in the switch. You could implement a small capacitor filter or fuse to protect it, but now we're back into Rube's territory.