Upcycled RetroPhone Lamp
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I've found an old phone on a flea market the other day and decided to build a lamp out of it. It turned out pretty nicely so I want to share the process with you. Please be careful with all the tools, do not mess with electricity unless you know the safety measures and realize the dangers.
Supplies
- Old phone
- Goose neck (Microphone extension)
- LED Lamp (5cmø 5w 230v 3300K Warm-White in my case)
- 230v cord + EU plug
- 230v Switch + 230v luster terminal
- Duct tape, double-sided tape
- nice to have : glue gun, pliers, wire stripper, drill, compasses, zip ties, cutter
Put on Your Safety Glasses
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Better be safe than sorry! Besides, they look cool. At least, I hope so.
Disassemble the Phone and the Handset
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Remove the screws from the base panel, unplug the cables.
Unscrew the covers of the speaker and the microphone, remove the magnets.
Drill the Hole for the Gooseneck
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Prepare the Hole for the LED
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My LED has a diameter of 5cm and it fits perfectly into the speaker of the handset. Note that the speaker and the mic covers are exchangeable and since the mic cover has a bigger perforated area, it is easier to cut a hole in there.
- Take a compasses and set it at around 2,3cm, set the dull end into the center hole of the mic cover and scratch a circle into the plastic
- Repeat the first step with the backside of the cover (remove the rubbery part, but do not throw it away!)
- Deepen the circle scratch with a cutter
- Drill the holes with a 10mm bit
- Cut out the plastic with a wire cutter
- Break out the rest of the plastic - if the circle scratch has been done properly, the plastic will break neatly
- Clean up the edge with a cutter and a sandpaper
Put the LED in Place
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Prepare the Wiring
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- Double the length of your gooseneck to get the right length of the power cable. In my case it's 2 x 20 cm = 40 cm. The inner diameter of the gooseneck is only 4,8mm so it's a tight fit for the cable - I decided to take off the black cover and only put the blue and brown cables.
- Strip the wires from both ends for about 5mm
Put the Wires Through the Gooseneck and Into the Handset
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The original hole for the phone cable was a bit tight, so I had to drill through with an 8mm bit.
- OPTIONAL - Drill a second hole below the main one. This will come in handy if you'd like to wrap the original black wire around the gooseneck like I did.
- Secure the gooseneck both in the handset and in the base with nuts.
Secure the Wires With a Terminal
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Then close the cover
Drill a Hole for the Switch in the Base
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My switch has a 10mm neck = 10mm bit works great
In my opinion, this switch looks best on the right front corner, but it really doesn't matter where you put it - just make sure the cables are long enough to reach it. I learned it the hard way ;)
Wire the Switch
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I usually put the brown wires into the switch and connect the blue cables with a terminal
Check on the Chicken - You Are Hungry and Don't Want to Burn It!
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Looks good. Back to work.
Test Drive
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It works!
Dirty Harry
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Load the glue gun and secure all the connections, wires, nuts, etc.
Almost There!
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Optional - Wrap the Gooseneck With the Cable
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I like the look of the black phone cable more than the shiny metallic gooseneck, so I put a layer of black duct tape on the metal and then apply the double-sided tape on it. Then I tightly wrap the original black phone cable around the gooseneck.
I also realized that the white of the switch did not fit into the color scheme and painted it black.
YAY!
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Well done: less plastic went into the landfills and now I have a cool lamp!
If you liked the build, let me know in the comments :)
If you feel a bit too lazy to make one of these, you can get a lamp like this from my shop.
Support and feedback will be appreciated ;)
![Phamp by Dubchinsky - Instructables Timelapse](/proxy/?url=https://content.instructables.com/FX3/SGXJ/KLGL9XAV/FX3SGXJKLGL9XAV.jpg&filename=Phamp by Dubchinsky - Instructables Timelapse)