The vintage aesthetic is more popular than ever, and while things like rotary phones aren’t particularly useful anymore, there’s a lot of fun to be had using them in new and inventive ways. For this project, [Sander] built an attractive table lamp out of a Siemens rotary phone.
Switched off, the lamp appears to be nothing more than a phone with its handset floating in midair. However turn the dial, and LEDs mounted in the receiver begin to glow. Taking things a step further as good hackers do, [Sander] used a motorised potentiometer to control the LED brightness with a NodeMCU board featuring the ESP8266. This allows the LEDs to be dimmed either by hand, or by a smartphone connected over WiFi, without the dial getting out of sync.
By using a dual H-bridge setup, the NodeMCU is able to both control the motorized pot as well as generate an AC signal to activate the original bell in the phone, which adds a whole lot of nostalgia points. Fitting the motorized pot into the phone did lend some challenges but that didn’t slow [Sander] down – they simply used a cheap universal joint to allow the motor to connect to the rotary dial off-axis. A great trick to keep in your back pocket.
For the haunting floating effect, [Sander] used a meter of 4 mm brass rod, bending it into shape to hold up the handset. This was used as a ground, and along with a couple of extra wires for power, was covered in a black textile sheath recovered from another electrical cable. [Sander] tells us it wasn’t the easiest thing to pull off, but we definitely agree that the effect is totally worth it.
Thirsty for more vintage ephemera? Check out this rotary phone that runs on GSM. Video below the break.
I don’t know, while this is a very cool piece of art, it instills a very disturbing degree of angst that would suck the joy out of any room it was in while forcing itself into being center of attention.
Interesting take! What about the project inspires feelings of angst and dread? Is it the foreboding look, the dour black phone projecting a spotlight onto itself?
Yes and the handset looks frozen in a moment where it was suddenly dropped by the user upon hearing some dreadful news, or perhaps being the victim of an attack, or, they have suddenly vanished, sucked into the glowing, haunted instrument. It’s that caught in time with no explanation that gives it a transcendent anguish that is both powerful and disturbing.
This handset frozen in midair is what I like about it.
It is reminiscent to a plausible ending for an episode of Twilight Zone or Night Gallery. Time has simply paused and the handset floats; I like it.
Alfred Hitchcock !!!!!
I like this project, very creative.
This is very impressive. From the title I expected that someone had simply ruined a phone and turned it into a lamp – but using the rigid “cord” to keep the handset in the air and having the dial turn remotely, well, it’s very cool. Now the payphone I turned into a working cellphone seems lame by comparison.
Yeah, it’s pretty tasty with the extra effort put in.
Aww you removed that satisfying rotary spring that made a sound when it rotated back. Its a cool project though.
Everything about this is off or wrong just enough for the whole thing to fall into the uncanny valley.
Very nice!!!!
Rotary phones are still useful and becoming more useful as time goes by. I have an old rotary phone similar to this one hooked up in my home office and it still works just fine. With the advent of voice activated systems that ask you to speak instead of push the buttons to reply – I can now do almost anything on my old rotary phone. Plus I don’t have to recharge it, update it, wonder where I left it, or worry about it not working when the electricity is out. It is also fun to use. My kids get s kick out of dialing the numbers to make a call. Long Live the Rotary Phone!!
So cool!
This is a clever work of art. I can see people buying this as a novelty item. Good job!
This is cool
where can I buy this?
https://www.etsy.com/shop/WorksBySander
That’s cool and more than a little scary, like a ghost it holding it in mid air. Just need some ghostly whispers piped through the handset for maximum effect