A Light From Above

This photo won't impress too many people, but we're happy with it. This is Kathy's 3rd-floor closet, the one we created a few years back when we realigned the wall that divides this room from the adjoining hallway. The closet used to be on the other side of the wall, which didn't make any sense to us, so we basically moved the closet opening from the short side to the long side, effectively "moving" the closet into another room. It was easier than it sounds.

We've had these bi-fold closet doors hung for quite a while, and I'd even added an electrical outlet to the back of the closet because, why not? The closet is quite tall, because we have high ceilings, and that makes it dark inside. We'd always intended to add a light of some kind inside the closet, but how?

The solution presented itself on Amazon.com, as it so often does. We bought a 120V AC relay connected to a proximity switch. The switch consists of two magnets, and when the magnets are close together, the relay opens. If you move the magnets apart, the relay closes. That means you can connect a light (or any other AC-powered device) to the relay, and mount one magnet on the door frame and other magnet on the door. Open the door, and the light goes on! Voila! 

There's even some hysteresis in the magnetic switch, so the light doesn't flicker on and off if you leave the door partway open. I've adjusted it so that the light comes on when you open the door about six inches, but it won't go off until the door is almost completely shut. That prevents weird and annoying effects if you leave the door in just the wrong position.