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Information Technology: Lightning Switch
Wireless signal turns electrical
devices on and off
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| Lightning Switch
uses piezoelectrical energy to send a radio signal to
its companion receiver, which turns electrical devices
on and off. The Lightning Switch wireless/battery-less
switch control system has just been named a winner of
the 2006 NOVA Award by the Construction Innovation Forum. |
Think of a Stone-Age material gone high tech, of capturing
little sparks of energy, of a commodity so ubiquitous you
don't know it's there. Combine all of these elements and you
get Lightning Switch: a wireless light switch that doesn't
need a battery.
Brad Face, CEO of PulseSwitch Systems, Norfolk, Va., the
maker of Lightning Switch, realized that he had a significant
technology on his hands when he acquired the thin, piezoelectric
material developed by NASA.
Piezoelectricity is produced by applying pressure to a material
that takes the mechanical energy and converts it to electrical
energy and back again. Face and his company found a way to
use this energy to turn electrical devices on and off. "Basically,
we are using piezoelectric material by taking a fragile ceramic
wafer, bonding it between pieces of stainless steel, which
gives it the compressive strength," Face says. "It's
like a compressed spring. There's a lot of energy ready to
go with just a little bit of movement. We like to say we have
a wired switch that does not have any wires."
Under this simple concept, a radio receiver is attached to
a regular light fixture or plugged into an electrical socket
and taught to communicate with a remote-control transmitter
that looks like a common household light switch. When the
switch is flipped, the mechanical energy is converted to the
right amount of electrical energy to send a unique radio signal
to its companion receiver. This signal turns the electrical
device on or off. The fixture has to have electrical energy
flowing to it, but the switch does not have to be wired to
the fixture.
The savings cost to a builder or homeowner is obvious-there
is no need for rewiring by an electrician. For example, if
a room is being rearranged to accommodate a child, a light
switch can be put next to the child's bed. Landscape lighting
can be turned on and off from inside the home. In flood-prone
areas, these switches can be mounted where wired switches
would violate building codes.
Face says his company has listened to its customers and made
some modifications to accommodate industrial uses where there
might be radio interference. "We have a professional-grade
receiver that keeps out noise," he says. "And we
have a system extender that extends the signal range. If you
have a place with radio- frequency obstacles, then the signal
can be reinforced or bounced around the obstacles." Unique
codes make it nearly impossible to turn on the wrong item.
Bill Neustadt, sales manager for Electronics Supply Co. Inc.,
Kansas City, Mo., purchased Lightning Switches for a retail
customer interested in controlling the lighting on product
displays. Neustadt says he priced out wiring the displays
using traditional methods and found it would have cost $500
for each of six displays in a store. Instead, the customer
used Lightning Switches, which cost $300 for all six displays,
had no installation costs and is more flexible.
"We've installed a total of about 150. They are all
up and running and doing well," Neustadt says.
Sets start at about $50 and are available from the maker's
Web site and some electrical supply companies. The Web site
has an extensive video library with installation instructions.
Lightning Switch
PulseSwitch Systems
427 W. 35th St.
Norfolk, Va. 23508
1-888-954-4486 or 1-757-624-2134
www.LightningSwitch.com
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