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(Re)Illuminating History

A New Life for the Olin Library Call Board

A (literal) Glow Up

A non-invasive approach meant finding way to reuse much of the existing wiring. Since the bulb sockets already existed as a source of power, the team designed socket adapters so they could draw power from the already existing bulb sockets.

The call board originally ran on with 120 volt AC incandescent light bulbs. Each bulb had an individual on and off switch, which meant there wasn’t a way to power off the whole board, unless you flipped 100 switches. This made board maintenance (and upgrades) quite dangerous, as a missed switch would mean potential exposure to 120 volts of electricity! The old bulbs were switched out with LEDs that only require 5 volts DC of power, making the new call board much safer and more energy efficient.

Power adapter that screws into a light bulb socket. The body is white and has black, white, and red wires coming out of the top.
Bulb Socket Power Adapter Prototype
In an effort to be as minimally invasive as possible the original bulb sockets were to be used as a power source, but needed an adapter to be able to connect to the new LEDs.
Three small round light bulbs. The middle bulb is more opaque and the two on the ends are fully transparent.
Original Light Bulbs
Some of the original light bulbs from the call board.
Two rows of light bulbs inside the metal casing of the call board. There are metal walls separating each bulb and wires between each row.
Original Interior of the Call Board
The original Interior of the call board. Each number was illuminated by a single light bulb with the wires housed in the middle, between the number rows.
A square circuit board sits inside the metal case off the call board. A power adapter in the middle with black and white wires connects to the circuit board. White wires branch off either side of the board.
The circuit board with the NeoPixel LED lights installed in the call board. The board is connected to the socket adapter in the middle to receive power from the old light bulb sockets.
Two rows of NeoPixel LED circuit boards inside the metal casing of the call board. Each circuit board is lit up in a different color. There are metal walls separating each circuit board and wires between each row.
The updated interior with the NeoPixel LEDs turned on.
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