When I used to live at folkehøgskole, I had an internet line and a phone line in my dorm room. However, the rooms don't lock properly, and after the first month, I got a really nasty phone bill. I decided to make some changes... And I came up with a way to...

Turn off your telephone

It was really quite easy..

Go to a hardware store (or a radio shack, whatever floats your boat) and get the following:

And get a bunch of tools.

  1. Fix the on-off key thing to the box. (i.e screw-mount it, then glue it, if you want it to be permanent
  2. Get your telephone line (the one going from outside to indoors, you want to put your little device between the phone line's entrance into the house and the phone plug box thingie), and cut it
  3. Drill two small holes in your plastic box (I used a blue translucent box, just to be part of that Beautiful New Coloring Schemetm, and pull the cables in, one from each side. Reconnect three of the cables (either by soldering or by using a connector block), and run the last one (most likely the red or blue cable, depending what kind of system you are using. If there are just two cables, use either one :)) through the on-off key.
  4. Test it. If you got the wrong cable, you will still get a dial tone, which means try again
  5. if it works, Close the box and mount it to the wall.

Congratulations.

The system isn't exactly the most secure, but if anyone actually starts picking your lock or starts tampering with your system, then it's time to have a serious chat with people.

... And after all... It does make a fun electronics project, right? :)

 

-30-

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.