Modifying and Enhancing a
Ikea Malm Bedframe
design project
Ikea Products used
- Malm Series High Bedframe
- Malm Headboard Extension with Sliding Storage Karts
- (2) Alang Series Table Lamps
Design goals
- Fasten table top lamps to the headboard to prevent them from moving around
- Hide table lamp base and power cord for a more streamlined look
- Provide a new way to switch the lamps on/off that is more accessible than reaching inside the lamp shade
- Create a cable management system to get phone charging cables off the ground
- Incorporate LED light strips into the bed frame for use as a nightlight
- Ensure light switches and charging cables are easy to find in the dark or without looking
- Avoid drilling holes or making major visible modifications to the furniture for the charging cable system since it may not be needed in a few years as wireless charging becomes more widespread
- Keep project costs low and utilize repurposed materials
Construction
Lamp Modifications
- Lamp was affixed to the headboard with the pole running through the wood and the base plate underneath
- Keeps the lamps in the correct spot and hides the base and power cord for a cleaner look
Mistakes and new features
- Mistakenly drilled holes for the lamps too far back and had to drill a second hole on each side
- Luckily chapstick tubes were the same diameter as the lamp poles and fit perfectly to create a new useful feature
Central Control Buttons
- Three spring loaded push button switches were added to control the lamps and bed frame lighting
- The central location is within reach from either side of bed and raised buttons are easy to locate in the dark
Electrical Components
- Utilized a 12Vdc power supply to power the bedframe LEDs and to engage relay coils
- Relays are soldered to a prototyping circuit board and arranged to keep 12Vdc and 120Vac wiring separated
- Central control buttons only receive 12Vdc power and are wired to the relay coils that control the 120Vac lamps
Charging Cable Spacers
- Added acrylic spacers between the headboard pieces to create a gap for two charging cables to pass through
- Acrylic needed to be thicker than the cable but thinner than the plug end to properly function
- Design allows for lateral movement of the cable and keeps the cable away from the sliding storage karts that go under the headboard
- This design avoids drilling or cutting into the visible edges of the headboard in anticipation of removing the system when wireless phone charging pads become the norm in the near future
Weighted Pulley System
A pulley repurposed from an old Bowflex machine is used to add weight the charging cable, making it retract
A guardrail was added below the pulley to keep the sliding storage karts that go under the headboard away from the cable system
- Original concept had wheels on the pulley that rode up and down the headboard wall but proved to be too heavy, too noisy and the top-heavy pulley was prone to flipping upside-down when not held upright by the cable
- System was improved by removing extra weight from the pulley and cutting a slot in the guardrail for the pulley to rest in when fully retracted and not held upright by the cable
- With the pulley held upright by the guardrail slot the cable could now go slack without the pulley flipping over. This slack allows the first few inches of cable to extend without feeling the weight of the pulley, meaning the cable can reach a phone resting on the headboard without pulling it back
- Pulley was surrounded with foam to reduce noise and soften contact with the guardrail
BedFrame LED lighting
- Added adhesive-backed RGB LED strips to the underside of the bedframe on both side rails
- LED control box allows a remote control to change the color, pattern, speed, and brightness of the LEDs
