The Danglepoise

Impressive writeup! I remember adjustable lights from my grandparents’ house, where they used a coiled power cable (similar to a telephone cable) and a ratcheting rope. To lower the light, you pulled down, and to raise it, you pulled down slightly and then let it go up to the desired position, where you’d pull it down again. Similar to a blinds mechanism.

To be totally honest, I suspect some physical mechanism would probably have better functionality (less noise, more precise adjustability, less power consumption) than the motor solution. But of course I understand the instinct to (over-)complicate things.