My first edge lit sign

[doug king]

Well I got the bases in I order and I made my first sign.. I think that it turned out well. This is a 19.6 inch base with 26 LED's...... This base changes colors so I thought I would shoot a few pics and get your input...

Thoughts, comments, ideas, suggestions!

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[Don Necaise]

Doug

What kind of acylic did you use and where do you get the lights if I may ask. Thanks

[Cassondra Bennett]

These are awesome!!
Can I ask how this is done or is it a secret:confused:????

[doug king]

What kind of acylic did you use

I'm gonna show my ignorance here, I didn't know there was really different kinds! The images attached I used 1/8 inch clear acrylic. The ones I am making I am using 1/4 that fit into the base as designed.. You can see on the images a little piece on the bottom that has holes in it, that was a second 1/8 inch acrylic spacer I used to make it fit. In the production signs that piece isnt there so the whole front is clear.

No Secrets here.... I just made the artwork in Corel, then etched it on the acrylic, slid it in the base and viola it is done...

I posted the information about the base once before and it was removed so I think I broke a policy. I apologized via a report this post here on the forum so I am reluctant to post it again.. This forum is a great resource for me and I don't want to take advantage of it.

[Dan Hintz]

Most likely cast... it frosts quite well.

[doug king]

Made this one for my father for Christmas today...... This one is 1/4 inch...

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[Rodne Gold]

If you want the graphics to really stand out then use an outline around the lettering and graphic elements , not a hairline , but an outline that will raster , and make it raster a little deeper than the inside frosting..this will give you a halo of brighter light around the elements/letters and will make em more defined and give a quasi 3d effect.

[James Jaragosky]

I'm gonna show my ignorance here, I didn't know there was really different kinds! The images attached I used 1/8 inch clear acrylic. The ones I am making I am using 1/4 that fit into the base as designed.. You can see on the images a little piece on the bottom that has holes in it, that was a second 1/8 inch acrylic spacer I used to make it fit. In the production signs that piece isnt there so the whole front is clear.

No Secrets here.... I just made the artwork in Corel, then etched it on the acrylic, slid it in the base and viola it is done...

I posted the information about the base once before and it was removed so I think I broke a policy. I apologized via a report this post here on the forum so I am reluctant to post it again.. This forum is a great resource for me and I don't want to take advantage of it.
Did you post it as a link? I believe that you can post the name of the supplier without any problems.
I like your sign, I have made my own bases in the past. If I could buy them cheap enough I would not bother with all the hassle of making my own.
Jim J

[Dennis McGarry]

For the bases, I always just used the high brightness white leds or blue, 7000mcd and a small p/w supply gfor them.

Made one by hand for a mouse pad few years back. Figure total cost for the base was around 15 bucks for the leds, and p/s, why couldnt you do the same and just mount them in a wooden base, heck widden the base some and no need to us a p/s us batteries..

[doug king]

If you want the graphics to really stand out then use an outline around the lettering and graphic elements , not a hairline , but an outline that will raster , and make it raster a little deeper than the inside frosting..this will give you a halo of brighter light around the elements/letters and will make em more defined and give a quasi 3d effect.


Great feedback, that is the experience I have been looking for... I will try your idea on a sign I make tomorrow.

Doug

[Rodne Gold]

Some more tips
Instead of using a solid fill in the graphics , use shades of grey - different shades of grey will give different lighting effects.
Another tip to avoid light falloff to the top of the sign is to use a shade of grey and fade it - ie fade the graphic from top to bottom , top is solid and the bottom is a lighter shade ..this , with a bit of experimentation , will give an even light spread over the whole panel
Another tip is to buy some silver shiny vinyl and apply it to the exposed edges of the sign , this will reflect the light "leaking" out the edges back into the sign and give a brighter effect.
If you have a cnc router - you can get even better than lasered effects if you use a V cutter and engrave stuff on the perspex.
The thicker the perspex , the better the edge lit effect is
Polishing the edge that rests on the LEDS is also a good thing
Apart from that , have a look at your local aluminium supplier , they might have extruded profiles that you can use as bases for the whol bang shoot.
Also dont think just square is the only way to go , you can shape the top of the sign too - try to frost the shaping if you can or engrave a contour line that follows it so it "lights up"

[Dan Hintz]

Another tip to avoid light falloff to the top of the sign is to use a shade of grey and fade it - ie fade the graphic from top to bottom , top is solid and the bottom is a lighter shade ..this , with a bit of experimentation , will give an even light spread over the whole panel
And here I was thinking I was the only one who did that... ;)

[Mark Winlund]

I posted the information about the base once before and it was removed so I think I broke a policy. I apologized via a report this post here on the forum so I am reluctant to post it again.. This forum is a great resource for me and I don't want to take advantage of it.

When someone posts a supplier that everyone can use, it seems silly to me to ban such postings. What is this group for if not to help other engravers? It seems that the "moderating" is getting a little heavy handed lately.

Mark

[Doug Griffith]

I see no reason why we can't post links that help the community as long as they are relevant and not self-serving.

[Dan Hintz]

Mark/Doug,

I believe there were some other issues with that particular posting, so the link was removed. Most non self-serving links posted are not stripped unless absolutely necessary...

[matt heinzel]

I am very interested to know the supplier. I have been searching all day since I read the post. Any help would be appreciated!

[Stanley Waldrup]

I also would like to know where they can be picked up.
Stanley