Edge Lit Displays

Step 2 Materials And Tools

Skills Needed:

• You should be able to wire an LED to light up and not burn out.
• You should be able to use a rotary tool with some precision without causing irreparable damage to yourself or others.

Materials and Tools:

• Clear plastic. I recommend this polyester sheeting from McMaster-Carr. (Thanks EMSL!) CD cases will also work, but they tend to chip and crack.
• LED(s) 3mm or 5mm, any color, though the brighter (more mcd) the better. The white one used in this tutorial is a 6000 mcd 3mm.
• Power source for LED. If you don't know how to power an LED use this calculator to find out. You can also use a CR2032 button battery.
• Rotary tool A Dremel or similar with a fine grinding bit to carve or etch your plastic. A needle or craft knife will work in a pinch. If you're using acrylic you can laser etch, but the polyester sheets will just melt. CNC mill would probably work great.
• Craft Scissors (aka: Not the good scissors) To cut the clear plastic. A saw, hobby knife, or rotary cutoff disc can work too. (Don't use scissors on CD cases or other acrylic, or it will crack.)
• Aluminum tape Usually sold in the hardware store in the HVAC department to seal ducting. You can also use plain black electrical tape, but your display will be dimmer.
• Safety equipment. Yeah, I know, it's no fun, but eye protection is a must when using power tools. And I recommend a breathing mask too.

Time:

• About 10-30 minutes, depending on your tools, materials, and the complexity of your design.

Comments

[Nirzaree]

Wonderful i'ble!

I just had a query about the engraving tool. There is a special tool by dremel called the 'engraver'. does it work on acrylic?

I dont have the rotary tool by dremel either.. So planning to buy the right tool..
Kindly comment on what tool should work well...

Thnx!

[Grathio]

Engraving tools have diamond tips so they will very definitely scratch acrylic. It will work, but they don't go very deep so you won't get a very bright image.

[Nirzaree]

ok.. so I guess I would bettr get a rotary tool..  as I would definitely want some deeper engraving.. 

[vigilantice]

Does the material being edge-lit have to be clear? Could I, for example, make a pair of edge-lit sunglasses?

[Grathio]

It depends on the design of the sun glasses.  It doesn't have to be clear, it can be colored, like this. If it's opaque (like this) it won't work.

[jeff-o]

Yep, a Dremel will work great for this! You can use different bits depending on the complexity of the design - small bits for the fine features, and a large bit for the bigger sections. It helps speed up the process.

[legless]

gotta love the Dremel