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Step 2Cut your acrylic
I started the project at the hardest part - figuring out how to create over 1,100 holes in two layers of acrylic. I used a waterjet, but it can be done by hand if need be.
The Giant Lite Brite has three total layers of acrylic inside. The first and second layers have holes cut in them and are spaced 1 inch apart from each other. The third layer of acrylic is just a solid sheet which acts a backer board to stop the pegs from pushed in too far.
The first layer of acrylic is black, and guides the peg into place. The second layer is clear, so that light can pass through it, and is an exact copy of the front layer, just set back a bit so that it can lock the back of the peg into place on each and every hole.
That means you've got to find some way to cut all those uniform holes in two sheets of acrylic so that they line up perfectly. Stack the sheets if you can, and gain access to a CNC router, large bed laser cutter, or waterjet if possible. The holes could be drilled by hand, but be prepared to drill for a while.
I cut the acrylic on the Squid Labs' waterjet. I drew a circle that was just slightly larger then my 1/2" acrylic rod in the waterjet software, set a cut quality of 2 (below normal so it would go faster) and then used the Copy & Nest function of the software to lay out a grid of 37 x 30 circles. While I was at it, I loaded a .dxf version of the Instructables logo into the software to put at the top of the Lite Brite.
Leave the paper on the black sheet acrylic so the shiny top side doesn't get all scratched up with garnet as the waterjet cuts. You can take the protective paper on the other layers though, their surfaces don't matter as much since they are hidden inside the case.
Set the waterjet to start cuts using a low pressure pierce and tell the cut software that it's a brittle material. If you don't the acrylic will blow out and you won't have clean edges or a correctly cut part. Then, set up a movie, do some jumping jacks, or call your mother since the job runs for about 3.5 hours and should be ideally be babysat the whole time.
The Giant Lite Brite has three total layers of acrylic inside. The first and second layers have holes cut in them and are spaced 1 inch apart from each other. The third layer of acrylic is just a solid sheet which acts a backer board to stop the pegs from pushed in too far.
The first layer of acrylic is black, and guides the peg into place. The second layer is clear, so that light can pass through it, and is an exact copy of the front layer, just set back a bit so that it can lock the back of the peg into place on each and every hole.
That means you've got to find some way to cut all those uniform holes in two sheets of acrylic so that they line up perfectly. Stack the sheets if you can, and gain access to a CNC router, large bed laser cutter, or waterjet if possible. The holes could be drilled by hand, but be prepared to drill for a while.
I cut the acrylic on the Squid Labs' waterjet. I drew a circle that was just slightly larger then my 1/2" acrylic rod in the waterjet software, set a cut quality of 2 (below normal so it would go faster) and then used the Copy & Nest function of the software to lay out a grid of 37 x 30 circles. While I was at it, I loaded a .dxf version of the Instructables logo into the software to put at the top of the Lite Brite.
Leave the paper on the black sheet acrylic so the shiny top side doesn't get all scratched up with garnet as the waterjet cuts. You can take the protective paper on the other layers though, their surfaces don't matter as much since they are hidden inside the case.
Set the waterjet to start cuts using a low pressure pierce and tell the cut software that it's a brittle material. If you don't the acrylic will blow out and you won't have clean edges or a correctly cut part. Then, set up a movie, do some jumping jacks, or call your mother since the job runs for about 3.5 hours and should be ideally be babysat the whole time.
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