I love old derelict scanners. There's plenty of useful parts inside - shafts, belts, pulleys CCFLs, power supplies, glass etc.

This sign was made almost completely out of an old scanner - pulled from a Stanford dumpster on move out day.

I got a great compliment on this project - I was told that we'd have to get more nice things to go along with the sign. Amazing, as this thing is made from a derelict scanner,some scrap plastic, a bit of grubby scrap paper and hot glue.

Step 1: Parts

You'll need a few critical, equally important, items.

CCFL Bulb - preferably in it's holder assembly
CCFL inverter - will have some wire going in, and some high voltage wire going out (to the bulb)
Power Supply

Where to find?
The bulb will be on the scanner carrier along with the scanner CCD. It's likely to be in a plastic housing. The inverter will be close by too.

The power supply will be a little more tricky. You'll need to determine how much power your inverter requires. It may be printed on the inverter - or not. In this case, it was not. First, I tried 12 volts - any 12V source will work. This resulted in a half lit bulb - the center of which being dark. Then, I tried the 30V power supplied that came with the printer. Voila, it worked.

Step 2: Signage

You'll need your sign now. I'm using this uber cool part cut on a water jet. Behind it is a scrap of orange paper and a semi opaque white diffuser.

In order to get the full effect from the light, you'll need to have your sign raised away from the light source. I used a bit of scrap found in the dead scanner carcass.

Step 3: Solder

You'll need some power. So, solder some wire from your power supply to the power on the inverter. Usually, black is ground ;) Be sure to test your power supply for polarity. Feel free to rip some wire out of your dead scanner - you'll only need a few inches.

It's a good idea to encase your good solder joints with hot glue.

Step 4: Assembly

I used my favorite semi permanent, low operating temperature adhesive for this project. Hot Glue. First, glue your power supply to the scanner bulb assembly. Then, glue your sign risers to the bulb assembly.

Finally, glue your assembled sign to the risers.