Some weeks ago a friends of mine who is a talented cartoonist (tinoshi.com) told me he was looking for a lightbox for tracing his cartoons. So I have built it for him from recycled materials I already had. I decided to make it with a lcd screen because some of them (I think the older ones) are backlit with a strong plexiglass made to redirect the light from the edges toward the user. A 17"one works for an A4 page.
this is what I've used.

Material:
-old lcd display;
-led stripe;
-switch;
-power supply with connectors;
-white paper;
-3mm plywood;-10×10×1500mm lath;
-brass screws;
-brass wire;
-some little piece of plexiglass.

Tools:
-some kind of saw. I have used a band saw and a buzz saw;
-soldering iron;
-drill;
-screwdrivers.

Step 1: The Shell

Here is not too much to explain. simply consider the dimensions of the plexiglass and a little space for the led stripe and the connector.
Considering that the led stripe is 10mm tall, so are the sorrounding pieces where it will be stuck.

Step 2: Wiring

This is simple too... drill the hole for the connector and solder wires. then stick the led stripe around.

Step 3: Plexiglass

For first put a sheet of white paper on the bottom. Then put the plexiglass (taken from the broken lcd display), that must be supported to reach the right height. I did that attaching small pieces of plexiglass on the bottom with loctite. I've put them on the edges, so they remain hidden under the wood of the next step.

Step 4: Upper Frame

In this step you have to build a frame that blocks everything in place. Drill a hole in it for the switch (glued).

Step 5: Da Da!!

here we are... a coat of paint ( I choose a dark wood one and then a lucid varnish), some brass details and it's done. They sells plastic lightboxes for 140$, this is my 2€ ( a bit) steampunk one. Even my son liked it while making quality control!