Introduction: Customizable Remote Controlled Lamp
This is a terrific lamp that will surely compliment any room. This awesome lamp can change color with the aid of its remote control. Also the remote can adjust its brightness. The style can be customized with 3 different included designs or you can create your own design! Not only does it look great, but it also is easy to make.
Step 1: Supplies
To make this lamp you will need:
An 7in. by 7in. piece of 3/4 in. Plywood
A Plastic Lightbulb Socket
Two 3/4 inch-long Wood Screws
A Drill
3/4 inch-diameter Drill Bit
5 Sheets of Colored Card Stock (any color)
Color Changing LED Lightbulb (with remote)
Five 7in by 7in square pieces of Acrylic Sheet (You may need to buy one big sheet and cut it up into 5 smaller ones)
Step 2: Making the Lamp Base
Start off by using the drill and drill bit to make a hole that goes directly through the center of your plywood. Next, attach one self-adhesive rubber foot to each of the four corners of the plywood. This will raise it up just enough for the wire to fit under the bottom. Now take the lamp cord and pull the open end (the end that doesn't go into an outlet) up through the hole in the plywood. The rubber feet should be on the bottom and the wire should coming out through the top. Next, attach the wire to the lightbulb socket and screw the socket to the plywood (see photos). Don't forget to screw in the lightbulb!
Step 3: Making the Lampshade
Before assembling the lampshade, you will need to make sure you have removed all of the protective backing from your acrylic sheets.
The best way to form the acrylic sheets into a cube is to start by holding two sheets on either side of something in your house that has a 90 degree corner and tape the sheets together. For example, the outside corner of most walls usually have a sharp 90 degree corner that would work well for this. Once you have taped two or three pieces together using this method, the cube should be able to stand on its own by now, making it easier to do the rest by hand (or without the wall method). After it is able to stand on its own, complete the cube by adding the other acrylic sheets to finish all sides of the cube (except the bottom). Refer to the photos to see how the tape should be placed.
Step 4: Creating the Design
To create the design you will first need to download the Doctor Who, Star Wars, or Avengers Silhouette Studio file from this step (the choice is up to you). After you have downloaded it, you will then need to insert a sheet of paper into your Silhouette machine and send the file to the machine. It will cut out 1 design. Repeat this 3 more times so that you have a total of 4 pieces each with their own logo. You may discard the insides of the logo except the insides of the letters or other necessary parts. You will need them! Keep the inside of "D" for Doctor Who, and the inside of the "A"s and "R"s for Star Wars. Lastly use the "Blank Lampshade "Silhouette Studio file on your last sheet of paper. It will cut out a square with no design for the top of the cube.
The Silhouette file can easily be changed to numerous designs, you are not just limited to the 3 designs provided. The "Blank Lampshade" Silhouette Studio file can be used for making your own design instead of just for the top of the cube. If you know how to work with Silhouette Studio, you can make any design you want!
Step 5: Making the Cube Opaque
To make the cube opaque, apply strips of matte finish or "Scotch Magic Tape" to the outside of the cube, covering the areas where the logo cutouts will be.
Step 6: Applying the Design
Use a permanent glue stick to apply glue to the back side of one of your sheets with the cutout logo and apply it to the cube. Also, use your glue stick to apply glue to any other pieces, like the inside of letters. In my case I had to glue the inside of "D" on separately. Do this to all 4 sides of your cube. Then, once that is done, cover the top with the solid piece.
Step 7: Finishing
Now that you've successfully assembled your lamp shade, all that is left is placing it over the lamp base. Now whenever you turn on the lamp the light will shine through your design! If you used the suggested lightbulb you will be able to turn it on remotely and view it in a variety of different colors.