Edge Lit LED Sign (Updated 3/31/09)

by Rob K

15K2112

Intro: Edge Lit LED Sign (Updated 3/31/09)

This is a Christmas gift to my dad for his shop.
He repairs airless paint sprayers.

Sign is 9" x 24" letters are 2" tall. There are 30 13,000MCD LEDs spaced 1.5" apart from each other. It took around 2.5 hours to engrave and another hour to drill and solder the LEDs in groups of 3 and glue them in. LEDs draw a total of around +/-180ma at 12 volts

If you live in or near the St. Louis, MO St. Charles, MO area and own or know someone who owns a paint sprayer look us up.
Pumpdoctor Airless Repair(Closed as of MAY09)

12 Comments

dry5 14 years ago

 Very nice job with the sign, it is easily the best one I have seen. I too am wanting to build one of my own, and was wondering if you could give a bit more details on how you wires the LEDS in groups of three with a resistor, and how you had a positive and negative loop going around the plexiglass. It seems like a good idea, but I am having a hard time imagining how it would have worked. 
Also, the frame is beautiful. Is there anywhere you could point me on how to make a similar one?
Thanks for the help!

zorif 14 years ago

Good one.
Those LED's are really bright.from where did you bought them.
any online shop?

xxmdwxx63 14 years ago

Signs like yours and that infamous dragon door inspired me to engrave something of my own. It is a 20" x 24" football helmet of my college. I am now starting on wiring up the LEDs. Needless to say, I am quite lost! I've visited numerous sites, including the calculators that have laid out the wiring design and resistors i need. With no electrical knowledge, Im just sorta confused on how to connect the top and bottom rows of LEDs so that they are all in parallel. Any help you could give would be awesome! Thanks!

Rob K 14 years ago

I did it as two loops for positive and negative around the edge. It was 10 sets of 3 LEDs and a resistor. Depending on how many LEDs you are going to use just add/ remove more sets.

LastDevil 15 years ago

you should make yourself some money and sell it as a kit if they tell you what lettering they want on the board first then just supply the led's and stuff..... alot will buy it i know i would good going bud

Rob K 15 years ago

Thanks Commercially made edge lit signs are too expensive. This was a fairly cheap build at around $35 and left me with enough extra plastic to make another sign. $15 plastic. $10 LEDs $8 for the wood for the frame.

LastDevil 15 years ago

well i agree with that ;), you can get cheaper led's from china in bulk of 100-1000 i paid £18 for 1000 and at the time when i got them it was around $9. i'll have a look it the guy is still a member on ebay and i'll get back to you if you want?

layoric 15 years ago

OK, so what's the materials?

Rob K 15 years ago

The plastic is 1/8 thick acrylic and the wood frame is made out of aspen. The thin stuff that is at home improvement stores for doing trim work.

layoric 15 years ago

What was used to engrave it?

Rob K 15 years ago

Think it was a #107 Dremel engraving bit.