Make Your Schools Noticeboard REALLY Noticable

Intro: Make Your Schools Noticeboard REALLY Noticable

Make a boring old noticeboard really eye catching at a cheap price.

One day, I was sitting in class, doing my work (cough, cough, talking, cough) and my science teacher called me outside. Bugger, I thought. But no, he actually wanted me to build him something. WTF!? My teacher wants me to make him something? What is the world coming to! But he explained that the school had a spare noticeboard. So he snatched it and made it the grade 9 noticeboard. But it sits in a dark corner, never looked at...until Da_Fudge got hold of a soldering iron and his teachers money! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So a quick trip to my nearest electronics supplier (Jaycar) got me a couple of neons, inverters, PSU's, a bunch of cable and a 555 flasher circuit.

Here I will show you how I did it, and hopefully win something in the 'Let It Glow' Contest!!! (Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink,)

STEP 1: Parts

For this Project you will need:

2 x 300mm CCFL's
2 x 300mm CCFL inverters
1 x PSU capable of driving your neons
Misc Hardware

Optional: Flashing Circuitry
I used a 555 timer, 2 capacitors, 2 resistors, a diode and a relay.

Hey, just got a new camera. Do you think the macro function is working O.K?

STEP 2: Tools

Tools required:

Soldering station (iron will do)
Side cutters
Solder
Tape

STEP 3: Construction

First, I decided to test CCFL's by themselves off a 12V SLA. My eyes still hurt. OK. So we know they work.

Next, I built up the flasher circuit. I meant to build it on breadboard, but I forgot to get some while I was at Jaycar. Dead Bug time!

Lay out your components in the position you will put them and solder the connections. Then hook up the little power harnesses that come with the inverters. Hook your neons to the inverter and fire it up.

Here is one of my tests.

STEP 4: Installation

Now it's time to take it back to school and hook it all up.

This took me about half an hour to do.

And there we go!!! Remember, if you liked it, don't forget to vote!!! I've never won anything before!!!

Here is a video of it finished and installed. (sorry about the crap quality, I recorded it on my phone.)

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[ElectronMad]

kOOL DUDE I AM ALSO IN AUS and i also go to Jaycar, So which led rod is it exactly? And you could also go to Altronics, its really good store fro electronics

[bumpus]

its a marque, not necessarily a noticeboard

[Da_Fudge]

Oh. I'm in Australia and here we call 'em noticeboards.

[davidprosser]

Yeh they're called noticeboards in the UK too ;)

[thermoelectric]

Yea

[icanryme2002]

i dont know where ur from but a marque is the sign above a theatre that scrolls through whats playing and whos in it.

[thermoelectric]

Cairns rules (well all of Australia rules but...)

[=SMART=]

i need something like this , i need a component that alternates power between 2 sets of led's what is the thing that switches the current called???

[Da_Fudge]

it's called a relay. If you want, PM me and i'll sent you a circuit diagram.

[=SMART=]

ohhh ok thanks im gonna go to the store and get one tommorow :D

[thermoelectric]

Go Australia Aussie Aussie Aussie

[RockmanAU]

Good Work Well Done

[Da_Fudge]

thanks. glad you liked it. Remember, when it comes to voting time, please put a vote in for me!!!

[tech-king]

good ible. was that your soldering iron in the picture though?

[Da_Fudge]

Yep. I have that iron, should I say station. I just grabbed the picture of Duratech's website, because mine's pretty bashed up.

[tech-king]

okay. i have a similar one. sadly, i dont have an pics of it already uploaded though. you can see it in the lower right of this picture though.

[Da_Fudge]

oh. looks identical to mine exept in black. where did you get yours? are you in australia?

[tech-king]

nope, not in AU. i got it at my local supplier

[Da_Fudge]

oh.

[Artificial Intelligence]

This looks really cool, but you should seriously consider using some transistors to avoid that clicking sound.