Edge Lit Acrylic LED Sign Using Arduino

Another day, another supercool DIY gifting idea! This time, instead of dancing words, we’re going to have words that are going to be totally lit (pun intended)! The DIY Smartphone-controlled LED edge-lit acrylic sign is yet another innovatively unique and personalized gift; not only a gift, but it can also be a beautiful home decor item! You’ll need an acrylic sheet, a stand to hold it, a prototyping board such as the Arduino Nano, a Smartphone with Dabble installed in it, and, as before, loads of DIYing!

You can download Dabble from Google Play.

Lighting up in 3… 2… 1… NOW!

Step 1: Components Needed

Hardware

• Arduino Nano
• Acrylic Sheet
• HC05 Bluetooth Module
• Multicolor RGB LED Strip
• Battery
• Jumper Cables

Software

• Dabble
• Arduino IDE

Step 2: 3D Printed or Acrylic Cutout

We have made a 3D Printed holder onto which we will fix the acrylic sheet as well as the hollow part underneath will hold the entire assembly.

Also, you will need a clear transparent acrylic sheet with the message or image you want, itched on it.

You can download the STL file of the holder from here.

Step 3: Placing the RGB LED Strip

Take the RGB Strip and cut it in the size of the Holder. And solder the jumper cables to it.

Slide the RGB LED strip into the holder and pass the wires through the hole given.

Step 4: Making the Connections

Connection the RGB LED strip, HC05 Bluetooth Module, and Battery as given below:

Bluetooth:

• 5V: 5v of Nano
• GND: GND of Nano
• Tx: Rx of Nano
• Rx: Tx of Nano

RGB strip:

• Vcc: D5 of Nano
• Din: D6 of Nano
• GND: GND of Nano

Battery:

• Positive: Vin of Nano
• Negative: GND of Nano

Step 5: Placing the Circuit in the Box

Now, take the entire circuit and place it into the hollow space given in the holder.

Step 6: Placing the Acrylic Sheet

Take the acrylic sheet you and slide it into the holder.

Step 7: Code

Upload the following Arduino code to Arduino Nano:

Also, if you need to control the brightness of the RGB, upload the code given here.

Step 8: Working

Due to the transparency of the acrylic sheet, the light from the RGB strip will be scattered, thus giving it the holographic effect.

You can control the colors or patterns of the RGB strip using your Smartphone. How? Follow the steps below:

• Install Dabble in your Smartphone.
• Open the app.
• Pair it with Nano.
• Choose Gamepad module.

The following characteristics have been assigned to the different buttons of the Gamepad module.

Left Button: All the colors or pattern in this set follow the Color Wipe effect.

• UP: Red
• Down: Green
• Left: Blue
• Right: Rainbow

Right Buttons: All the colors or pattern in this set will follow theTheater Chase effect.

• Triangle: Purple
• Cross: Pink
• Square: White
• Circle: Rainbow

NOTE: You can also try controlling the Brightness of the Strip by choosing the LED Brightness Control Module.

Step 9: Conclusion

With this, your DIY Smartphone-controlled is all set to add colorful light to your life!