LED Light Box

In this instructable, we're going to go through the process and steps of building an LED lightbox. This instructable will show you how to design your acrylic design to engrave it, how to create your 3D box so you can print it out, how to do the electronics and wiring, and the assembly of the whole thing.

Materials

• 12"x12" 1/8" Transparent Acrylic Sheets (I used florescent) - $4.59

Equipment

• Laser (I used a Fusion edge epilogue laser 70watt) 24"x36"
• 3-D printer (I used a CR10s pro)
• A 3-D design program
• CNC machine

Acrylic design template Acrylic design symbols Acrylic design quote

This part of the project includes engraving, and tracing of the acrylic designs. To start off, you need to open google draw with the template provided. Attached link above. Choose an SVG Image that is simple to trace. Not many lines or infills. COPY the image and paste it into google draw. You may use more than one image. Infill %80 of the open design space for the best look. Use the curved line tool to trace the image. Fill in tracing with Black and white (White is left clear, Black is shaded). Practice and get used to tracing (Best with mouse). There is no need to trace letters if you find the right font and size. Delete the imported SVG image and border of the given design. Acrylic sheets cost $4.59 from estreet plastics. If willing to buy in bulk, there is a %15 discount for the purchase of 51 sheets. Acrylic sheet used is 12"x12", 1/8" thick and transparent

Light Box Instructions

When making the light Box, there are many steps. You'll have to use a 3D design program like Tinkercad to be able to design your box. The measurements of the box are 40mm by 120mm by 31.5mm. The width of the walls has to be 1.5 mm on all sides. The measurements for all the pieces are in the pictures.

You're going to have to use a program to create and arrange the circuit diagram the way you want it. I used the Circuit Diagram Web Editor to make mine. You can use any program you feel is best for you. You'll need to include the basic components of a circuit. This type of circuit is a parallel circuit. To connect all the wiring for your box, you will need to use a solder rework station. You'll solder all the wiring together. If you haven't soldered before, you should inform yourself of the safety procedures and how to properly do it.

After you have printed your box and lid, laser engraved and cut your acrylic, wired together and soldered, you can finally assemble your light box. You'll want to superglue your LED lights on the sleeve that holds your acrylic that's inside your box, so they don't move around. You'll also want to hot glue your acrylic in place, so it doesn't fall out. After all of this, you have finished making your LED light box.