Simple LED WOW! Sign

This is a simple LED coloured WOW! sign - switchable between 6 colours, made with a 5v 5050 LED strip and some simple wiring.

3D Printer, Black and Clear PLA

Strip of 5v 5050 Multi Colour LEDs - about 0.33m or 10 LEDs

3x SPDT ON-OFF Miniature Slide Switch (Size: approx. 20 x 5.5 x 14mm)

6x M2.5 nuts and bolts

USB Cable

4x small lengths of wire

Wire cutters, Screw driver, Plastic glue, soldering iron

Print off the case front and back in black PLA (or any colour of your choice)

Print the letters out in clear PLA

Carefully glue the letters into the case - you can either glue them to the surface (using the pegs to help with positioning) or push the letters into the case so they are flush with the inside surface. It probably depends how acurate your printer is on which method you use. If you are pushing the letters into the case then cut off the spur holding the middle of the O, if you are surface mounting then this can be left.

Insert the 3 switches into the holes and use the M2.5 nuts and bolts to secure them in place.

Solder a small piece of wire connecting all 3 switches on the middle connector.

Using wire cutters, cut the end off the USB cable leaving the 'A' end. We only require the 5v power so cut away the data lines (usually green/white), leaving only the black and red wires. Strip these back and tin them with solder.

Insert the cable into the hole on the case back and tie a knot into the cable to prevent it from being pulled out, with enough slack to reach the switches. If you have a thick USB cable, make sure the knot is tight enought to fit inside the case - there is not a lot of room.

Solder the ground (Black) wire to the wire connecting the 3 middle switch poles.

Your LED strip should be about 33cm long and contain 10 LEDs. If you are cutting a longer strip - remember to cut only at the marked areas; on the solder pads.

Stick the strip into the case so that there are 4 LED along the top and bottom and 1 on each side. I started and finished at the exclamation point as this is where the USB cable enters the case.

Cut, strip and tin 3 small lengths of wire, then solder one onto each switch. These will be the Red, Green and Blue connections.

Solder the other ends of the wires to a corresponding pad on the LED strip. It doesnt matter along the strip where you solder these, as long as you connect to the correctly marked pad.

Carefully contain the wires inside the case and close up the back.

Plug into a USB power source and using the switches on the back, you can control the Red, Green and Blue lines to make combinations of these colours.

:)

Happy days.