/Engineering
Mini-Project - Edge-Lit Acrylic National Champions Sign
/Engineering
Overview
Some things I learned:
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Features and Function
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On/off toggle switch
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Push-button to change lighting mode
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Cordless (battery powered)
Parts list
Parts
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1/4" thick wood
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1/4" acrylic sheet
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WS2812 LED strip - 3 feet
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Arduino Uno
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6 AA batteries and battery holder
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Toggle switch
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Push-button
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Connector wire
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DC barrel jack connectors
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Wood glue
Tools
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Laser cutter
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Soldering iron
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Hot glue gun (this is essential)
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Wire cutters/strippers
Design
My main goal when designing this was to easily be able to swap out the rechargeable batteries. I decided to leave one wood panel easy to remove, and do the hard wiring on the other side. The on/off switch is glued on the right side, with fairly short wires running between it and the Arduino Uno. The wooden panel on the right is also glued in tightly.
I used hot glue to attach the LED strip to the acrylic piece - it barely worked, but with enough hot glue it stayed.
If I made this again I would use extruded acrylic so that the etching is nice and frosted instead of clear-ish like this piece. I would also use screws instead of glue, so that I could easily access the Arduino to reprogram it.
