illuminated color changing Band Sign build thread

[clearerphish]

That thing really works well! Hard to believe you built that for what you did. I know there was a lotta labor in it, but still. If you could figure out how to get rid of a lot of that time, you could probably sell those things all day long.

one of my friends just asked me for a price for one for his studio, lol.

 

[Alfang]

Maybe i missed it, what does it say, or what language is that and what does it say?

 

[Cagey]

Just go back up to the top of the thread and follow it down. He shows how he built it, then how it works. It's pretty snazzy.

 

[clearerphish]

Maybe i missed it, what does it say, or what language is that and what does it say?

http://youtu.be/ZBHaCZOLXug

 

[clearerphish]

I made a sign for our merch table out of the few remaining LED sections I had left (3 sections of 3 on each side for a total of 36 LEDs in this). I basically converted an IKEA 8x10 frame into the sign.

I went to office depot and had the image printed on a transparency, then taped it to the frame glass with electrical tape on the borders. I put the LEDs on the underside of the black border pointing down, then I skinned the rear of the picture with a piece of the same material I used for the background of the original sign. I ordered a new power supply and remote. I won't be able to light the sign up until they get here, but not only will it work, it will have all the same capabilities of the main sign as far as colors and scenes. Plus it will look very similar since the transparency allows the words to "float" roughly an inch above the background

Total cost of this project was $10 since I only had to buy the power supply/remote and have the transparencies made. I had everything else left over from the main sign. I've also ordered battery packs to run the main sign and this sign on AA batteries. Those were $3 each.

 

[clearerphish]

 

[CarrollMccarthy]

OK, so I guess Off Topic is as good a place as any for this thread. It'll be a little involved. I know you guys like that.

So we keep bending our heads around low cost high impact things to add to the stage and do to up our game so to speak. I had the idea to make us a kind of lit up sign. This idea started out kind of amorphous and I had the idea to use El-wire. At the very least, I thought I could make a small sign to put on a guitar stand on the stage lip to help ppl remember who we were.

I started looking on ebay for el wire and non-traditional lighting options. One day the heavens opened up and I stumbled on a link for these:

And right off the rip the idea evolved. This is RGB led light that color mixes. It even has adhesive backing. Ideas started FLYING now. I placed my order and started drawing plans.

I wanted the sign to be as large as possible, but I also wanted to be able to transport it in my car without having to buy a pickup or hatchback. I decided on the dimensions of 5' x 1.5' and to make it simply our band's name (Gnomonaut, by the way, stream our music at gnomonaut.com) in our "signature font". I manage a construction printing shop, so I made a blueprint:

At this point I had a general idea in the direction I wanted to go, so I headed to home depot. Got some 1x2s and found a nice piece of bathroom wall board for the background. Had to buy a set of tin snips to cut the wall board into manageable chunks in the parking lot of home depot. Then home to cut two pieces at 60"x18" and cut the pine 1x2s with a jigsaw to make the frame. Here's a mockup:

I selected the background material because it was thick, rigid, and lustrous without being reflective. You see, my idea is to create a glow with the LEDs so the background needs to diffuse the light. You can see how perfect this material is for this:

more to come...

Very nicely managed thread.. The information will surely help me a lot.. Thanks again

 

[clearerphish]

We're now talking about making an 18" stonehenge piece for the top of one of our amps...

Don't touch it. Don't even look at it.​

 

[Cagey]

Hey! Finally got your Stonehenge! Pretty cool!

For your next trick, perhaps some recreations of the Moai on Easter Island...

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Hey! Finally got your Stonehenge! Pretty cool!

For your next trick, perhaps some recreations of the Moai on Easter Island...

You do realize stonehenge are just the toes of the Moai.... :laughing7:

 

[clearerphish]

I had not seen that image before - that's GREAT. We will not have a moai unless there's some sort of infantile Spinal Tap reference to go along with it. That's how we roll.

 

[Cagey]

We will not have a moai unless there's some sort of infantile Spinal Tap reference to go along with it.

I agree 100%. Gotta be inside.

 

[Dan025]

I can put this thing on top of my egnater renegade head and even though all my solder points are unshielded and whatnot there is no electrical noise at all. Line6man, you should do a google search for "Total Control Lighting". In essence, each LED becomes a pixel and you can do amazing things with a computer...

those strips are a little different from yours but not too expensive either. they have micro controllers on every led strip and can be controlled with commands from a serial port or another micro controler. i have a 1meter radio shack set that i may decorate my car interior with.