Stacked 1/4" MDF Base for LED sign

Ive only used clear and light it up with either colored LEDs or the way I just discovered…lol
The regular colored acrylic like red and green do not edge light the same as the white (clear) or fluorescent colors…I’ll take pics tomorrow to show you

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I buy the 12v 3528 strips and cut them down to about 10"…the 1A lights them up just fine. Dont know about other LED strips…

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I would have thought the fluorescent acrylics would be the most spectacular. No?

White (clear) and the fluorescent colors show best. Although the fluorescents dont even need LEDs to edge light…they can use the ambient light in the room to glow… :grin:
https://community.glowforge.com/uploads/short-url/zEl3cnrWt1jdqp1LQqEQKG8Icxh.jpg

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I think I have 5050’s, that might explain it. With a big 12V battery they sure are bright. I will have to get some 3528’s for desktop projects.

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They fit a 1/8" without modification. I also use 1/4" with an engrave on the bottom that matches the slot profile to thin it out just where it fits into the base. If you wanted to you could do a shallower engrave on both sides so the slot is centered in the material thickness but that would require you to make a quick jig to drop it into so when you flip it over it matches.

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I ordered 5 of them. No laser yet, but stocking up on a few items. Interested to see how they look. Price is good. Not expecting super quality at that price, just that they consistently work.

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They’re more than okay. It’s a simple black ABS plastic base with a battery compartment, switch and LED strip in the trough. You just have to live with the color du jour. I use another vendor for larger ones - but those cost me 5-10x as much. Civilians (non-laser maker types) ooh & ash - the LED refraction off the back etching is almost magic to them :grinning:

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cool, Did you use GlowForge ?

umm no…not a beta tester…Yet…
I have two Universal lasers

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If you like …I can do the sounds…I am told I have a grayt radio voice…Tenor I believe…lol
edit: meant that to be “Voice overs”

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As long as the only source of light passes through the colored acrylic, then it serves as a filter (ie - yes).

You have to pay attention to wavelengths when you work with something in this manner. The light source needs to emit the wavelength of the colored acrylic strip you want to pass through, or you will get nothing.

But… many colors we perceive are made of multiple wavelengths. Which is where you can make things pretty awesome. (at least, in pure theory land)

White light LEDs on the bottom, and then some acrylic embedded in acrylic (like the Glowforge flag on top of the model Space Needle) to set colored zones for edge lighting.

You can make the embedded strips of acrylic pretty thin so that they do not show up very well. Or even better make them part of the overall design. You can then even set up color zones within one another. Have an outer perimeter of cyan (aka - not red), and you can have two inner zones of green or blue.

Now… this is a “pure theoretical” setup. The transition between two sheets of acrylic may foul the ability to edge light past that point (too much light energy leaves the plane). Smoothing/bonding the transition with some acetone may help here. But it is likely impossible to prevent the same illumination you get from edge lighting from happening at the point of transition (which is why incorporating the colored sliver into the overall design is desirable)

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You are just too smart. Tone it down a bit so I don’t feel so dumb ;D

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Got a pretty good deal on 3528 strips. $6 for 16ft w/ connectors and prime shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HSF64JG/

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I get the same ones on Aliexpress for $2.29 ea. But it takes a couple weeks.

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Happy Cakeday @smcgathyfay! :smile:

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HappyCakeDay…mom…eeerrrr…@smcgathyfay 1

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Wow! That’s a great resource, thanks!

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I have been so annoyed with mos-fitting led bases that I might give this a try!

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