Lightbox Idea

[Threenero]

I recently bought a job lot of snapframes at a local auction and noticed the opaque backs would be perfect for making them into light boxes.
Due to the way i have to hang my frames (attic room) they need to be light weight and low profile.

I saw these LED's on the bay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12v-LED-STRIP-LIGHT-3528-SMD-300-LEDS-5M-UK-/320681128958?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Night_Lights_Fairy_Lights&var=&hash=item4aaa15b3fe

they look like they might be perfect for the job, but i'm not sure if they would be bright enough

Has anyone on here build a light box using LEDs yet?
and which white would be best, Neutral, cool or warm ?

[Ari]

Someone here has a step by step instruction on building a lightbox.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

yuneed flourescent lights for the lightbox to work well
one to teh left, one to the right, mirrored backing on the back of the panel surface

[Threenero]

Building it is no problem, i have access to large machines  
Just wondering about the LEDs
I've never used those strips and i'm not sure they are as bright as flouro-tubes

Can't use tubes because the boxes would be to deep (head smack) and to heavy to hang at an angle

[holiday]

They might work, but the problem is that if the poster is too close to the light source, the light source will burn through the image.  I found that regardless of the light source, there needs to be about 4" between it and the poster to avoid the burnthrough, and even then with black posters it remains somewhat of a problem.

H

Building it is no problem, i have access to large machines  
Just wondering about the LEDs
I've never used those strips and i'm not sure they are as bright as flouro-tubes

Can't use tubes because the boxes would be to deep (head smack) and to heavy to hang at an angle

[Matt]

Ventilation is the key here. Lots of small holes top and bottom in the frame.
You need somewhere for the heat to escape.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

that's an interesting wall for display

[ddilts399]

Yeah, look on avsforum, there were some built with led strips that looked good and have an even light output, actually looked better than the fluorescent bulb setups.

[Threenero]

that's an interesting wall for display

As soon as i get a frame big enough for an Italian 2 sheet those two are come down. It's really nerve racking hanging that much glass at that angle and they are both above a stair case, so it involves some makeshift scaffolding and a bit of a balancing act to get them up (or down). eventually i want to get rid of the glass frames and replace them with the plastic fronted snapframes. At the moment all my posters have to hang that way so a heavy light box would be a nightmare and probably impossible to hang that way.

I did look into electroluminescent sheets which would be perfect for the job but at the size i need you're talking around 300-400 per frame. 

[Threenero]

Yeah, look on avsforum, there were some built with led strips that looked good and have an even light output, actually looked better than the fluorescent bulb setups.

Sounds good, but i don't know this avsforum you speak of.
Can you add a link?

[jayn_j]

This is one place where I disagree with both Rich and Holiday.  LEDs can be made to work well.  You just need to use the strip lighting sold on ebay instead of the more common rope light.  The LED lighting does not get hot to the touch and the only thing you need to do is to place it far enough back that it doesn't hotspot on the poster.  I built my lightbox using the Spotlight Display frames and 1x2 pine behind it.  It sits closer to the wall and still looks good.

Here is the pointer to the AVS forum thread  http://www.avsforum.com/t/1392444/another-diy-poster-marquee-light-box

Note that I contributed heavily to this thread and you can see the construction details of my frame there.  I have since modified my frame to use the led strip lighting and have abandoned the rope light.  Other than that, the design is as described in that thread.

[stewart boyle]

What a fascinating insight into the mind of an Engineer,Great link Jayn.

Stew

[Zorba]

What a fascinating insight into the mind of an Engineer,Great link Jayn.

Stew

Cool stuff.

[brude]

Ditto.

[Threenero]

Excellent link  

It answers all my questions and the plans that are currently stuck in my head will work 

Now all i have to figure out is how i'm going to hang them 

[jayn_j]

Excellent link  

It answers all my questions and the plans that are currently stuck in my head will work  

Now all i have to figure out is how i'm going to hang them  

TY.

Hanging can be the simplest thing, or as complicated as you want to make it.  If you just let the cord hang, you can just sink a pair of wall anchors.  Drill holes in the particle board and screw it on using a couple of fender washers.

It gets complicated when you want to hide the cord.  You need to get an outlet up the wall behind the poster.  The easiest way is to position above an existing outlet box.  Use 14/2 romex from the existing box to the new box and add an outlet and cover.  This will work best if you use a recessed outlet like this one
http://www.lowes.com/pd_337010-334-TR780W-SP-L_4294722477__?productId=3384434&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1
That allows you to hang tight against the wall.

It gets really complicated if you don't have an outlet below the frame you can tap into.  In most cases, you need to open up the drywall and run wires through the studs.  Messy, and time consuming. If you have furniture near the floor though and can hide a lateral wire, you can use something called a power bridge.  A power bridge is basically an extension cord that is legal to run inside a wall.  You place two outlet boxes, one near the floor and one behind the frame.  The higher one gets the recessed outlet like shown above.  The bottom one gets a male plug that you can plug into a common extension cord.  The good news is that these have become popular for flat screen TVs these days, so kits are available like this one:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=105&cp_id=10425&cs_id=1042513&p_id=4652&seq=1&format=2

And Stew thought my last post was nerdy.  Take that  

(Incidentally, I just let my cords hang down)

[Threenero]

Thanks again
but there will be no leads needed to power my boxes
Planning on installing a rechargeable 12 battery to run the LEDs
It's the same system we use in some architectural display models and also similar to the emergency exit signs you see in public buildings.

the house i'm in is nearly 100 years old so messing with the walls and power lines is not going to do anyone any good 

[50s]

I think those clunky thick lightboxes will be superceded by new flat light emitting sheets. They are less than one mm thick! (not much more than a hair thick):

[Undead]

I actually have a bunch of these sheets in hand and have thought of the same idea. Early experimenting with them tells me that they are not really ready for this application just yet unless you are willing to shell out some big money on the panels for the best and brightest, they actually come in unofficial grades.

The images below are two sets of side by sides one in higher but not bright office light type levels, next moderate/normal lighting levels for most homes and the last is lights off. Left side is panel turned off, the right is panel turned on. The light panel used is a standard brightness white light on, pink off panel that is an A3 or roughly 11x17. As you can see they light up ok but unless you are in pretty low level lighting they do not really offer a lot of light. My camera actually makes them appear brighter than they are. You would also need to get the higher end true white on/off panels as opposed to the one I used otherwise even though it looks white to a camera it is actually going to add a blue tinge to what is being lighted. In this case the poster is mostly blue where I was lighting it so it did not matter. Prices are also very high for the time being for a panel large enough for a one sheet poster. If you order them one at a time the good ones will run you $300+ per panel for an A1 size panel, less if you can order in bulk of say 25-50 per order. The plus is that they do not generate much heat. They say they don't but they do but the temperature increase is so small it is not an issue, not even enough to warm themselves beyond a slight increase above room temperature at most. The negative is I have no idea what effect they may have on a poster over time. I would assume that it would not be as bad as other lights but I do not know what type of radiation these put out or if it would be harmful over a number of years. I do in the future agree that these will be cheaper, better and the way to go.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

yep..
uses less electricity and it mounts like wall paper
eventually they'll be making computer screens from similar material and that's when your walls will be able to be used as tv's, room-to-room contact, telephone calls.. Soylent Green death chambers.. this stuff is it

I think those clunky thick lightboxes will be superceded by new flat light emitting sheets. They are less than one mm thick! (not much more than a hair thick):

[50s]

Thanks Undead for sharing your investigations. I assume that was a double sided poster? Not that I know much about them or have any. Lets hope the technology improves soon to up the lumens

[Undead]

No problem. Yes the poster is double sided one of the very few I own as well. I am waiting for them to get brighter and more affordable in larger sizes as well.

[erik1925]

Great info and test photos, Undead.