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Edge Lit Displays

by Grathio on June 8, 2010 Table of Contents Author: Grathio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: Edge Lit Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Credits And Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Materials And Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Make And Etch Your Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Shape And Apply Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Other Applications + Get A Patch! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 6 6 6

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

Author: Grathio

Author:

Grathio author's website Creative swashbuckler. Jack of all trades, master of a couple. If it involves computers, cooking, mechanical design, material science, electronics, photography or just about anything else I'm interested in it and learning more about how it works. I live in downtown San Francisco, make things for a living and have my laboratory in a walk-in closet, so you're not going to see projects from me that require lots of big tools. (Table saw? I wish.)

License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) Intro: Edge Lit Displays
Do you ever need a cheap, quick way to make an impressive display? Do ever want to show more than a blinking LED but want something easier to use than a LCD? Do you want to make light appear to hover in mid-air? Then give some thought to edge lighting. At the last Maker Faire I had a bunch of interactive gizmos for people to play with, but one question I was asked more than any other was "How did you make those displays?" On the Rock Paper Scissors Playing Glove one small display showed three different images and text while on the Secret Knock Detecting Gumball Machine the light just seemed to float in the clear plastic without an obvious source. The answer is edge lighting. Edge lighting exploits a fun property of light called internal reflection where light can get trapped inside a transparent material. It's the same concept that makes both a diamond sparkle and optical fibers work. But were going to use it to make light come out of a sheet of plastic. Simply put we shine a light in the edge* of a clear piece of plastic and etch it where we want the light to come out. With this simple, cheap method you can use a single LED to display words or images. Because it's etched into a transparent surface the images can seem to float in mid air or you can layer several of them to make a single display with more than one image or color. Keep reading to see how easy and quick it is to get this effect. *And thus the name "Edge Lighting"

Image Notes 1. A few people requested an "on" and "off" version to see the effect. Here are two photos both taken with the same camera settings and lighting. The one on top with the LED's list, the one on the bottom with them off.

step 1: Credits And Theory

Please check out all the annotations on the images. There is useful information in them. Credit: First I need to give credit where it's due. This idea is not new or original. At very least it was used in calculators in the 60's. I was turned on to it by the always creative Evil Mad Scientist Labs and their great Christmas cards. They also did the research and found great materials which make the whole process easier Theory: When light passes between two different materials (like plastic and air) at a very high angle it will get reflected back rather than passing through. You can see this in a glass of water. Look at it from above and you can see right through it. Looking at it almost edge on and it will be very reflective. This means that if we shine a light into the edge of clear plastic the light will bounce around inside until it finds a way out. By etching and/or carving the surface of the plastic we control where it escapes.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

Image Notes 1. If you look directly at something clear (like this glass of water) it will be almost completely transparent. 2. But if you look at it almost edge on youll see that its very reflective. This effect is what keeps the light inside of the edge-lit plastic until it reaches an etched area.

step 2: Materials And Tools

Skills Needed: You should be able to wire an LED to light up and not burn out. You should be able to use a rotary tool with some precision without causing irreparable damage to yourself or others. Materials and Tools: Clear plastic. I recommend this polyester sheeting from McMaster-Carr. (Thanks EMSL!) CD cases will also work, but they tend to chip and crack. LED(s) 3mm or 5mm, any color, though the brighter (more mcd) the better. The white one used in this tutorial is a 6000 mcd 3mm. Power source for LED. If you don't know how to power an LED use this calculator to find out. You can also use a CR2032 button battery. Rotary tool A Dremel or similar with a fine grinding bit to carve or etch your plastic. A needle or craft knife will work in a pinch. If you're using acrylic you can laser etch, but the polyester sheets will just melt. CNC mill would probably work great. Craft Scissors (aka: Not the good scissors) To cut the clear plastic. A saw, hobby knife, or rotary cutoff disc can work too. (Don't use scissors on CD cases or other acrylic, or it will crack.) Aluminum tape Usually sold in the hardware store in the HVAC department to seal ducting. You can also use plain black electrical tape, but your display will be dimmer. Safety equipment. Yeah, I know, it's no fun, but eye protection is a must when using power tools. And I recommend a breathing mask too. Time: About 10-30 minutes, depending on your tools, materials, and the complexity of your design.

Image Notes 1. Rotary tool 2. Fine carving bit and a sanding cylinder for the rotary tool. 3. Aluminum tape. 4. High brightness LEDs 5. Power source for our LED. (In this case a CR2032 button battery. 6. Scissors to cut our plastic. (Not the good scissors! What were you raised in a barn?)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

7. Not pictured (because it's transparent) our transparent polyester sheets.

step 3: Make And Etch Your Design

First: Figure out what you want your design to look like. If it's complex, like words, you might want to print it out rather than draw it freehand. However print them backwards (mirrored left to right). This is because we're going to etch the back of the plastic, not the front (it will be brighter this way) and we dont want our words to come out backwards. Second: Cut your plastic to size. You can cut it to any size you want but allow at very least 8mm (3/8") on one of the sides--this is the side where we're going to put our light. If you're using polyester sheets you can use scissors to cut. If you're using acrylic sheets it's best to use a power tool with a blade meant for acrylic to avoid chipping. Third: Put your design on the front of the clear plastic for reference. If you're doing it freehand, you can stick some clear tape on the front and draw it. (Or many plastics come with a protective layer that you can draw on with a marker.) Otherwise tape your printout in position so you can see it from the back and use it for reference. Fourth: Etch your design. We use a Dremel with a fine round carving tip at about 10-15,000 RPM and etch to a depth of about 1/2 the thickness of the material. You can also use a needle, knife, or file to mark your design, anything as long as you rough up the surface. (I've even tried sand paper. It worked but it came out very sloppy.)

Image Notes 1. Fine carving bit. 2. Rotary tool. We run it about 10,000 RPM when carving. 3. Halfway through carving the back of the plastic. Notice that the pattern is backwards and stuck on the opposite side of the plastic for reference.

step 4: Shape And Apply Lighting

First: Slim down an LED. We want to get as much light as possible from our LED into the plastic, so we're going to grind down the plastic shell of the LED to fit better. You can find rectangular LEDs that will be the right thickness, but we find they're rarely bright bright enough and come in limited colors. We used a rotary tool with a sanding cylinder, but you can use whatever works (sanding table, sand paper, grinding wheel, etc). 3mm LED's dont need much modification, just a tiny bit off the front and back. Be more careful when working with 5mm LEDs since you can accidentally go through the plastic case and remove some of the more important bits of the LED. Work slowly and carefully holding the LED in a pair of pliers to save your fingers. You can also shorten the height of the LED since we don't need the lensing effect of the case. Second: Wire up your LED. This depends the details of your project. If you're soldering it will be a lot easier and safer to do it now rather than when it's embedded in the plastic. It's also a good chance to make sure you didn't damage the LED when grinding it to size . Third: Cut a place for the LED in the plastic. Use your rotary tool (or a file, etc) to carve a cutout along the edge the same size as our LED. It should fit snugly with only the wires sticking out. If you're using really thick plastic you can even drill holes in the edge to hold the light. Fourth: Hold the LED in place with aluminum tape. Apply a thin strip of aluminum tape along the edge that contains our LED. Make sure it runs on the front and back of the plastic. Cut out a notch around the LED wires so the metal on the tape doesn't short it out. The aluminum tape will not only hold the LED in place but will direct as much light as possible back into the display.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

Apply some more reflective tape along the remaining edges. This is optional, but it will improve the brightness of the display and keep light from leaking out. If you're not satisfied with the brightness of your display add more LEDs along the edge. Very long or large displays will be more evenly lit if you spread the LED's along the edge.

Image Notes 1. On the left a regular 3mm LED, on the right the same LED with a bit ground off the front and back. Be careful when handling the LEDs after this because the leads might break free of the casing after the extra material is removed. 2. 5mm LED before and after the diet. Be sure to only grind down the plastic casing, not the metal parts inside.

Image Notes 1. Carved space for our LED in the plastic. 2. Aluminum tape. (It's white on the inside but it will still keep a lot of light from escaping.) You can use black electrical tape too, but it won't work quite as well because it will absorb the light rather than reflect it. 3. Reverse angle, with a notch cut out for the LED's leads because the aluminum tape can short out the leads.

Image Notes 1. This is what it looks like when its done. (There's a 3mm 600mcd LED behind the aluminum tape under my thumb.)

step 5: Other Applications + Get A Patch!

Taking it further: Lets say we're making an electronic Tic-Tac-Toe game. Ideally we want either an X or an O in the same place. To do this we make and X and an O with a separate LED for each one. Since each piece is essentially transparent when off, we can put one behind the other to have a display that can show an X or O in the same space, depending on which LED we light. You can also use the same effect to add more than one color to the same display or animate parts of an image like some animated neon signs. Show me what you've done and get a patch! If you make this Instructable, post a photo of it in comments and I'll send you a Master of Edge Lighting achievement patch and you'll get your name on the Hall of Fame.

Image Notes 1. Tic-Tac-Toe sample display. This one has a lit X on a layer under the unlit O. (Enhanced so you can see the unlit layers.) (Also, using orange LED's makes it look

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

a lot like a Nixie tube.) 2. Same display, this time with only the foerground O lit. 3. Both the X and the O layers lit.

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 61 comments

frikkie says:
this is such a awesome instructable thanks.

Jun 23, 2010. 8:56 AM REPLY

Daddio_UK says:

Jun 21, 2010. 10:29 PM REPLY I had displays that worked like this many years ago, they came from a nuclear power plant during a refit, they were made from layers, 0-9. Must have been from the 60's or thereabouts, each layer had a small 24v light bulb. Jun 20, 2010. 12:56 PM REPLY

psych0munky says:
I have been a big fan of doing this ever since I originally saw it metku mods when I first started modding computer cases.

The first three pics are my first attempt...the dragon's fire actually changes from red to orange to yellow...and I also had it hooked up one time to my HDD activity light so he would only breathe fire when the HDD was being accessed. The next pictures are for my last case-mod...It was a completely custom case, built from scratch from wood, and had a "stealthed" etched front. I did this by tinting the front piece of plexi with car Tint I got from walmart and etching and illuminating a piece of plexi behind it. This is my favorite case-mod I have done, because I went "whole-hog" and modded everything, including monitros, keyboard, mouse, mouse-pad and speakers. I use the "router-cone" attachment on my dremel to keep it vertical, and then simply trace my design onto the plastic. This allows me to keep the depth consistent and I find it much easier to control the rotary tool.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

psych0munky says:

Jun 20, 2010. 1:00 PM REPLY Oh yeah, BTW, the websites in the watermarks are down at the moment, because I blew the server's HDD and haven't gotten them back up yet.

jebro391 says:

Jun 17, 2010. 12:18 PM REPLY This is awsome. I was really bored this morning, and I happen to have all the components, and made a little 3-letter "image" and used 3 high-power Blue LED's and it came out AMAZING! This was simple with great results. Thanks for the post! -Joe

Grathio says:
Great to hear it Joe! Hopefully by posting this you can win a pro membership: http://www.instructables.com/community/June-is-I-Made-It-Challenge-Month-Win-a-Pro-Mem/ (The same goes for anyone else who gives this a try in the month of June!)

Jun 18, 2010. 11:24 AM REPLY

jebro391 says:

Jun 18, 2010. 2:51 PM REPLY sweet, i didn't even know there was such a contest. I'll add a picture of the simple project. I still need to pick up some of that reflective tape cause I find the electrical tape slightly dampens the LED's brightness -Joe

psych0munky says:

Jun 20, 2010. 12:37 PM REPLY Besides dampening the brightness, I find it loses its "stick" after a while...electrical tape, after all is only meant to be a temporary fix.

nystrom says:
Definitely should add some optical adhesive.

Jun 18, 2010. 12:21 PM REPLY

Any gap between the LED plastic and the display plastic will cause reflection at the interfaces. The air gap has a refractive index of 1 (n = 1) while the plastics are about 1.5. Not the only supplier, but one that is available in reasonable sizes and a variety of sources is Norland optical adhesives. These are UV cure, which I like better than two part, since you don't need to degas to remove bubbles. Leaving the parts in bright sunlight might be enough to cure the UV adhesive.

carmatic says:
also, how about optical adhesive + aluminum foil rather than aluminum tape round the edges?

Jun 18, 2010. 2:26 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

OniTora says:

Jun 19, 2010. 8:02 PM REPLY Hmm... Isn't white more reflective than silver/chrome/mirrors/etc...? Perhaps painting the edges in pure white paint would reflect the most light back in? I think the only thing more reflective than flat white might by silver mylar. Am I off base?

carmatic says:

Jun 20, 2010. 4:22 AM REPLY speaking of pure white paint, how about 'backing' the etches with something like correction fluid? that way, you have less light escaping the wrong way and so more brightness, but it will be opaque so it wont work with the multi-layered panels on the next step............... another idea i had was to use UV LED's instead of visible colour LED's, then 'backing' the etches with UV paint... i wonder if it will work well? i suppose you will be 'soaking' the paint into the etches rather than painting them on

Grathio says:

Jun 20, 2010. 10:49 AM REPLY White diffuses the light (reflects it in a bunch of different directions) which means more light will escape through the front of our plastic/glass. Using reflective material will reflect more light back at the same shallow angle it needs to stay inside the plastic. Silver and aluminum are very nearly purely reflective (At least in visible light) and very little light is lost when bouncing it off these substances. (It's the same stuff that's on the back of almost all mirrors.) The VU paint would be an interesting experiment. If you do it post some pics!

forte1994 says:
dude all i have to say is ... amazing idea thanks now i can build the "do not enter sign" lol good job

Jun 20, 2010. 10:09 AM REPLY

menrath says:

Jun 18, 2010. 8:23 PM REPLY I have a quick question.... If i want to use a brighter LED what viewing angle and wavelength should i use or would it really matter i don't know to much about LED's...

Grathio says:

Jun 18, 2010. 11:13 PM REPLY For this project it doesn't really matter. Viewing angle is how focused the LED is and since the light is refleceted all over inside the plastic/glass, the viewing angle does't matter. Wavelength is the color of the light, so pick a color that you like. The most important thing is brightness, usually listed in "mcd" or millicandela. More is better. If you can't find bright LEDs in the colors you want you'll have to use more LEDs. (And you can also use other types of lights if you're making bigger displays as mentioned lower in the comments.

legless says:
gotta love the Dremel

Jun 18, 2010. 8:30 PM REPLY

studystudyforever says:
Thanks a lot

Jun 18, 2010. 6:01 PM REPLY

Tetrafish says:

Jun 14, 2010. 11:29 AM REPLY I wonder if sand etching would work? *does a quick search on this site* http://www.instructables.com/id/freehand-glass-etching/ Unless - the deeper the 'etch' the brighter the effect.

Kevin6031 says:

Jun 17, 2010. 7:13 AM REPLY "Sandetching" works very well. I do "sandcarving" on glass with a sandblaster and alum. oxide abrasive. The deeper the carving the better it will show up...for the most part. If you carve the outside of your design deep, most of the light will be refracted and won't get to the parts of the design in the middle. The bigger the piece the worse this effect becomes. I've done some 7'x10' pieces for a casino here in OK. Once you get to that kinda size you have to use alot of very bright LED's. We used a brand called Superbrite.

Grathio says:

Jun 18, 2010. 11:39 AM REPLY Excellent information. Thanks for posting it. You definitely need to increase your illumination with the side of your glass and the size of your etching. (The more light you let out the less bright the overall image will be.)

askjerry says:

Jun 17, 2010. 6:31 AM REPLY I have used this process with my laser engraver too... if you have access to one be sure to invert your graphics so they look properly when viewed from the front. Also, you can purchase "reverse engravable" plastic stock which is thicker clear plastic with an opaque layer bonded to it. These are available in colors, metalic finishes, even a wood grain look. You can also spray paint the back side of the plastic, then engrave through it to get a good contrast. Jerry

Grathio says:
These are really good tips Jerry! Thanks for sharing them!

Jun 18, 2010. 11:35 AM REPLY

Peale says:

Jun 17, 2010. 2:01 PM REPLY Not only am I going to make this, I'm going to use one of these as the sign for our business. I'll definitely post when I finish. One question about the two different colors - is one etching (the X) on one side and the other (the O) on the other side of the glass?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

Grathio says:

Jun 18, 2010. 10:55 AM REPLY As others have said the X and O are two different layers. If you want different colors you have to use more than one layer since the light saturates the plastic/glass and only that color will come out. Likewise if you illuminate it with both a red and a green LED they'll combine in the display to make it yellow-orange. The brightness is much higher if you etch the back. (I'm not sure of the science around it but it's pretty striking. If I find the time I'll post another comparison photo.)

IzNoGuD says:
one plastic Layer with the X and one with the circle...

Jun 17, 2010. 7:18 PM REPLY

GordieGii says:
Two pieces of plastic. One for each shape. One in front of the other. (Looks to me like the red one is in front.)

Jun 17, 2010. 7:15 PM REPLY

noyes1920 says:
gaga?thanks!So funny,i want do it now! draw some different letters!

Jun 17, 2010. 9:14 PM REPLY

NitroRustlerDriver says:

Jun 17, 2010. 8:29 PM REPLY Looks good. I might take this project on and make some cool wall art. Another option would be to use thicker plastic and instead of sanding the LED's down and grinding a spot out for them, just drill a hole into the side of the plastic for the LED to fit into. A little more complicated then grinding with a Dremel, but you would end up with a cleaner look.

mario59 says:
IDEA: WHAT ABOUT A bench top DIGITAL CLOCK ??? ;-)

Jun 17, 2010. 6:22 AM REPLY

GordieGii says:
or seven segment display. I wonder how thin the plastic could be and still work...

Jun 17, 2010. 7:23 PM REPLY

GordieGii says:
Like a solid state nixie tube? Cool idea!

Jun 17, 2010. 7:16 PM REPLY

zappenfusen says:

Jun 17, 2010. 6:52 PM REPLY Is the poly available in cylinder shapes? I'd like to attempt etched lenses for landscape lighting. Can you heat it and bend it like P.V.C.?

dirkovic2112 says:
Very nice! I can't wait to make on of these by myself.

Jun 17, 2010. 1:28 PM REPLY

ILikeScience says:
Cool. Would CD's (With the shiny stuff removed) be good substitutes for the clear plastic sheet?

Jun 17, 2010. 1:27 PM REPLY

iceng says:

Jun 17, 2010. 12:58 PM REPLY You don't need ten layers. Just use seven layers (the old seven segment approach) and you will be able to lite some letters too.

cabalstone says:

Jun 17, 2010. 12:03 PM REPLY Edge-lighting is the principle behind 'electric blackboards'. Instead of etching, you can leave the plastic clear and write/draw as you like with water-color crayons. Caran D'Ache NEOCOLOR II watersoluble are the best, but they're expensive and any water-soluble crayon will do the trick. Jun 17, 2010. 6:42 AM REPLY I used to sell edge-lit noticeboards for pubs (I'm in England) and shops - they used a fluorescent tube along the bottom edge for lighting and - and this is the clever bit - if you wrote on them with wax crayons that would make the writing glow, with the added benefit that you could rub it away and change it whenever you wanted. No engraving needed.

nwlaurie says:

macrumpton says:
Very cool! I will have to try that.

Jun 17, 2010. 8:18 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/Edge-Lit-Displays/

macrumpton says:

Jun 17, 2010. 8:17 AM REPLY I wonder how thick the plastic needs to be? if you could do it with sheets of thick mylar or acetate you could a dozen layers and still have it be fairly thin.

mario59 says:

Jun 17, 2010. 6:20 AM REPLY Ciao Grathio!!! Congratulations! You've let me "scavenge" an old idea I've seen in the late '60! Very nice, REALLY!!!! If one has access to a CNC, really fabulous things can be done!!! You let me eager to try something on myself! Again: C O N G R A T U L A T I ON S ! ! ! ! ! Mario

pencilwit says:
How big can this be made (successfully)?

Jun 15, 2010. 12:55 PM REPLY

zack247 says:
as big as you want. you just might need more leds

Jun 15, 2010. 4:15 PM REPLY

Grathio says:
Yup, pretty much. I've seen window sized etched glass with lights all round the glass frame. A really neat effect!

Jun 16, 2010. 11:49 AM REPLY

zack247 says:

Jun 15, 2010. 4:13 PM REPLY you have inspired me to try to make an electronic tic tac toe with these light panels. but i cant find a microcontroller in any stores!

thebeef2 says:
can u put a picture of what it looks like when the light is off? i want to get the full effect.

Jun 14, 2010. 7:24 AM REPLY

Grathio says:
I just added an On/off photo to the Intro step. Thanks for asking, it didn't occur to me.

Jun 14, 2010. 11:20 PM REPLY

Captain Molo says:

hey could you post a pic of what it looks like when its not lit up? thanks! cool ible

Jun 14, 2010. 8:53 AM REPLY

Grathio says:
I added an on/off photo to the Intro step so you can see the effect.

Jun 14, 2010. 11:19 PM REPLY

Matthew Garten says:

Jun 14, 2010. 11:18 PM REPLY So that's how you made your signs! Looks like I have another carving project to try out :-) Have you made any of the signs with RBG LED's? I wonder if embedding the LED using a glue that dries transparent could enhance the brightness? Nice step by step on the instructions!

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