DIY Lightboxes

My home office is only about 15% work and important stuff. The other 110% is dedicated to fun, games, and relaxation. The gaming area is a constant work in progress, frequently upgraded with neon signs, new ambient lighting automation, fancy arcades, and gaming-themed decor.

Recently, my son and I printed and assembled a Spider-Man lightbox together and I instantly fell in love with how amazing the finished product looked. The two signs above were found on MakerWorld, where there are a wide range of user-created designs.

Turns out, lightboxes are surprisingly easy to make. If you have a multi-color 3D printer, it’s a set-it-and-forget-it™ situation. The only tricky part is the lighting.

Before America poked the Chinese bear, AliExpress sold these COB (Chip on Board) LED lights for cheap. They only have a positive and negative wire and run off 5V, so you can plug them right into a USB wall adapter and let them go nuts. That said, you’ll probably want a voltage regulator as a middleman to keep the light from being seen from space. Something like this, wired in-line with your new colorful box, allows you to adjust brightness with a touch.

This week’s project is to master the offset option in Fusion360 and design my own lightbox. The On Air Light is in desperate need of an upgrade, and I’ve got a lot of ideas I can’t wait to try out.