[rvooh]

I'm making a trio MIDIbox SID v2's with friends..
I noticed two of the acrylic panels I ordered can be backlighted.. normally color is black with gold lettering, but when backlit the gold turns into super cool spacey green..

I've been thinking of backlighting it and I'd love some suggestions.
What should I use, etc.. I've been thinking of 2 things: ultrabright LEDS on the inside (dont like the idea) or EL-FOIL glued to the underside of the panel (Like it very much, though expensive I think, not sure how to apply it)

Any suggestions?

pics (sorry, my camera is broken, the best i can do atm)

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[rvooh]

this is strange, no replies?  ???


maybe i have to provide some better pics..
will work on that  :P


edit: i'm sourcing A3 EL-FOIL at the moment, 1 sheet should be enough for the 2 black midiboxes

[nILS]

Suggestion: Try different options and pick the one with the best price:coolness ratio.

[rvooh]

i can imagine backlighting the whole front will be a pain with LEDs, it's already a pain to make the control surface, it's a complete pain if i add a whole bunch of leds onderneath it.


the EL FOIL however becomes less bright over time.. i think it'll last ten years?

[Futureman]

EL tape is pretty cheap me thinks... not as bright as a ton of LED's, but a lot easier to apply.

http://shop.ebay.com...-All-Categories

You could look at a fibre optic solution, use lots of plastic fibres to bring the light to the areas you want, then at least your light source (Led's or even lamps which are way cooler) can be in one spot.

Regards
Mike

[rvooh]

ooh nice didn't know such a thing existed.
nice price too


I'll have to check if the brightness is enough to shine thru the acrylic panel though

[DrBunsen]

Quote

i'm sourcing A3 EL-FOIL at the moment

What sort of price are you getting on that?

[rvooh]

Quote

Quote

i'm sourcing A3 EL-FOIL at the moment

What sort of price are you getting on that?

way to much, the price is insane.. still looking for cheaper alternatives

maybe chained leds, christmas light, lol...

[baconjuice]

I've been wanting to do this with my sid as well. I was planning on using a cold cathode light like the ones used in computer cases. They are cheap, run on 12v and usually have adjustable brightness. I have one that I salvaged recently and it even has a mic so it can light up with the music. Only drawback is that they use an inverter and that might introduce some noise into the audio but I think that all depends on placement besides, that problem exists with using EL stuff.

[rvooh]

Quote

I've been wanting to do this with my sid as well. I was planning on using a cold cathode light like the ones used in computer cases. They are cheap, run on 12v and usually have adjustable brightness. I have one that I salvaged recently and it even has a mic so it can light up with the music. Only drawback is that they use an inverter and that might introduce some noise into the audio but I think that all depends on placement besides, that problem exists with using EL stuff.

yeah, the inverters can be noisy themselves, the inverter in my sequencer drives me crazy sometimes.. i heard you have to somehow acoustically contain them and that there are special foam-sprays that do just that.

What I haven't really thought about, is that the original C64 psu might not be sufficient for some options

I'm still looking around, I have some white leds coming in soon so I can test how the light spreads

[latigid on]

You could always try LED strips:



All the tracks are topside, so in theory you could somehow mount to the CS PCB. Probably the rigid ones are what you want.

[rvooh]

thanks.. some quick ebaying and googling revealed a flexible adhesive SMD variant of those led strips
the smaller the better .. on the same site http://sunlighting-l...leID=5PRX610VRX


meanwhile, i spoofed some more pics with the broken cam and bicycle lighting:

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[Echopraxia]

I am curious how deep are your panels cut to do the lighting from behind? Is there a terminology for this type of panel marking/engraving? From what your saying, did you just get a panel cut that was black with gold text and you put a white light underneath the panel and you got light up green text? Would a particular metal work the best for light to leak through?

Regards,
echo

[Echopraxia]

In was looking up some perf board and came across this site
http://www.allelectr...t-Strips/1.html
with some used el lighting for only $1 US each.They light up green already. Would this change the color scheme when used with you gold text do you think? They have new ones for $3.50 and $4.50 plus discounts on bigger orders. Can this stuff be cut and soldered back together to get longer lenghts?

Regards,
echo

[latigid on]

Quote

I am curious how deep are your panels cut to do the lighting from behind? Is there a terminology for this type of panel marking/engraving? From what your saying, did you just get a panel cut that was black with gold text and you put a white light underneath the panel and you got light up green text? Would a particular metal work the best for light to leak through?

Regards,
echo

Metals are usually opaque... and he has "acrylic" in the title  ;)

I don't really know of other plastics you would use for panels but it would depend on the material's refractive index, thickness and colour. It's hard to tell from his pictures, but it may be "smokey" acrylic which would transmit some light.

[latigid on]

Quote

In was looking up some perf board and came across this site
http://www.allelectr...t-Strips/1.html
with some used el lighting for only $1 US each.They light up green already. Would this change the color scheme when used with you gold text do you think? They have new ones for $3.50 and $4.50 plus discounts on bigger orders. Can this stuff be cut and soldered back together to get longer lenghts?

Regards,
echo

Because the yellow/gold letters are turning green, it actually means they are absorbing RED light and this lets the remaining GREEN light pass through. So using green backlights will probably work differently.

My Moog Voyager has a backlit panel  8), and with the intensity turned all the way up it hums pretty badly. Thankfully it doesn't get into the audio, but there is the possibility it might for these sorts of things, as someone said.

[Echopraxia]

led thru fiber cable also seems like the way to go. Do you have to get high quality inverter or something to get rid of hum? .

[rvooh]

dunno about the fibrecable thing.. can't really imagine how it would work to light the whole engraving with it

think i'll be looking into miniature led strips once i get the time..

[latigid on]

Quote

Do you have to get high quality inverter or something to get rid of hum? .

I know they offered a "Quiet II Upgrade". You can see the inverter circuits in later models (Version 3 hardware)

(Not my image --> link

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[Flying Panther]

Quote

thanks.. some quick ebaying and googling revealed a flexible adhesive SMD variant of those led strips
the smaller the better .. on the same site http://sunlighting-l...leID=5PRX610VRX


meanwhile, i spoofed some more pics with the broken cam and bicycle lighting:

I think it might look really nice (can't say exactly, as the pictures are leaving things a bit to my imagination), reminds me a bit of the old (70's?) calculator displays (with those bright green characters) and some other electronics like on the picture..

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