Portable Acrylic edge backlit sign

thingiverse

This is a fun-gift for one of our neighbor-friends celebrating his milestone 50th birthday.\r\nDespite him not knowing Polish, he likes to welcome everyone with "Zapraszam do Bufetu" (his unique way of inviting guests to the liquor bar).\r\n\r\nSo the idea was to create a rechargeable portable edge-backlit sign that can be used indoors or in his gazebo, which could work for the whole evening (lasting 4 to 5 hours on a full charge). The battery is charged over micro-USB using a phone charger.\r\n\r\nIt uses the Panasonic NCR18650 unprotected cell with solderable contacts. To get the original cell, I bought it from a reputable local electronics store.\r\n\r\nAs a charger and protection board for the battery, I used:\r\nhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-USB-5V-1A-2-1A-Mobile-Power-Bank-18650-Battery-Charger-PCB-LCD-Display-DIY/401188626802?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649\r\n\r\nwith this modification:\r\nhttp://arduino-geiger-pcb.blogspot.com/2017/03/cheap-but-all-inclusive-solution-how-to.html\r\n\r\nTo reduce the occupied space, I removed the two large USB ports. It is best to first cut the pins and then carefully destroy these USB ports and desolder the remaining pin pieces. This will help preserve the USB port connection pads, which will be used later to connect to the step-up converter input.\r\n\r\nTo boost the voltage to 12V for the LED strip, I used this step-up module:\r\n\r\nhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-Adjustable-Boost-Buck-Step-Up-Down-Converter-XL6009-Power-Supply-Module-/272579189332?hash=item3f76fc5a54:g:XjUAAOSwTM5YvRye\r\n\r\nThe LED strip is 6W/meter, RED.\r\nAlthough any 6mm acrylic would likely be sufficient, I used a super-transparent sheet from Plexiglas 0E010 with 92% light transmittance.\r\n\r\nI also used an aluminum U-profile as a heatsink for the LED strip, although it is probably unnecessary. The external dimensions are 11mmx20mmx220mm with an internal gap of 7mm wide and between holding teeth 6mm.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, I used M3 screws.