Star Wars LED Name Display

I have a few little friends that are absolutely in love with Star Wars. They know all the characters in the movies, their bedrooms are filled with Star Wars stuffed pillows, toys and bedding. So I guess it’s no surprise that even their Halloween costumes are Star Wars! When it comes to special occasions, how do you give a fan something that they not only might not have but something that’ll really blow them away? You guessed it…..a personalized LED display! These displays are made of 3/4″ plywood, laminated with styrene and measure approx 13″ wide by 5-1/2″ tall. While they can be mounted on the wall, there are little rubber feet on the bottom in case they sit on a flat surface.

A 3D rendering to get the project going!
Another 3D rendering to get the project going! You know, because the first one wasn’t enough!
I start by cutting 3 pieces of plywood on the CNC.
All 3 pieces are slightly different. The two outside pieces are recessed to accommodate the acrylic graphics panel and the back panel.
The pieces are glued together with Titebond wood glue and sit in clamps for about an hour.
Some light sanding is needed before the next step.
Since I don’t want the plywood to show through the paint, I will cover the surface with styrene.
Contact cement is used to bond the styrene to the plywood.
The sides are completed.
I applied a full sheet of styrene to the face of each display and later went back to cut them out with a router. It creates quite a mess!
The styrene is finished….time for paint.
I used Rustoleum flat black spray paint.
Cutting and etching of sign #1.
Cutting and etching of sign #2.
Cutting out holes for air flow on the back panel. I don’t want a completely sealed display when electronics are involved!
I made a last minute decision to paint the inside back panel white for the light to reflect. I also added a little block of wood to stiffen the hanger bracket that will mount on the back of the display.
I also decided to add little rubber feet.
The rubber feet are about 1/2″ in diameter and I got them off of Amazon.
The acrylic panel is tacked into place with hot glue.
For the lights, I took a part a light bar that I found at Walmart.
This light module has an RF transmitter so I don’t have to worry about keeping it exposed.
A final look into the back of the display before I seal it up.

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