How To Make DESKTOP NEON SIGNS - 3D Printable, Battery or USB powered & Dimmable!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ธ.ค. 2022
- 3D Print your own customisable Desktop Neon LED Sign
How to build a dimmable and portable customisable Neon Sign. This video is sponsored by PCBway. 👇 More info below 👇
Today we’re making some of these awesome customisable desktop neon signs.
These ones can be powered by either a USB cable or 4 x 'AA' batteries giving you a lot of flexibility for placement. Why not use one to illuminate your next garden or beachside party?
They are also dimmable to help create the right level of ambience for any setting. Use it to help illuminate a room or dial it down for a more subtle addition to your decor.
As for customising? You can print the parts in any rigid filament colour, It’s your choice as well for the colour of Neon effect LED’s used.
The Free 3D printed parts, wiring diagrams, FAQ etc can be found here:
www.diymachines.co.uk/3d-prin...
There are several ready designed free Neon shapes (www.printables.com/model/3324...) you can choose from and I’ll be creating some more which are available on my Etsy shop:
www.diymachines.etsy.com
Support future projects, see DIY Machines' Amazon Wish List: www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/...
And if you're comfortable you can edit the design and create something totally unique either for yourself or as a thoughtfully made gift to someone else.
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List of items used in this project and where to find them:
■ Neon effect LED strips: geni.us/NeonLEDStrip5v
■ Resistors 1kΩ (x2): geni.us/Ufa2s
■ Capacitors 0.1µF (x2): geni.us/Capacitor
■ Switching Diodes IN4148 (x2): geni.us/IN4148-Diode
■ Toggle Switch DPDT (x1): geni.us/DPDT-Toggle-Switch
■ Female USB Socket (x1): geni.us/MiniUSBSocket
■ 50k Rotary Potentiometer (x1): geni.us/Potentiometers
■ 555 timer IC (x1): geni.us/555Timer
■ MOSFET Transistor (IRLB8721PBF) (x1): geni.us/IRLB8721PBF
■ AA Battery PCB Mount (x4): geni.us/AABatteryPCBMount
■ Bolts (M3x8mm x6): geni.us/NutsAndBolts
■ Electrical hook-up wire: geni.us/22AWGWire
■ Filament: geni.us/3DJake (I used PLA)
■ Projects PCB: geni.us/DesktopNeonSigns
These are some of my favourite tools I use and can recommend:
■ Battery-powered glue gun: geni.us/BoschBatteryGlueGun
■ Bosch Bit Driver: geni.us/Bosch-Screwdriver
I use a Prusa MK3S for my projects and highly recommend both it and the Prusa Mini. If I inspired you to take up 3D printing please consider purchasing a printer via this link: shop.prusa3d.com/#a_aid=diymac...
Prusa support my channel when you use that link at no cost to yourself. :)
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3D printed parts, wiring diagrams, FAQ etc can be found here:
www.diymachines.co.uk/3d-prin...
Etsy shop for 3D printable kits and more:
www.etsy.com/shop/diymachines
Discord server for this project: / discord
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SAY THANKS:
Provide continual and dependable support through Patreon:
/ diymachines
Or join this channel on TH-cam Memberships:
/ @diymachines
Buy me a coffee to say thanks: ko-fi.com/diymachines
SUBSCRIBE:
■ / @diymachines
INSTAGRAM: / diy_machines
FACEBOOK: / diymachines
ETSY: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/DIYMachines
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List of camera and lighting equipment I use:
Sony A7 III: geni.us/Sony-Alpha7-III
Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 RXD A036SF Lens for Sony-FE : geni.us/TamronRXD-28-75mm
Aputure Amaran HR672C: geni.us/AputureAmaranHR672C
Aputure MC: geni.us/FAPGL
RØDE VideoMic Pro+: geni.us/RodeVideoMic-ProPlus
Blue Snowball iCE: geni.us/BlueSnowball-iCE
Philips Hue Lightstrip Plus: geni.us/PhilipsHue-LightStrip
Disclaimer:
This video is shared for demonstration purposes only. - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Don't forget to let me know what other designs you would like to see! Leave a comment below. 😄
I would real appreciate the proper labeles of this. Your work is amazing and worthy of praise. My work is actually in Neon Art. The above items created are LED Flex. Neon is a Nobel gas. Neon sign making is an art of 100 years of history. It is made with bending glass, attaching Electrodes, bombarding high voltage to vaporize the air and create a vacuum inside to insert your choice of Nobel Gas. Neon is more sustainable to the Earth (Except helium... But we put that in balloons.) LED Flex is more accessible but Neon is a skill trained through years of experience. The glow is definably different. Movies still commission Neon signs as it can't be properly faked. Many museum will have classes to make your own neon sign. Museums work hard to define Neon to the general population. World War 2 saw many laws restricting Neon that are still in use today. Cities are starting to recognize the history and significance of Neon. Only a handful of artists still bend. In the UK it is listed as an endangered craft and less the 100 people still bend and 1is training. I understand the significance of your work and admire it myself. Check out the work of Michelle Flechtner, Roxy Rose, The studio Brooklyn Bends, Museum of Neon Art Instagram and TikTok, TH-cam's How to make Neon by Eater, Jerry Rig Everything, and Neon Preservation for a video series of building up a shop. Neon is an amazing art and experience. Happy building or as Neon Artists say Happy Bending.
Would you consider a how to video on designing them? I'd like to make a custom design but wouldn't know where to start, my fusion skills are limited to say the least.
I'd love a tutorial for designing them!
ok this project is awesome i would like to see an updated version of this showing how to do a bigger version of this like a silhouette of Mega Man or to light up back side rim of an arcade cabinet
I'm not sure you can sell it, but a NASA worm logo would be awesome.
That animated table!!! Beautiful editing! And project!
Thank you.
I was intrigued the first time I watched this video. I decided that I could this, even though I have never soldered anything. After I received your kit, I printed the parts and started worrying about getting it to work. I ordered some 22 AWG wire, and a soldering iron and when I had everything, I took a long time to trim the lights and get the project rolling. This morning, I finished it. Works great and was not as hard to assemple as I thought. Printed everything on my Ender 3 v2, which came out perfect. Thank you for the ideas and the new experiences.
You are very welcome, thanks for sharing your success with me. Enjoy your own project born of your time and effort. 🙂
That's the diy I'd like to see more on TH-cam. I consider my level of electronics knowledge way higher by that moment, but I can imagine one who would enjoy following the assembly with ease! Great video
Thanks so much. 😊
Of all of Lewis's videos which have resulted in me making awesome projects, this one stands out primarily because Lewis is an absolute stud with a winter beard.
😆You get an award for the first beard comment - and a second one for it being utterly positive! 🤣
Very generous of you to put all of this info out for free great vid 😊
Glad it was helpful! 🙂
2mins & im loving how well done this tutorial is. Thank you. Subscribed.
Thanks for the sub!
Just finished you’re shelf edge Clock project and started upgrading to a new desk. Guess I have to try this project now aswell. You’re such a legend! Thank you for your amazing diy ideas + instructions❤
I hope you enjoy the Shelf Edge Clock, that project is still one of my favourites. 😊 Thanks for the kind words. :)
I am retired high school engineering teacher and you did a great job on your video!! I will be using for my projects. Thanks for sharing. Again GREAT JOB!!
Awesome! Thank you!
These are really neat projects, thanks for putting all this together and making it available to the maker community
For a cleaner look: 1) print only the sides frontside down, 2) leave the print on the buildplate until room temp, 3) fill the gap with liquid matte acrylic medium (or translucent paint if you want it permanently colored), 4) run the heatbed at normal temp to dry the paint, 5) remove the print very carefully so that the paint lifts off with it. Now you have a perfect frontside without any gaps between the the frame and the lit area.
Really well edited video. Love the effects!
Thank you very much! It's been a tough day and your comment helped turn it around a bit. :)
I really like the fact you offert both batteries power as well as USB power in you built plus the option to dim the light
Thanks so much, originally they were only going to be USB but then friend need to put some on a shelf which made me realise the battery option would be great. :)
Such high production and product value, awesome!
Much appreciated!
Thank you so much! I can't wait to give it a try!
Another excellent project! Thanks so much.
You are very welcome. 😊
I just found this channel and am amazed by the quality of content. Subscribed for sure!!
Thanks Brody. 😊
Super job! I’ve already got some of those led strips for a sign project. But your dimmer solution is amazing! I was really impressed by your circuit on your web page. I think I’ll use it for my sign. Thank you so much for this helpful video. Best wishes julian
Hi Julian, you're very welcome. I hope the circuit design helps your project.
Great video and wonderful project, I just might try this one out :) Thanks for your contagious enthusiasm for building cool stuff! btw, your video editing as noticeably improved!
Thank you, you're very welcome and I'll keep striving to improve.🙂
Amazing content and big big support to you for this amazing energy. Hi from Belgium ❤
Mesmerizing, really good.
Awesome project! Thank you!
Thanks and no problem.
Pretty clear and your work is high quality, great job :D
Thank you, you're very welcome.
Looking forward to try this out!
Excellent, I hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Adblock and Sponcerblock are pretty awesome
As always very detailed explanations! and something that is not usual in this kind of videos: except for the PCB, all the components are available in my country! (Argentina). Every time i see this type of videos there is something required that is difficult or impossible to get due to custom restrictions and fee costs. thanks!
Really cool project, will be giving it a try
Thank you.
Incredible project!! Simple but very impressive! Awesome job!! 🔥🔥 I should learn to design my own PCBs too. It has a lot of advantages!
Thanks. Yes, if I rush a personal project together without a PCB now it all just seems so wild and temporary. The PCB's remove the rats nest of wires and hold things down securely. I encourage you to find the time. You won't regret it. 🙂
The instant reply really showed them going straight for the eye lol
Yeah, it really did which is exactly why I thought best to warn others. Particular the battery holder legs which are made of thicker and more rigid wire. 🫤
super cool ! thanks for the video!
Glad you liked it!
Thx for the nice project
👍
Your welcome. Thanks for the kind comment. 🙂
I would love it if you did a tutorial on designing custom pcb's like the one in this video.
I feel my PCB knowledge still needs to grow more before I would feel comfortable making such a video but thanks for the request - it's great to know what people would like to see.
amazing editing simple and cool , and the describing is very nice , nice work man
Thanks, I appreciate it. 🙂
This is increadible!
Thank you. 😊
Thanks!
Thanks so much for the support 🙂
Great video, this looks like a fun project to do with the kids. Excellent video editing also, very creative!
Thank you so much!
🙌🔥💯 Wow. Impressive, you make strong point in this video dude! ☕
Just found your channel. You are making great content!
Thanks so much
GREAT WORK AND GREAT EXPLAINATION BROTHER KEEP IT UP
Thank you 😊
Just amazing. I wish i have one.
Thanks. You could totally build one of your own. :)
@@DIYMachines i can't every part is very expensive in Turkey :(
@@berkc06 Oh that is a shame. Sorry to hear that. :/
Finally a channel that explains the electronics step by step! Thank you very much. Really amazing project. I would love to find a good project to make a diy weather station, but the ones I’ve found on TH-cam, the guys building them talk too fast about what they’re doing so I get lost about the process. Would you like to make one?
You are welcome! Yes, a weather station is on my list of projects to create and document.
Such a beautiful Job! I'm really impressed, thanks a lot for sharing, I'll try to make my own :P
You’re very welcome.
Trabalho muito bem feito e bonito, as explicações então...nota 1000.
obrigada
I love this project. I would to replace the switch with a remote and make the top of the led green slow fade or flash.
Very cool, I will be placing an order soon. I will try to design a Christmas tree if I can find the time, haha maybe ill have it ready for next year.
Thank you.
I'l try and add one to the collection you can print on the Etsy shop for you. Check back in a couple of days. :)
Very good project! Your french is amazing btw :')
Merci beaucoup :)
I would love to have an airplane in the style of the rocket!
you speak very well French 😉 !! Bravo for your videos. I like the idea and the design.
Merci 😆
nice project man
I'm glad you like it
Hey Lewis! What would you do if you didn't want the dimmer / battery and just wanted to plug it into a UK socket?
Nice
Awesome project! Really looking forward to building some of these for myself! Would someone be able to explain to me what each component of the circuit is doing and why it is necessary? Mechanical engineer here so this circuit stuff is interesting but definitely outside my wheelhouse!
Awesome
Thank you.
A very common technique for marking electrolytic capacitors on PCBs is to match the look of the capacitor, so to have the capacitor symbol as a circle with one half block white, potentially with a minus sign printed as a negative and to have the other side with just the outline. The way you did it with a tiny minus sign beside the circle may be hard to see and may not print right or may be knocked off.
Generally when making PCB silkscreens you want to make it as obvious and large as possible what orientation it goes.
The diode symbols are good though.
You should wear safety glasses when soldering, not just trimming the legs. Hot bits of flux or solder can spit off and go a pretty far and that definitely isn’t good for your eyes.
Hi Conor, thanks for all the good advice. I appreciate it. I will update the way I show capacitor polarity on future PCBs.
That’s great and I just ordered my pcb. However I’m not finding the capacitors instructed over here, could I replace them?
These are beautiful ❤ I’d love to see some for Christmas and Halloween aswell :D
Great idea.
great idea. in the future, I will definitely order a few sets and make my own neon signs. only one thing bothers me. Can't I solder the strips together instead of running long wires?
NIce :) I wish I had a 3D Printer. I hope that's is still on your list of videos.
It is! Though I want to make one when I have figured out how to offer something different to all the others. It's not a forgotten project.
@@DIYMachines , Thanks :) It also take me a lot of time to figure out the required money for the parts 😅
非常喜欢你的电子作品！
谢谢
What about a Chevy Bow Tie? I'd love to make something like this for my father in law... I bet he'd absolutely love it!
Wooowww !! 👏👏👏+👍
wow good👍👍
Thanks.
Hi, beautifull made. i also printed the pineapple and put white neon led stip, but after one week, it start to bend backside. look like Pla is not loving the mild heat genereated by led strip. any ways superb work
Dude I was looking something like this and you are the one made it.
That’s great. You’re welcome ☺️
Pretty cool! Why not wire the two led strips in series!
These are awesome! Would you be willing to share the parameters of the 3D printed portions aka how wide and tall the channels are, etc?
Yes of course, the 'tracks' groove should be 5mm wide and 10mm deep. I made my walls 1mm wide and made the rear side of the tracks 3mm thick to help support the shape.
I love the basics of this project. It would be cool to have different sections of lights turn on and off to simulate movement. Would that be possible without needing something like an Arduino?
Thanks. The current design would not be capable of this. I'm sure you could achieve it with 'dumb' components (think of a circuit design similar to old school blinking alarm lights: www.instructables.com/Three-Ways-to-Make-LED-Flasher-Circuit-With-Rate-C/)
You could integrate and ESP8266 (like a Wemos D1 mini) and just flash WLED onto it. Will allow you to control effects over WIFI.
beautiful project. will this circuit work for 12V neon strips?
yeah i would like to know that as well
It will work best with 5v strips.
Hi, could I know what is the neon strip consumption ? I would like to use a dc converter instead. Thanks !
hi Lweis. where do you get your Yellow neon from, or anyone else in the UK know. your affiliate linked supplier is not listing it.
Great stuff man!
Thank you. 😊
Hello! Thank you for this project. I just made it and have an issue where when dimming the potentiometer, the sign blinks as well as dims. At full, it looks fine. Any suggestions?
Awesome! Very well done! Just so you know, your links in the description doesn't have the AA battery holder and your Etsy listing doesn't mention/show the potentiometer.
Thank you for letting me know. I'm adding them now. 🙂 For convenience: AA Battery PCB Mount (x4): geni.us/AABatteryPCBMount
@@DIYMachines Thanks for fixing!
Was there too much voltage drop or something preventing the different colours being wired in series thus needing only 1 connection to the PCB?
This is awesome. Is there any reason why you didn’t use a USB connector?
do you do commissions? you seem really good at glow signs and i have a group of people who are looking to have one made. weather its for walls or desk idk . is there a way to ask you more personally for information?
Hi, great job. An answer for you. The neon strips to buy are from 5v? Thx
Yes. 5v.
13:40. Insert screws by hand. A drill has a good chance of stripping out the threads.
Good tip, I did strip one out on a prototype.
Looks like an interesting project for some free days.
One comment from my side, would it be possible to mount the AA holder on the bottom side of the PCB that the batteries can be easy changed.? Maybe the housing needs then some more mm height, but no need to remove the 4 screws always for a battery change.
You are exactly right - you can mount them on the underside but the base would need to increase in height. I had to choose between a smaller base and easier access and opted for the smaller form factor - which is defiantly preferable for those who choose to power their via the USB port.
@@DIYMachines super cool build. For the next iteration I would also move the potentiometer and battery holder to the bottom and the Switch to the side (mounted from the bottom). This way you should be able to keep the same hight of the base. But regardless, really wanna build this :)
These look really cool and I've really only started to get into 3d printing, but a worry I thought of with this is won't they deform over time from exposure to heat of the LEDs? I haven't dealt with LED strips before, so If they don't get hot enough to do that, that's good to know.
The LED's do not produce enough heat to deform the 3D printed shape which holds them. :)
@@DIYMachines Thanks!
I am bad at soldering, a surface mount, USB C, 18650 board would have me making these all the time 👀
What do the capacitors, diodes and resistors do in this project? I make these lights all the time but just use a DC power supply. A USB would be much nicer to work with, but I'm not familiar with the process.
Where can I (as a newbie) learn how the electronics/circuit in this project works?
look like really fun project! only down side you have to disassemble the pcb from housing in order to change batteries :(
Yes, four screws to change the batteries. I did look into mounting the batteries on the underside of the PCB (which you can still do if you wanted to do so) but this would add to the height of the base.
Awesome! I subscribed. Can you design a Bladerunner white dragon neon light ?
Thanks. Great idea for a shape - I feel it might have too much detail for a sign this size. Though if this project proves popular then I will probably go other how to make larger wall hung designs. This would be great for that.
@@DIYMachines yeah I attempted to create it myself, and realized it needs to be much much larger and I need to order more of the LED strip.
How much of the neon rope should I buy? I'm planning on making the ringed planet.
I made the pineapple but the heat from the LED strip distorted the leaves. 😅 I used a 12V strip so maybe they get warmer than the 5V ones you used. The cactus looks awesome though!
About how much length of LEDs is used for one of the signs?
Hey @DIYMachines, do you know why my neon sign flickering/blinking when I turn the knob ?
Would it be possible to make a toned down version of this without the 555 timer which i assume is for the dimming? just a simple on/off function? a simple cercuit diagram for this would be great!
You could connect the USB power or AA batteries directly to the LED's via the switch (have the switch toggle between the two different positives). You may find that without the PWM dimming the battery power is diminished quicker than expected (depending on the amount of LEDs used in your design).
Does the neon led strip need to be 5V or does 12V also work ?
Hi, thanks for this, ordered some PCBs but is there any other toggle switch you could recommend because Amazon can't send them to me and I'd rather not order from Aliexpress, thanks!
You should be able to choose between Amazon and AliExpress using the links in the BOM. For convenience here it is: geni.us/DPDT-Toggle-Switch
I wonder how easy it is to add in bigclive's custom LED strips
Do you have a BOM list for the electronic components? I'm trying to source them directly from a manufacturer to put on your board. The manufacturer needs the part numbers.
hello sir i like your video
Just curious, is there any reason you didn't connect the led strips to eachother and instead run separate wires to the board for each section? Really clean project btw, definitely planning on making some of these as gifts for people.
I was thinking the same. It’s not like the draw is any more or less going back through the board.
@@Holmesy89 Probably has to do with the fact that if you want to connect the strips together, the voltage needed to power them is greater because the voltage adds up. Instead, if you run wires for each segment you are connecting them in parallel, so you only need the rated voltage to make everything work. If the LED strips are powered via batteries or USB, you only have 5V so you shouldn't connect segments in series.
Voltage adds?? No, not so. If you connect 2,3,4, or any number of led strips together, the voltage required to drive them remains the same, 5v in this case. What changes is the current draw(amps). If one strip draws 250mA, would draw 500mA. If you connect longer strips with lots of leds, you can have voltage drop, but that won’t be a problem here
@@JohnScherer When you connect lights in series, the current through all of them is the same but the total voltage drop in the circuit increases with the amount of lights connected. That would cause that some lights would light up less or the circuit wont work at all if the source voltage isn't equal or greater than that the voltage drop from the lights. What you describe happens if you connect the strips in parallel because of Kirchoff law. Each strip needs a certain amount of current to function but the voltage drop across all of them will be the same.
@@JaxDrive bro bro relax.... these led on the strips are connected in parallel....so however you power them.. all the led will be across same potential...connecting those strips in series won't make it series
Hi just saw this channel, good content . Can you make simple video on 3D printed car
Great suggestion! I've added it to the list of future project. Might be a little while though. :)
Thank you very much for uploading this, very cool project to do custom signs.
But come on, it's 2022 and there's unlimited possibilities for us makers, why would you choose USB Mini over an USB-C connection xD
Hello I have a question, can I use a 10k potentiometer instead of the 50k potentiometer of your diagram?
Thanks
Will you be posting the planet or pineapple designs on your Etsy like you did for the rainbow and leaf?
I can do but they are included in the free downloads on the projects page on Printables. Follow the link to download the models in the description. If you still would like to donate consider buying one of the other shapes. Thank you.