How to build a home theater backlit poster box
January 22, 2008
Backlit Poster Lightbox Plans
Introduction
Everyone knows what it’s like to look for some information on the Internet that you know is there, but can’t seem to find it. I know people have built these lightboxes before, but not made any plans that are accessible to everyone else.After looking all over the net without complete success, I decided to embark on this project on my own. I gathered as many ideas as I could from people that had pictures of DIY(do it yourself) backlit poster frames, concepts of how to build a drawing lightbox and just some concepts I had in my head. I had looked at several commercial lightboxes and those on eBay. Most were selling for $300 up to $1000!. This box was built for under $150. If you’re resourceful and shop around, you can probably do it for less.These are the plans on how I built my prototype. It is by no means perfect and I have quite a few ideas on how to make it better. Version 2 will have these changes. I am not a professional electrician or carpenter. Use these plans at your own risk. I take no responsibilities for how you use these plans.
The Materials
I tried to make my prototype as simple as possible. I figured I would end up building it over and over again until I got it right. Keeping that in mind, I went with the most inexpensive non-reuseable items(the wood) and use good quality for everything else that could be reused.
|
Quantity |
Size |
Description |
Price |
| 4 | 1″ x 4″ x 48″ | Pine board | $10.00 |
| 1 | 1′/8″ x 4′ x 8′ | Luan Floor board | $10.00 |
| 1 | 3 -3 Light Ballast | $25.00 | |
| 6(3 Packages) | Flourescent Sockets | $5.00 | |
| 1 | 6′ | 105 Degree soldi copper wire | $4.00 |
| 1 | 6′ | Lamp Cord | $5.00 |
| 1 | Cord Rocker switch | $2.00 | |
| 3 | 36″ | Home and garden soft light Flourescent Lights | $15.00 |
| 2 | 8′ | Outside corner moulding | $16.00 |
| 2 | 4″ | Small Brass hinges | $8.00 |
| 1 | White Paint | $5.00 | |
| 1 | Black Gloss Paint | $5.00 | |
| 1 | 1/8″ x 27″ x 40″ | White plexiglass/Light Diffuser | $27.00 |
| 1 | 1/8″ x 27″ x 40″ | Clear plexiglass | $15.00 |
| TOTAL(approx. Have to look at actual receipts) | $152.00 | ||
|
Other Items & Tools |
|||
| Wood Glue Small wood screws Finishing NailsMiter Saw Hammer Square ScrewDriver Drill Drill Continuity Tester/Meter |
|||
The Design
There where a few things I had to keep in mind when coming up with the design. For me, I wanted a box that would be both low profile (less the 5 inches deep) and lite weight. I didn’t want something on the wall that weighed 300 lbs. I also wanted something that would put out enough light to show posters that had black backgrounds, but not too much that would create hotspots.The other consideration was how easy it would be to change posters and get access to the lights in case one went out.
Recent Comments