Not sure if I’m posting in the correct category, but I’m interested in learning how to make an LED sign for my wedding. Has anyone created one in the past who can share which trainings I should pursue on the Makerspace portal and maybe guide me along the way?
Thanks in advance!
Best,
Julieta
This depends. You can:
Size, materials, cost and time all play a role. If you want to hire someone I can highly recommend @bertberaht He does amazing work on his CNC. You can search for him on talk and find just a few examples of what he does.
Find some examples of what you’d like to do and post those. You’ll get much better feedback with a concrete example (but not necessarily if made from concrete).
Well, the best way to make a concrete sign would be to start with a wooden mold. So we’re back to a woodshop start… 
Do you have an image of what type of LED sign you’re trying to do? That might change your medium. Faux neon through rope lights? Backlit? Outlined?
Are you talking about a sign like this? If so, I’m also needing to make one. Maybe someone would hold a class.
Congratulations! When is the wedding?
I have a 4’ LED sign that I use in some of my Arduino classes. If it fits your needs, you are welcome to use it. Otherwise, I will be glad to work with you if you choose to go with a different approach using Arduino or other microcontroller. Etching a pattern in acrylic and lighting the edge with an LED strip which changes colors would also be impressive. I’ll PM me contact info to you. I would like to talk to you or meet to discuss this.
This link below has a couple of video clips of the sign.
Thank you so much for the detailed response! From what I have been seeing on youtube, I think a wooden backing or acrylic backing would be what I’m aiming for. I imagine the wood to be less expensive than acrylic so for that reason, I may rely on wood. It looks like the laser cutter could cut the wood, but would love someone in electrical to help me with the LED strips and the soldering.
Hi @bpamplin! The wedding is 10/28 - enough time to finish a project?
Thanks for sharing the work you have done, but I am hoping for something like what @barnzcharmz posted above. Acrylic is probably less affordable than wood, so I’m open to have the backing be made out of plywood. Have you made signs like this in the past?
Yes! Would love something like this 
@agvet faux neon for sure - I think from the limited research I’ve done, it is the most cost-effective option. I’ve seen a youtube video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni7bW7k0O6I&t=48s] that is more advanced than what I want. I just want the words “Love and Happiness” in faux neon in one color. I will probably end up designing it myself, plain cursive is fine so not too complicated on the design front. What do you think?
The video and results are fascinating. Not stated is that if use use LEDs in a series circuit, both segments should have about the same number of LEDs. A simpler approach would be to wire everything in parallel with a 12 volt supply. You would need to be sure the controller, if you use one, works on 12 volts. As was mentioned, be sure the supply current is above your maximum requirements.
@barnzcharmz mentioned interest in a class. I always encourage folks to teach electronics classes. Hopefully, someone will pick up on this subject. A class, like DMS, would need to touch on a number of disciplines like art, woodworking, CNC, and electronics.
Let’s congratulate @julietag on her upcoming wedding and volunteer to help in our favorite areas of interest. It’s a challenging project. I’ll volunteer to help with electronics - not including soldering. (At 78 years old, soldering is not a fun as it used to be.)
They make “rope lighting” as shown in the photo @barnzcharmz posted. Here is a youtube video that might help start you in the creative direction. https://youtu.be/QVZn7YaRMd8
Bonus I work with programmable LED strips and joined the Makerspace to learn how to make things to put them in.
The programmable LED strips I usually work with are called WS2812b strips. They make those in those ropes, so you could use those to add another layer of customization. If you want something simple (solid colors, blends, simple color changes, etc.) I would be happy to assist in that! Otherwise ChatGPT can do simple Arduino scripts for these things as well.
Hello everyone! Once I returned from my work conference, I caught the nastiest sinus infection that has me at home for 3 weeks! 
I’m now back to life and able to revive this thread if there are volunteers who could help me w/ this LED sign!
Please reach out to me directly and I can accommodate your schedule to find times we can work together - I appreciate everyone’s input on this so much!
Best,
Julieta
Have you considered making something using EL (electroluminescent) wire?
It’s simple to do. Remember the kids’ toy where you would thread a shoelace into a card to make a picture of something? You make EL wire signs the same way and you can buy a simple power supply (sometimes battery powered) - just avoid kinking or creasing the wire. You could easily laser cut the backing to shape the outside and the holes to thread the EL wire into. The Plastics SIG has a bunch of very dark smoky acrylic in pieces 6-8" by about 4’ long and they are up for grabs.
EL wire is available in a wide range of “thickness” (gauge) and most places let you buy it by the foot (couple dollars per foot).
You can find a lot of examples and tutorials on YouTube.
EDIT: Another way to do the EL wire, that reduces the risk of kinking the EL wire, is to just drill holes in the backing and put thin (non-electrical) wire through the holes to hold your EL wire in place.
I’ll be at electronics office hours tonight if you want to chat.
