# lighting and frosting



## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

i was thinking of renovating my case (obviously), and i was wondering if leds/cathodes behind a pane of frosted perspex/acrlic would produce a more or less solid block of colour. if so, does anyone know, or can hazard a guess as to how far apart the light source and window would have to be to create this effect? 

thanks, 

Raptorkid


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

An interesting concept and yes, in theory, a cathode tube or 2 should provide an even block of light. I'm not right sure how tubes of different colours might mix, I imagine it would depend on the angle and distance of the tubes as to the position of the 'mixing' area.

Off the top-of-my-head, I think the main 'spread' of light would be dependant on the degree of frosting on the acrylic (size and shape of the 'granularity' or patterning), the distance is rather limiting really, just a few inches across the width of the case - so the lights would need to be as far as possible to reduce any 'bright' areas.

Alternatively, it might be an idea to experiment with 'edge' lighting - It should be possible to get some interesting effects that way, too. It might need some sort of reflective shielding, to direct the light spread from around the tube into a slot pointed to the edge of the acrylic/perspex.

Of course, you could use the same techniques with LED's to give focussed bands, patches and spreads of colour, as opposed to large areas :wink:

In fact, I can easily imagine a UV frosted sheet with red, green and blue LED's scattered around the edge and case, to give coloured splodges dotted around - that could be really beautiful :grin:


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

ooh, i like that idea. ill have to try that when i have the cash and/or time to do so. thanks


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

where would you recommend buying the materials for this, exactly?


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

That depends on which country you're in :grin:

If you're outside the UK, I don't know the suppliers, but there's members here from all around the globe who can help you out with this.

You could try a local Google search for 'PC modding' or 'customising' in your local(ish) area, you should get some results. Failing that, there's always Ebay, if you pick a buyer with a good reputation, they can usually send around the world too.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

... didnt think of Ebay. cheers!

and yes, i am in the UK...

i was only going to do a solid block because it means that my ageing hardware would be hidden :grin:

Temp. Edit: would this do?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/5mm-Frosted-W...39:1|66:2|65:15|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

That looks good, although I'm not sure what thickness would be needed - I don't think it would need to be too thick, but too thin might not be strong enough to provide protection against getting knocked out through flexing too much.

Are you cutting the hole out of the side-panel? or just fitting it inside to cover existing spaces?


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

cutting a hole, hopefully. 

adding to your idea, how about red and blue led units like http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Red-LED-Laser...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14 in all four corner, in a formation of :

R B

B R

behind the acrylic? im not an expert in light physics, so i dont know if that would work...

out of interest, how do you make LEDs sound-activated, or are the units used for that bespoke?

Edit: sort of like this:


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

That combination should look very cool, but then again, I'm a bit biased cos I adore those deep vibrant colours :laugh:

You could always 'blu-tack' the lights temporarily to find the best position, then fix them permanently when satisfied.

I've seen people here posting about sound-operated control units, but I can't remember which threads they were, I think the control-panel was bay-mounted or something.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

same with the pretty colours :grin:

ill have to look for those units at some point...

thanks for the help, and ill post back if/when i get to doing this...

EDIT: me being a cheapskate, d'you think that 'frosting' clear acrylic with sandpaper would work?

thanks again


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hmmmm, it could be an expensive experiment. It would need great care to get a perfectly even texture across the sheet - any imperfections would stand out like a sore thumb. Also, it's hard to sand something without getting streaks and patterns, even if using a rotary sander.


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

ok then, ill jsut buy a sheet of frosted off've ebay. thanks for the help!

ill pm you when i start the project, and when i finish if you like..


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Please, and some pics would be nice, if possible :wink:


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

ok - i'll probably buy the parts soon, otherwise ill have to wait till half term :sigh:


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hehehehe... I hear ya :wink: No rush, at least you've now sourced the materials :grin:


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## raptorkid (Jun 17, 2008)

I had- i got dragged to morcambe for the day, and i missed the LEDs :upset: Still, i can order the acrylic now...


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