3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

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Ms Wolffie
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Ms Wolffie »

Xxray wrote:I'm on a roll, this is the last one I'll post.
A nicely detailed ball, looks pretty wild.
I know it's an optical illusion but how do you do that mesh, please?
Cheers
Wolffie
Cheers
Wolffie

Whatshammacallit
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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

Ancient Chinese secret !
No, I just found some suitable line drawings/clip art on the web, vectorized them, and cut away. I wish I could home brew graphics like that, maybe some day. Decent subjects are hard to find, and can be very tough to vectorize.
Doug

usLEDsupply
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by usLEDsupply »

I'd like to try one of those mini controllers ,, Do they solder right to the strip, and is there an on/off built into the mode button ?


yes if you press the center button for a second they shut off

they don't solder to the strips but they plug into a 4-pin connector that you can solder to the strips
Image

i have one left if you want one and i'll give it to you for $5 including shipping i also have a bunch for Single Color Strips
if you want more than one i have another batch coming in the next week or so

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

LED, always interested to hear your opinions on lighting.
I went off the deep end earlier and ordered 10 of them on ebay, so I'll see how it works out. I already have a bunch of connectors like these
Image, so hopefully I'll be able to interface with them.
My idea would be to offer people an alternative to electric operated, so next step will be to rig up a battery powered box. I'd like to integrate them into the base, but realistically don't see that happening. Cost, I think, will end up being about the same. Slim controllers are slightly cheaper and no wall wart, which are about $5 each, but now I got the cost of the batt box to contend with. Any "turn key" solutions ?
Doug

usLEDsupply
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by usLEDsupply »

i don't think you can do much battery pack wise for under $15/20 for a re-chargeable battery pack with charger but if you hate your customers and want to make it so they can run it off 8x AAA batteries you could just get one of these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-pcs-8x-AAA-Ce ... 2a1fd83ecc
Image

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

Nuthin to do with love or hate, but business. I'd have 0 room to mark up another $20, can't eat it either, so I will have to go the cheap route and even let them supply their own batteries, rechargeable if they want.
I'm all about offering people options, but it seems the primary option most folks are interested in is the lowest possible price.
Doug

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Ms Wolffie
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Ms Wolffie »

What I did was add the battery holder as a plug in and a switch then add the cheapest batteries I could find.
Yes, I am a cheapskate but it is up to the buyers how long they want the batteries to run, at least the can enjoy the pictures until the batteries run out :mrgreen:
I offer the transformer as a second option at a price.
Cheers
Wolffie
Cheers
Wolffie

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usLEDsupply
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by usLEDsupply »

yes options are always a good way to do it as there are still some people out there that don't mind paying more for an upgrade and the rest can just get the cheap one and feel like they are getting a good deal (at least until they have to buy another pack of batteries lol) but there are times i do the same thing so i can't say much

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

It is what it is, I may be forced to jack up the price to give extra options, and let the chips fall where they may.
On the + side, I enjoy making these, and these are no where near a primary source of income, just extra ciggy/gas $$, so if sales slump thats not going to affect me very much.
Selling or not, I will still be making them, and I'm going to build up a portfolio of pics, including the ones posted here, and put them on my epad, so that I can show people things that have been made. I am getting better at saving and organizing my cuts files too, so I can easily cut more without going through much designing and setup, once the first one is done.

I just got a load of 3/8 plexi today, I really like the thickness, I think it is optimal. Only downside is it is slightly thinner than the LED strips, so I'm not sure how thats going to affect the bases for them. With 1/4", I do a 2 tier base, with the lower accommodating the strip, and the upper slot a perfect match for the plexi. 1/2" I do a 1 piece, as the plexi is slightly wider than the strip.
With the 3/8, the difference is so small I'm hoping to get by with a 1 piece also, to avoid the hassle of having to cut 2 pieces for 1 base. This is the 1st cut I did with the 3/8th, 8x9 Detroit Tigers logo, came out nice, detailed right down to the whiskers. Still have a bit of node editing to do to improve it further still, never be content !
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IMG_2825 (Large).JPG
Doug

Rod Williamson
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Rod Williamson »

Xxray

I really like your work. Is the Tiger one a combo of V bit and diamond drag? If you use a v bit, could you give some details of type/make that might cut the best? Again...super looking work!

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

All drag bit work in this thread, detail is superior to any v bit that I know of. I only recently started using drag bits, like within the last few weeks, I have turned into a huge fan.
These are my fav vbits by far, even they would be very hard pressed to come close to the clean detail diamond drag bits produce.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P4NSYG/

Tiger is a combo profile/pocket cut, is 8x9", probably took about 45 minutes total to cut.
Doug

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

Couple more I did today, a Harley design for a buddy of mine, and Pooh for another buddies daughter.
Both are multi color with control units, both are .25 plexi with a 2 tiered base.
Attachments
IMG_2844 (Large).JPG
IMG_2845 (Large).JPG
Doug

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

A couple more, including a patriotic mirror design, white light only.
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IMG_2856 (Large).JPG
IMG_2858 (Large).JPG
Doug

woodgraver
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by woodgraver »

Love the pitbull, but all your work is amazing. I am going to pick up a piece of plexiglass from hobby lobby and try to use my laser to engrave an image on it to see if that would produce similar results. I tried to look up the lighting system and can't figure out what you are using for the multi colored lights/controller. Keep up the good work!

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Xxray
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Re: 3d mesh pitbull edge lit sign

Post by Xxray »

woodgraver wrote:Love the pitbull, but all your work is amazing. I am going to pick up a piece of plexiglass from hobby lobby and try to use my laser to engrave an image on it to see if that would produce similar results. I tried to look up the lighting system and can't figure out what you are using for the multi colored lights/controller. Keep up the good work!

Controllers
http://www.ebay.com/itm/170875036795

Power supply, something like this 12v 1-2 amps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370793975766

RGB Strips
http://www.ebay.com/itm/121058740608
These are direct from China so it takes a couple weeks, worth the wait if you aren't in a rush. Very good price, superior LED's, and comes with a controller. But you can use any RGB strips, if you get waterproof, you'll have to strip off the plastic coating to solder.

You can solder the control wires directly to the RGB strips, but I prefer using these connectors
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-PCS-4-Pin-Ma ... 231d09ef6f

So it takes a little prior investing, once you got your stuff you can crank out bases and signs at will.
I got a buddy that laser engraves plexi, I got him into it recently. His results are spotty, some come out looking great, some not. Like routing, some trial & error is needed for optimum settings, good luck.
Doug

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