How to Make Your Own LED Sign Display

Make an LED display

You can create a sign or display out of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. With supplies you can find at local hardware and electronics stores, you can build a display of nearly any size, content or color that you want.

Things You'll Need

• Sturdy, flat piece of cardboard
• Scissors
• Cutting instrument
• Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
• 22-gauge wire
• 4 AA batteries and holder
• Wire cutters
• Soldering iron and solder
• Glue
• Pencil
• Paint (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of cardboard to the desired size of your sign or display. Paint it if desired.

2. Draw holes with a pencil to mark the location of the LEDs. Make the holes slightly smaller than the diameter of your LEDs. Press hard enough so that you can see your markings. Don't worry about erasing, unless you make a mistake, because you'll be punching or cutting the markings away.

3. Verify the hole locations. Step back and see it from a distance. Redraw the holes as needed.

4. Cut or punch out the holes.

5. One by one, cover the rim of each hole with glue and insert an LED by hand. Pushing the LED in from the front should carry excess glue to the back. Make sure the wire leads are exposed on the back side of the board.

6. Wire each LED in parallel. Parallel means that all the positive ends of each LED are connected electrically, which means connected through metallic content, such as by wires joined by solder. It also means all the negative ends are connected to each other. Solder will provide the electrical connection and the structural support for wires between the LEDs.

7. Connect a wire from the positive ends of the LEDs to the positive end of the battery holder. Do the same for the negative end of the battery holder. Solder is best, but twisting the wires works, too.

8. Insert the batteries in the holder. The LEDs will light up. To turn off the display, pull one battery out.

References

• Engineering Toolbox: Wire Gauges