For this project the concept was that i wanted something i could see well when racing, big enough to bypass the idea of "toy"and small enough to fit on top of a second monitor.
I have bought 3 white electrical junction boxes and these fit all together making them a solid piece, so there is no need for glues.
The next part was painting the interior of each box. Because they are white, the led light would not give the desired effect, so they were painted black. The color black would not help in the propagation of the light but would tend to give the observer the idea of a concentrated point of light. Then i masked the interior of the boxes with aluminum foil, the one used to stick temperature sensors on computer cases. This would provide the desired refraction of light and magnify the LEDs light effect.
Covering the interior of the boxes was easy, as well as painting them. Keep the nose of the paint can at 15-25 cm and make steady passes. I applied acrylic coat to all the boxes after the first process.
This project was a exploratory attempt to check the viability of such work. It´s pretty evident that the holes on the boxes were man made; i used a not so professional way to cut the plastic and make a hole to fit the 10mm LED's.
Preparing the LEDs
Specs: 10mm, 5v, ultra bright.
Easy to set up: The longer leg of the led is the positive one, the shorter one is the negative.
After all done, i had to connect the LEDs to a source of power and assign them to what to do and when to do it. Well, i connect them to a Shift Light Indicator (SLI-M).
These units (SLIs) are prepared to control LEDs in game, almost any game (racing related). Five (5) extra LEDs can be connected to this unit; any size as long they are up to 4v.
Front cover: 2mm opaque acrylic, 1 piece.
These traffic lights can be used as shift light indicator, simulate different flags in a race, give feedback about damage, etc. All the functions associated with the LEDs are from the Fanaleds software. These options can be assigned to external LEDs.
I am almost done..., just like to share some pictures more.
Thoughts and functionality
Makes the session fun, each time i use the traffic lights, it helps visually with the information and reminds me of how simple things can get. It´s easy to use, it´s always connected to the SLI, the SLI it´s always connected to the pc so, no need for plug extra usb connections.
The yellow led is the most dim, not so bright as the green and the red one. They are all from the same supplier and package.
Keep coming!
