Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: superbigjay on March 16, 2007, 09:18:06 am
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Hello, I'm currently planning my next project (I'll start a thread in the project annoucement soon).
Currently, I have a problem. For the side of the cabinet, I want to use Knievel's NEON mame idea to illuminate the circular logos.
The arcade theme I've chosen needs YELLOW accents. I already got transluscent yellow trackball and pushbutton. I also though I found a pair of BLITZ 15" yellow neon speaker ring from mobileemotions web site (cartx on ebay). However, it seems that the company is not making those neon anymore. I was able to find them on another website, but same story...
I tought of some alternatives:
- yellow glowire or EL cable (option to have microphone to flash along with the music)
- yellow ribon of christmas lights (no music)
- home made ring with yellow LEDs
The EL cables seems a good option and have the "music" feature (don't know if it works well?), but I'm not sure if the light intensity is bright enough.
The "chrismas lights" are an inexpensive solution, but no music support.
I definitively prefer the original NEON option since it would probably be the one offering the best "uniform" lighting for a circular logo. That option was in the range 25-50$ including shipping.
Is there someone here on the forum who can give me insights on where to get a yellow neon ring? (that can be shipped to USA or Canada)
Has anyone has alternatives to this??
thanks
Jay
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15" Yellow Neon Rings (http://mobile-emotions.stores.yahoo.net/15innespriye.html)
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15" Yellow Neon Rings (http://mobile-emotions.stores.yahoo.net/15innespriye.html)
thanks Mr. Greenjeans,
but this is where I tried to order the neon ring the first time.
so far, these are the only online stores I was able to find yellow neon rings.
- http://mobile-emotions.stores.yahoo.net (also known as cartx on ebay)
- http://distributorsoutlet.net
In both cases, I got the same answer:
- they were out of stock and couldn't get it from the distributor.
If anyone know where to get a yellow neon ring 12 or 15 inches, let me
know. I don't know where to look :dunno
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could youy use a white one with yellow gel that lighting people (like me) use in theatres etc
http://www.rosco.com/us/filters/index.asp (http://www.rosco.com/us/filters/index.asp)
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I agree with Polaris, about tinting a white ring. I also work in theatre and we did about 30 feet of neon from white to yellow earlier this season.
Polaris, where do you work. I'm the ATD at the Seattle Rep. It's funny how many places theatre based solutions end up being apropriate, I suggest stuff all the time over at the avsforum home theater forums that seem so natural to me but nobody else thinks of it, probably because in theatre there's hardly such a thing as thinking IN the box.
You might also see what it would cost to have a sign company make you something.
Later, and good luck with your yellow neon search,
Brian
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could youy use a white one with yellow gel that lighting people (like me) use in theatres etc
http://www.rosco.com/us/filters/index.asp (http://www.rosco.com/us/filters/index.asp)
That would be a great idea. I thought about a white ring with some sort of tinted plexiglass, but that yellow gel seems way better.
However, it sems that white rings are also hard to find... :banghead:
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How about a couple of these in each hole?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220092287065 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220092287065)
What I would do is cut the circle in your cabinet side, then cut a slightly larger circle in a piece of MDF scrap. Mount the LED strips to inside edge of that hole and then screw it to inside of your cabinet, lined up with the cabinet hole.
That way the LED's won't be visible, just the yellow glow.
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How about a couple of these in each hole?
....
That way the LED's won't be visible, just the yellow glow.
Woooo!
Thanks Knieviel,
I thinks this should do the trick...
If I go with 14-15in diameter logo, I woul need 2 hole * diam (15) * Pi ~= 8 feet long.
That ebay auction has 4 x 2 strip of 1 feet = 8 feet total.
Total cost with shipping would be around 37US which is about what the neons were...
(12+25ship. I hate it when shiiping is more expensive than item itself!!)
I'll look around to see if I can find it cheaper, but this is definitively a good option!!!
Thanks :cheers:
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Well if you were up to a little soldering you could make your own LED strips or even a ring and save yourself a bundle. I would get say a 1/2" wide strip of plastic or thin wood or something you could bend. Drill holes in it every inch or so and shove your led's in. Then just form it into a circle and and wire them up.
Bags of LED's are cheap on eBay, from overseas sellers. I deal with those auctions for all my LED stuff, never had an issue and it gets to you suprisingly fast.
Sideart idea..
If you were to cut a circle of plexi just big enough to just fit inside the LEDs(so the LEDs were touching or almost touching the plexi) the whole plexi circle would glow. If you had a logo or something laser-etched into the plexi it could look VERY cool. :)
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Well if you were up to a little soldering you could make your own LED strips or even a ring and save yourself a bundle. I would get say a 1/2" wide strip of plastic or thin wood or something you could bend. Drill holes in it every inch or so and shove your led's in. Then just form it into a circle and and wire them up.
Thanks for the idea! I went with the strips you suggested earlier. This time, I took the lazy way ;)
Sideart idea..
If you were to cut a circle of plexi just big enough to just fit inside the LEDs(so the LEDs were touching or almost touching the plexi) the whole plexi circle would glow. If you had a logo or something laser-etched into the plexi it could look VERY cool. :)
Hmmmm... I like this... I'll check this later....
==> neon ring issue is now resolve.
Thanks
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Sideart idea..
If you were to cut a circle of plexi just big enough to just fit inside the LEDs(so the LEDs were touching or almost touching the plexi) the whole plexi circle would glow. If you had a logo or something laser-etched into the plexi it could look VERY cool. :)
Knievel, any idea where I should look for laser-etched plexi??
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in case anybody else is looking for big illuminate yellow neon, here is a froogle search for yellow neon clocks; sure one could scavenge the part from one:
*link* (http://froogle.google.com/froogle?client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hl=en&q=yellow%20neon%20clock&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wf)