Another DIY poster/marquee light-box

cuzed2,
You can save some expense by going with a thinner, flexible overlay for the front instead of a rigid piece of acrylic. It's what is included in some low profile LED Edge Lit Poster Frames, standard non-illuminated Snap Poster Frames as well as Back-Lit Illuminated Poster Cases. I believe the actual material used most often for the overlays is PETG. Good luck with your project.

IMHO, not nearly enough lights. I used 50' of LED rope light in my box and it was barely enough. Note that many of the double sided posters are very dark, so they need more light.

I really will try to post the one I built using the Spotlight displays snap frame tonight. It really is a nice setup and very easy to construct. Also easy to swap out posters.

It uses the spotlight displays front loading frame from here http://www.spotlightdisplays.com/mm5...tlightdisplays

Craig, this thread is going to be a big time saver for me BTW I am using the spotlight display front loading frames that jayn_j mentioned (already have the posters mounted) -- I'm then building a frame and lightbox around that in walnut.

Quick question: what was the source for your LED strips. The ones I used in my columns were relatively expensive but are *way* brighter than the cheap ones I picked up from ebay. The easiest way to tell would be the current rating for any given length.

OK, here is one I haven't mounted yet. It was my first try. I have since used black frames instead of the silver here. The frame is the Spotlight Display wide frame in 27x40" size


Here it is lit up. As you can see, I need to tape the rope lights to the back of the frame better


This is a detail from the side, showing the frame mounted to the 2" deep lightbox


I have opened the frame here and removed the poster. This shows the detail of the rope light stuffed into the box


This picture shows detail of the Spotlight frame construction and also how it mounts to the front of the lightbox with screws.


This shows the detail of how I mounted the LED rope light to the box. My first attempt was to use the clips that came with the rope light, but I found that they tended to break and let the rope fall to the bottom. The current mounting uses 3/8" cable clamps. These are big enough to let the rope slide through and even out tension.


This shows the poster sandwiched between the two layers of PETG material. Note that the PETG is thin and frosted. The frosting serves two purposes. First, with the frosted side out, it provides a non-glare surface. Second, it provides sufficient diffusion, as long as the rope light is kept at least an inch behond the back of the PETG


Here is the poster inserted in place. Note, it is placed in the innermost channel.


The outer rails are then clamped down over the poster and PETG, creating a frame that can easily be changed out without removing the frame from the wall

I think the wide looks more like the commercial lightboxes. However, the narrow ones will allow the lightbox sides to be closer to the edges of the frame. If you look at my pictures, you will see that the frame extends out a fair amount from the lightbox.

I like the wide look, too. Where do you guys buy your posters? May have to build one of these. My theater has a clean look, but these would look good in a theater entrance.

Thanks for the good pictures.

Lots of places. For classic posters, I buy a lot from a couple of auction houses.
www.emovieposter.com
www.movieposterbid.com

Heritage auctions also has regular poster auctions. There stuff tends to be higher priced, but they also tend to have the stuff you drool over. For example, the hobby is all abuzz over a pile of posters from 1931 that were being used to insulate an attic. Included in the bunch was an original Dracula. Speculation says this one will go for over $300,000.
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx...5&lotIdNo=9034

But you are looking for modern stuff, I guess. A good honest dealer is dale dilts (ddilts) who sells on ebay. Ebay is probably the easiest source, but you see a lot on craigslist as well. Movie posters are generally not sold directly to the public, so the best source is people who work at the theaters. They get the posters as perks. You can sometimes go to the multiplex and ask the manager for posters, or to hook you up with someone there.

Be sure to only get double sided posters for modern stuff. The single sided stuff is almost always poor quality repros and the real stuff doesn't cost any more.

I am building a light box but i do not have any double sided movie posters just single sided....Will the single sided ones work for the time being ? Also why are double sided one better for light boxes and how many feet of rope light will i need ? Thanks

Hey Craig I have been looking at those same LED strips from a different Ebay supplier but havent been able to get a response from them. Do you know how many of those "5M" strips can be daisy-chained together on 1 single power supply?

I made this in about 2 hours yesterday mostly with items i had around the house. All i had to buy was an 18ft rope light and some cable clamps. I only spent $18 at Home Depot ....the other stuff i already had.

This is the first time i have done this and i had no idea what i was doing. It was the best i could do with my limited knowledge with projects like this. A professional Light Box would cost around $300-$500. The next time i make one it will be 27 x 40....Double side posters are the best for Light Boxes and they only come in 27 x 40. The Trick R Treat poster that i am using is single sided and i think it lights great.

Items Used

2 - 24 inch cuts of 1 1/2 x 2 1/2
2 - 36 inch cuts of 1 1/2 x 2 1/2
2 Walmart 24 x 36 poster frames
Velcro
18 ft. Rope light
Cable clamps
Clear packing tape
Some black paint
Dimer switch
Cord Hider

You will need a 2nd poster frame for the 24 x 36 piece of the plastic that protects the poster. I had a spare one from and older poster frame that i had. If you can figure out a way to get a hold of a piece of plastic that size with out buying a 2nd poster frame just for the plastic then it will make your project cheaper.

1. Cut the wood and connect them with some long screws. Make sure it is very sturdy and secure. The frame you make out of the wood should measure exactly 24 x 36.
2. Paint the wood frame
3. When dry put the card board piece that came in the poster frame (I used of 24 x 36 piece of flat paneling that i had but the card board should work fine). on top of the frame you made with the wood and make sure it fits exactly.
4. Staple gun the card board or flat paneling to the wood frame.
5. Cut a small hole at the bottom side of the wood frame.

6. Using the cable clamps to arrange the rope light inside the wood frame. Make sure you start with the plug end through the hole you made then start connecting the rope up and down the frame with the cable clamps.

7. Use the clear packing tape to secure the lights to the back of the cardboard or paneling.
8. Take the plastic frame (Walmart one ) and put your poster in it. Put the 2nd plastic poster protector over your poster. Clamp the poster and 2 plastic pieces down with the small black clamps that are built into the Walmart frame.
9. Cut small thin pieces of Velcro and stick them on the outer edge of the plastic poster protector. Make sure the Velcro pieces are not to big or they will show when the light box is on. I used about 8 pieces of Velcro around the plastic frame. I can still take of the frame to change out the poster. It takes a little bit of work but it will come off. Just do it carefully so you do not snap the plastic.
10. Carefully place the plastic frame onto the light box evenly.
11. Plug it in . I use a dimer switch on mine.

Here is video of my Light Box

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYs-Nptyfg4

You will never find double sided 24x36" posters because these are not theater posters, but rather commercial reprints. Michaels sells an inexpensive 27x40 poster frame that can be used, although I prefer the front load Spotlight frame for the reasons shown above.

Yes, single sided will look washed out because the white light passing through the paper diffuses the image. The double sided one filters the incoming light, re-inforcing the image.

Aldo, did you use LED or conventional incandescent rope lighting. The incandescent is brighter, but generates a lot of heat. I found that 50' of LED was MINIMUM and I would not use that little in a lighted room. Mine are going in fairly dark stairwells, and it is OK.

Sorry... just got back from vacation.


I have the wide frames. Personal opinion but I thought the narrow ones wouldn't be dramatic enough.


As long as you are not connecting a really long length it technically doesn't make a difference whether it is wired in series or parallel -- the circuit is exactly the same. The theoretical advantage of parallel connection is that the LED's later in the chain won't suffer a possible voltage drop (and thus dimmer output) caused by the slight resistance of the thin wire strips.

Not to hijack - but where did you get the "Now Showing" sign from?

Ok I have a question.....the ends of these "rolls" of lights, are they terminated with a plug or bare wire? The reason I ask is another ebay seller of a similar light uses a terminated plug at the end of their lights. Also Craig you mentioned it would be better to make a "home run" with each individual roll/strand, so how much wire is there at the end of a roll to get me back to where my power supply will be?

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Theater-F...9393715&sr=1-2

Get the deluxe letter pack....That will give you the DTS-DOLBY DIGTAL- HDTV and many more .......

Thanks!
I had seen that before, just didn't remember where. In your picture it looked almost like the gold parts were silver - but that may just have been the monitor I saw it on combined with the flash.