How To Make a Custom Neon LED Sign!

For a recent wedding anniversary, Norm embarks on making a custom LED-lit display that looks like a neon sign. Follow along as we guide you through the process of taking a hand drawn image like cursive text and turning it into a laser-cut display using off-the-shelf flexible LED lights and some patient soldering and wiring. The finished effect looks convincingly like a neon tube light!

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Shot and edited by Norman Chan

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Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

[goosenotmaverick]

We installed a larger version of that type of light strip, in a pretty high end house, on some landscape stuff. So far 4 years later it runs 10-12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Pretty cool stuff and you can do all sorts of fun things with

[daviduprichard]

A good way of getting the tight corners is by cutting a bit of the inside of the corner on the strip to allow it to bend even more without having to cut it fully and more wiring

[Midnightmicroscope]

Thank you for including the whole build process including the digital design stage. That’s the part that trips me up, so it’s great to see how you do it.

[jezza_fat]

Hey Norm, we do this at work.

We cut out a groove with a 3/8" offset on top in whatever material people want and slap addressable RGBs from Environmental LED on the inside from both sides.

We then cut a milk white plexiglass to fit on top of that groove and it gets glued in.

The milkplex acts as a diffuser anyway and you get no spots.

[TraceDominguez]

I have been wanting to make one of these for my studio! Norm get OUT OF MY BRAIN

[Vickie-Bligh]

Happy anniversary, Norm. What a lovely gift for your wife.

[hattabg]

Always be testing, as you go along! 18:20
Life advice right there.

[elissitdesign]

It’s easier to make a thicker stroke then select “outline stroke” for the channel. You get a better path curve that way. It will create an outline from the middle.
Also, I prefer using Command + W, I think it’s that shape merge tool, it’s more interactive for adding and deleting shapes. You have to select all the shapes first you want to augment.
Cheers.

[ryane.]

Norm, you are the reason I have a Glowforge so I have to say I love when you make videos utilizing it.

[HectorsShop]

Finally, exactly what I was looking for! Dollar General has 6 ft sections for 5 bucks in blue green red and white, was wondering if I could of used them to make a neon. This is perfect. Now I don't have a way to make a channel board so that's my next challenge. Thank for the video.

[franktaccetta]

I’m so glad you brought this new lighting strip that has the look of neon to my attention! What a cool project! It gives me all sorts of new ideas! Thanks

[barrishautomotive]

What do I do if my laser cutter is... nonexistent?

[thelivingmanpart]

the power leads all tied together was such an ingeniously simple inventive idea! It is strangely a "backwards" way to think of it, and it made thinking about the whole idea of a project for a neurodivergent like myself way less anxiety ridden!

[curreypanda]

I just recently saw these and you're the only one who shows how to do it. Thank you for that

[MrArron]

This channel never gets old y'all taught me through childhood

[AdditionalAndrew]

That is fricken amazing!

It makes me want to learn how to work with making electric circuits and put them together.

[dNIKS]

whoa I’ve been thinking of getting my name in a neon sign & would’ve never expected to come to YT to see this on my recommended 🤯

[terryatadrenalinsgarage]

Somebody buy this man some glasses!

Love this LED neon light idea! Now I have to figure out what to make! Thanks for the vid!

👍

[thomaspaffett]

Love the project, something I’ve been looking to do for a while. But don’t carry solder over using the iron, it’ll boil off the flux and make your job a whole lot harder, it takes practice but you can bend the solder to allow you to melt it directly onto the pad. 👍🏼👍🏼

[yatessmyrna]

Lighting solutions like this come in so many options.