Looney home lightboard (2 minute overview)

* glass: 3/8" x 28" x 48" pane of tempered low-iron glass, purchased online (and shipped by mail!) from Dulles Glass and Mirror. I am not receiving a commission, I paid for this out of my own pocket. I considered using plexiglass, which has similar clarity to low-iron glass, but at the time plexiglass was almost as expensive as low-iron glass (due to COVID-driven demand for plexiglass).
* glass mounting: the glass rests on the bottom edge (cushioned!) and is secured at the bottom (cushioned lateral supports that obscure less than 1/2 inch of glass) and at the top (cushioned lateral supports that obscure less than 3/4 inch of the top of the glass). The support system was designed to allow for removing/replacing the glass-rim LED lights without removing the pane of glass. I am really proud of this feature!
* LED: type 2835 (with 6000-6500K Temp) 12-volt LED strips were used for both the glass lighting (taped to top and sides of glass) and for the "presenter" lighting.
* Light adjustment: originally I used Pulse Wave Modulation (PWM) dimmers, but in March 2023 I replaced these with DC step-down converters (a.k.a. "buck" converters) to eliminate banding effects. [Note: PWM dimmers introduce a "dimming frequency" which can interact with other frequencies in the filming process to produce an unsightly banding effect in recorded video. The DC step-down converters eliminate this.]
* Camera: I use my iPad or my iPhone. These are more than good enough for recording high-quality HD video, so why spend $$ on a separate camera? However, it is important to use a video app that allows for MANUAL CONTROL of exposure settings such as ISO and shutter speed (DSLR cameras etc. also allow exposure control via "aperture", but smartphones etc. normally have non-adjustable apertures). This is important for making the marker colors stand out and also for hiding glass flaws and marker smudges. Suitable video/camera apps are available for $10 or less.
* Glass cleaning: I use microfiber wipes. Normally dry-wiping is fine. Occasionally I wipe with a wet microfiber cloth (water is fine!) and then wipe dry with another microfiber cloth. [TIP: with the right exposure settings, dry-wiping will normally be enough to ensure that smudges etc. are not visible in the resulting videos.]
* Microphone: originally I used a wired lavalier microphone, but the wired connection became fussy, so I have switched to using a one-ear earpiece with a short 2 inch built-in mic. ($30-$40). I have found that even a short mic gives better results than (for example) earbuds. [iPhone/iPad note: as of March 2023, iPhones/iPads don't give default access to bluetooth microphones in the camera app. This limitation extends to some but not all 3rd party camera/video apps. I have NOT done exhaustive testing, but I have verified that -- in March 2023 -- the "MoviePro" and "Cinema P3" apps work with a bluetooth mic, and they also have the necessary manual control.]
* Video editing: the iPhone/iPad version of iMovie does everything I need (well, as of March 2023 it still does not "mirror image" the video, so I use another free app for that). There are also free solutions for editing on both MAC and PC platforms.

[alisonminer]

Nice Craig, but you need to do the mirroring thing or whatever it’s called so what other people see is readable. It’s all reversed, but you probably know that.