lighted border of the steel base

I have added another thing to the case: a lighted border for the steel base!

I had done this kind of work before on another mod (this modded Level 10: Immagine ), and the first time was a long sequence of failed attemps, but now I already know how to do it in the correct way (the right materials, proportions, methods, etc.), so this second time has been a lot easier.

Basically the idea is to make a “sandwich” with a translucent layer lighted from inside, between two opaque layers (one of them is the steel base).

First I cut two frames from two panels of the same size of the base, one in transparent polycarbonate and one in opaque grey PVC:

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Then I have fixed the frames and the base together, to profile their borders like the rounded corner of the base:

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Then I have sanded the edges of both panels, and I have washed them to remove all the dust:

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To make the right “sandwich”, the two external layers must seem equals, so I painted the border of PVC frame with a silver paint marker:

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Then I soldered and glued the led strips:

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Some points have been particularly complicated, like the rounded corner of the base, in which I had to solder short strip pieces to make the curved strip:

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Two videos of the raw lighted frame (in the final position under the base, the led strip will not be visible like the one in this videos. The only visible part will be the lighted external edge of the polycarbonate frame):

After soldering the led strips and attaching the two frames together with some biadhesive tape, now I must assemble it under the steel base (I have added some pieces of grey PVC in the inner side of the frame, to avoid light leaks towards the center):

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Meanwhile I have replaced all the old nuts and washers, with stainless steel ones:

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And this is a lighting test of the base (up side down):

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