Help me light my Trek Replicator!

[Sulla]

I am finally putting together my trek replicator. It will be made of .125" HIP Styrene, reinforced with brackets and supports. There's about 2.5" - 3" of height for the light box. There is plenty of width. Maybe 20" x 18" or so.
The cardboard mock up:

There will be one back lit panel on the front of it and a light shining down into it. What kind of light should I use? Do I need two (one for the panel and one for the light panel in the ceiling of the cavity.) This was my first thought of how to accomplish this.

Or is there a good bright light I can use mounted in the rear that will shine through the control panel on the front and down into the cavity? Perhaps if I line the inside of the light box with reflective material, or perhaps a double sided rig made of two small lights?

 

[PHArchivist]

I'm not a lighting expert, but pretty cool subject!

 

[Sulla]

I'm not a lighting expert, but pretty cool subject!

Thanks.

 

[mgoob]

I'd backlight the back w/ flourescents.

IIRC, there was a circular grid on the top of the food replicator that would like up and project a circle of light on the bottom.

1 switch for the backlight (constant on)
1 switch that would ramp up the bulb, and then ramp it down to mimic the "energy to matter" effect.

Be cool if you could put sndfx on Radio Shack sound digitizer so light & sndfx went off at same time.

 

[JoeRalat]

How dare you not post this in my forum..lol I am still not sure of it being put on the bookself, I think the white makes it stnad out. I was thinking that if you can cover it with the same wood vernile..to match then it would look better. Just an idea.


Not 100% sure how much you want to spend..This site may be a help.
Keep us updated.
http://www.luminousfilm.com/

 

[Sulla]

Sorry, Joe. I'll put it up on your forum too.

I found some 15" long x 3/4" tall, no heat, bright florescent light bars (which will just fit into the width of the cavity with over an inch to spare on height, for about $15 each at a local hardware store over the weekend. I am going to go pick a couple of them up next weekend after I figure out a power switch. These lights have a metal touch plate on/off switch on them now, so Ill probably have to figure out how to wire them to a single on/off switch in the line somewhere.

 

[Sulla]

Oh, yeah, and this is will not be on that book shelf. It will be free-standing on top of some low shelves that are light gray in coloring and which are about the same width. Until I can build something like this to put it in, that is...

 

[peter1701]

nice refrigerator

 

[Apollo]

I don't know about the lights, but this is the coolest TNG Project on this board in a long, long, time! :thumbsup

Please post some Pics when you get done.

 

[Sulla]

Thanks apollo!

nice refrigerator

I called this my future-fridge project!
It's a cabinet. My hobby room is turning into my Trek room slowly but surely. This will give me some storage space and some mote Trek-like continuity in the decor.