LED DJ Facade Project

[DJzrule]

After a short trip to Home Depot, I picked up some corrugated plastic, some 1x3, hinges, and brackets, and now have a modular facade. You can add or subtract panels on the fly to suit the size of the booth you're using at a particular job just by pulling the pins on the hinges. I lit it up with a Blizzard Stormchaser that has a frost gel over the lens to get a nice, even coverage.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkfXLjep5I

[Dj DRPX]

Nice work man! It looks good and really well made from what I can tell.

[DJzrule]

Nice work man! It looks good and really well made from what I can tell.

Thanks dude!

I'm considering adding black u shaped beading around each panel for durability, kind of like on flight cases, but that'll come later.

[DJ Climaxxx]

Nicee it looks like the profesional ones

[Johnnotestine]

Looks great. What frosted panels did you buy? I wasn't able to find any, and I'm not completely happy with the spandex I used.

Some piano hinges would really clean that up your joints. I picked up the 4' hinges on amazon and they work great.

[DJzrule]

From a small cast party gig tonight, 120ish kids.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3851/20130409192646.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/7016/20130409174416.jpg

[AllEyesOnG]

Wow looks pretty good bro. How did you get the framing for it? Or is that the 1/3?

[DJzrule]

Wow looks pretty good bro. How did you get the framing for it? Or is that the 1/3?

The framing is 1x3 with 2" L brackets to keep it in place. I'm considering finishing the edges with aluminum trim like on flight cases, but painted black. It'll add some weight and make them more durable for the long haul. :tup:

[DjNeedleSharp]

Okay lots of questions!

What were the dimensions of each panel? Did you angle the ends or just just do butt joints and right angles?
How did you attach the panels to the wood?
What were the hinges you used?

[DJzrule]

Okay lots of questions!

What were the dimensions of each panel? Did you angle the ends or just just do butt joints and right angles?
How did you attach the panels to the wood?
What were the hinges you used?

Butt joints with brackets. I actually decided to go ahead and grab 2 4x8 high grade plywood, divide it up into eight 2'x4' panels (my frames are currently 2'x3') and then cut out the centers to put the corrugated plastic. It'll be smoother and have a bit more weight to it, which I see that I need when doing outdoor gigs.

My current design is very lightweight, and had I done it again with 1x3, I would have done angled cuts on the edges. It's just very hard to get good 1x3 for cheap in Long Island, its all usually low grade unless you go cabinet grade.

Panels attached with 1" wood screws.

Regular door hinges used with cotter pins replacing the hinge pegs so I can take it apart easily for transport. I'm getting real lift-off hinges for my final design with the plywood.
http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/526335/3879021/0/1183022423/stainless_steel_Lift-off_hinge.jpg

[DjNeedleSharp]

Yea I am torn between the center cut plywood design and the 1x3's... I figured the solid piece of wood would be significantly stronger than 4 individual pieces of wood that have been screwed and glued together. What is the weight difference between the two?

I'm assuming you just stapled the panels to the wood frame? Also, to help with the light shining through the cracks I'm thinking of using a strip of black material between the two panels that would be attached either by velcro or snaps so it could be easily removed for transport.

[DJzrule]

Yea I am torn between the center cut plywood design and the 1x3's... I figured the solid piece of wood would be significantly stronger than 4 individual pieces of wood that have been screwed and glued together. What is the weight difference between the two?

I'm assuming you just stapled the panels to the wood frame? Also, to help with the light shining through the cracks I'm thinking of using a strip of black material between the two panels that would be attached either by velcro or snaps so it could be easily removed for transport.

I feel the 1x3 is durable but not heavy, and yes it sounds counterintuitive that a DJ who had back surgery twice wants something heavier, but the plywood frame with cutout will honestly be negligible.

No, no, the corrugated is screwed on. As long as you have 3 screws per side of the panels, top, bottom, and the sides, no light shows through. As for the cracks, that will be solved with the new lift-off hinges I'm getting. The spacing was so I could fold the panels in transport rather than remove them altogether.

[DJ Whrr]

Looks hot to me man!

You DJ'in' a church rave or something? All respect given if so! Let me know, man.

DJ Whrr

[DJzrule]

Looks hot to me man!

You DJ'in' a church rave or something? All respect given if so! Let me know, man.

DJ Whrr

No, the hall is actually at one of the VFW sectors, pretty close to my house too. It was a cast party for the theater company of one of the elementary school districts in town.

[DJ Whrr]

Nice man. Good lookin' out. Looks like you rocked the place! :)

On a real note though, I've seen a lot of cool stuff done with those Facades. You should consider putting an outline of your logo or DJ name with some of that plywood so people can read it while you DJ. It would be great advertisement and it'd look sick! I saw someone do with with crosses before though and it looked sweet!

Or, you could shoot a little projector at it. You can see that done: HERE (http://www.zeoproductions.net/img/services/custom-dj-facade.jpg).

The projector may be annoying cause you have to bring the projector to gigs with you, but the plywood design might be difficult to construct. Either way, it'd be legit advertisement!

Good looks brah!

DJ Whrr

[DJzrule]

Nice man. Good lookin' out. Looks like you rocked the place! :)

On a real note though, I've seen a lot of cool stuff done with those Facades. You should consider putting an outline of your logo or DJ name with some of that plywood so people can read it while you DJ. It would be great advertisement and it'd look sick! I saw someone do with with crosses before though and it looked sweet!

Or, you could shoot a little projector at it. You can see that done: HERE (http://www.zeoproductions.net/img/services/custom-dj-facade.jpg).

The projector may be annoying cause you have to bring the projector to gigs with you, but the plywood design might be difficult to construct. Either way, it'd be legit advertisement!

Good looks brah!

DJ Whrr

I'm actually really considering a friend on these forums (Pitsey) making a die cut that I could use as a template so I can air brush it onto the center panel, and yes I did indeed rock that venue. :tup:

[DJ Whrr]

Good to hear man. Yeah, that'd look sweet AND be great for advertisement. Awesome, goood to hear! :)

[dj_ar1]

After a short trip to Home Depot, I picked up some corrugated plastic, some 1x3, hinges, and brackets, and now have a modular facade. You can add or subtract panels on the fly to suit the size of the booth you're using at a particular job just by pulling the pins on the hinges. I lit it up with a Blizzard Stormchaser that has a frost gel over the lens to get a nice, even coverage.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkfXLjep5I

can you be a lil more specific with the materials you got at home depot???
btw bro, it looks like a professional did the work.
i want to do one, but i want to be able to attact to more to the sides, like one on each side, hope you understand what im trying to say.
GOOD WORK

[DJzrule]

Bringing this back from the grave. I'm redoing my facade so that it's 4' tall, more modular, and a bit better build quality. Getting quality lumber for cheap in NY is a royal pain in the ass unless you spend time and money in a proper lumber yard. Doing it from pine sanded 5-ply 1/2" 4'x8' this time-round but with plastic fluorescent light panels that really diffuse the light well.

Panel cuts started!
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8903/u9kr.jpg

Always check your blades or you'll be sore and sanding an angled edge later....
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9886/3u5j.jpg

Mockup of a half-painted (primed) panel with the diffusion layer. The final paint-job is rolled on and textured black enamel. Not flat black.
http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/1378/w441.jpg

[AshleyyCav]

wow looks really good!

i assume its quite cheap aswell which is always a plus!

[Coldhatez]

Wow, that looks amazing! Good job.

[DJzrule]

Bits and pieces getting assembled before Saturday's gig. I've been so loaded with schoolwork it's not even funny.

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5320/ku7u.jpg

[Biostasis]

I've been considering something like this, but since I work at an RC shop I have access to different types of underlights and LEDs at my disposal. If one could run an array of these around something like what you could customize it more with different light schemes and pulses. Possibly throw an Arduino board in for some automation, or even run it through a DAW of sorts. The possibilities are endless.

[DJzrule]

I've been considering something like this, but since I work at an RC shop I have access to different types of underlights and LEDs at my disposal. If one could run an array of these around something like what you could customize it more with different light schemes and pulses. Possibly throw an Arduino board in for some automation, or even run it through a DAW of sorts. The possibilities are endless.

That'd definitely be cool! :tup: I need mine to be DMX. If you got a small enclosure and a DMX shield for an arduino that accepts input (not a DMX interface to OUTPUT DMX via USB) then you'd have a sweet rig.

[DJzrule]

Finished product:

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/7162/8a7o.jpg

Now to find a case or to fab something to safely transport them. The plastic I used DOES crack if you hit into it hard.

[Biostasis]

That'd definitely be cool! :tup: I need mine to be DMX. If you got a small enclosure and a DMX shield for an arduino that accepts input (not a DMX interface to OUTPUT DMX via USB) then you'd have a sweet rig.
I actually can run a Raspberry Pi with the servo extension. The lights that we sell at the shop use standard servo connectors and range in a wide variety of colors and styles.

@OP Looks nice bro. :D