Mini Marquee - by Brettallica

[brettallica]

Inspired by fellow member Rob71, I decided to build my own custom Blu-ray Disc case holder. I'm calling it the Mini Marquee for now until I can come with something a little more clever.

Here are a couple pictures below, and there are a few more in the gallery. Enjoy!

I originally had planned on going with a gloss black, but once I started putting it together, the finish began to grow on me. Plus, it matches the rest of my furniture. The problem with this wood, though, is that only its top and bottom came with the veneer; I had to add the veneer to the sides of the sheets to hide the inner plies, which was a hassle. To be honest, I'm not happy with the way that came out. Considering this is my first run at this thing, I'll live with it...

I actually have plans for a v.2 already. The next version will be cut from solid wood for ease in milling and to eliminate the veneer issue I mentioned above; it'll have four LEDs in behind the "NOW WATCHING" faceplate so as to light up a little more evenly (although it's not bad now); the pockets that hold the wires will be wider so there's more room for tucking; and the recessed area where the case sits will be a little bit wider (from the front of the case to the back, that is) so a DVD case can fit in there a little better than it does now. A DVD case will fit, but it's snug and I don't like the snugness there.

The "NOW WATCHING" faceplate was cut by a laser. I chose the font Kabel, which is actually one of the fonts used in the game Monopoly. In all caps, I thought it just looked right, as it's great sans-serif font for sure. This marquee actually isn't completely done yet, as I am still going to add the negative space portions of the letters O and A in the faceplate, but this still gives you a good idea.

Some details:

• 5/8" plywood with some sort of veneer treatment, making it about 3/4" total
• 6 LEDs (four 3mm and two 5mm) wired with resistors (one resister per LED; i.e. six total)
• 22 gauge red and black wiring
• Shrink tubing
• AAA x 4 battery holder with on/off switch
• Three screws (holding the upright piece to the base)
• Endless milling, drilling and soldering!
• Special thanks to Rob71!
• Special thanks to Laser Custom Designs, LLC!