Introduction

I built a battery powered house number sign that lights up at night and is recharged during the day using a solar panel.

Process

CAD render

The numbers were laser cut from 1/8″ acrylic

The number cutouts on the back plate of the sign was scribed and milled from an aluminum bar. This is to enhance the diffusion and reflection of the embedded LEDs.

I finished the aluminum with an orbital sander with low grit for a unique surface finish

I constructed a simple circuit using a PNP transistor on a breadboard that charges the batteries with a solar panel during the day, and lights up the embedded LEDs during the night

Conclusion

Although I am very proud of my work, there is a major flaw with this design in that the LEDs are not diffused enough. As you can see below, it is hard to read the numbers from a distance:

If I were to redo this, I would explore drilling blind holes into the acrylic so the LEDs can protrude more and transmit their light at greater angles.