After looking at the Light wedge customization stuff in the forums I had an idea. I am going to try and use some white Electroluminescent wire and plexi and attempt to surround the piece of plexi with the wire and see if I can cobble together a workable front light. This is the one I ordered. I chose the smallest diameter for my first attempt.

Battery Powered .09 El Wire Kit (http://www.thatscoolwire.com/store/item.asp?Category=168&SubCategoryID=118&GroupID=&SKU=WY%2DGH%2D86%2D3V)

Not sure what Plexi I am going to buy or exactly how I am going to construct it. Any Ideas? Anyone else want to do it too and see if we can come up with a good homebrew?

JAMES

Your plexy will have to have a wedge shape. That is the hurdle. It has to be molded to this shape. The only way you'll find one is through a company like Lightwedge.

A plastic without that shape will carry light in a straight line, with exit on the sides only. Your page will not be illuminated.

I don't like EL lighting. The power supplies tend to make this high pitch beep that drives me crazy. And no, I don't change in to a wolf when it's a full moon. :P

EL wire is great fun! The high pitch sound is the high voltage transformer. EL wire requires high voltage to work.

When you try this, try a flat sheet of 1/8" plexi with that wire hot glued to the edge all the way around and see how that works. Actually, since you got the thinnest it might not be very bright, so it might work pretty well in place of the LEDs in a lightwedge.

Yeah it may need a wedge shape. I am hoping that I can experiment on edge shapes or that since it's small enough of a screen edge lighting will cover enough to make it bright.

anyway it's just an experiment. May not work at all, but I haven't spent a lot on it yet.

You might try those acrylic picture frames they sell at drug stores for 'plexi' stock -- that's what I'm playing with presently. :nice:

That's a really good idea. I will. Once the EL Wire itself arrives I'll have a better idea of what I have to work with. The diameter I bought may not be bright enough.

You can get small pieces of ordinary plexy in every home store. They are used, in various thicknesses, for the installation of window mounted air conditioners.

You could beltsand or grind it to a wedge, and then polish it, and use a blowtorch for final finish. Be prepared to put long hours to that task with mitigated results. You will get distorsions through it, it won't be adequate to read through. I've never gotten perfect results in surface prepped plastics. That is why I'd look for a molded piece.

I don't like EL lighting. The power supplies tend to make this high pitch beep that drives me crazy. And no, I don't change in to a wolf when it's a full moon. :P I'm with you, the high pitch from cheap transformers will drive me crazy after a while. Unlike UK 50 Hz TV and overhead lights, I can't get used to it.

Got the El light. .09 is way to dim. Also now I seee what you mean about the high pitched whine. Uggh. I wish they would just build a light wedge. It would make life alot easier.

Would something like this work with a few LEDs between the mirror and the Reader; the light side (mirror) facing the screen?

Two Way Transparent and See-through Mirrors (http://www.reflectionproducts.com/transparent-mirror.htm)

Hrmm... about 30-40% of the light makes it through and the rest gets bounced around. No idea how far it needs to be from the screen though. *shrug* How reflective is the screen itself?