The Oxford English Dictionary added the word "selfie" in 2013, but its usage is documented as early as 2002. It's one of the most popular uses of the modern smart phone. And let's face it - people love taking selfies.
More and more businesses and events are taking note of this fact and building in locations where people can stand and get a really great selfie for Instagram or Facebook, or a unique and fun video for TikTok. And with the Zoom Boom happening thanks to Covid 19, people want interesting backdrops in their homes as well.
This guide will show you how to build your own custom selfie spot out of LED Neon. It's easy to assemble, it's mobile, and it's also easy to take apart and re-configure, when you decide you're ready for a change of scenery.
There's no coding required. Just choose the colors you want, lay them out, and plug them in to get a magical glowing wall of selfie goodness.
Difficulty Level
This is an easy beginner project that doesn't require soldering. I did do a bit of soldering on mine because I wanted to neaten up the wires on the back, but it's absolutely possible to build this without touching a soldering iron. You just need a pair of wire snips and a screwdriver.
First, you'll need some LED neon. It comes in most of the colors of the rainbow. Each strip is 1 meter long, and it is definitely possible to solder them together into longer lengths or cut them to shorter lengths. How much you need and what color will depend on your design.
Note: There is also color-changing RGB Neon available, but that kind requires a microcontroller and some code to tell it what color to be. You can most definitely incorporate that into your project, but it's beyond the scope of this guide. We're keeping it simple with solid colors.
You will also need a 12v power supply. My project uses 6 1-meter strips, and this power supply works great for that.
Finally, you need a screw terminal to connect from the Neon strip to the power supply. Order a few of these! They're inexpensive and can sometimes break, so it's great to have a couple extras on hand. Also, having a handful of these will give you much more flexibility with your wire management.
Additional Parts You May Need
Depending on your setup, you may want to get some splitters or some additional wire to help with connecting power to all your neon strips. I also recommend getting an inline power switch so you can turn your project on and off without unplugging.
Frame Materials
This design uses a window screen kit from the hardware store as the frame. We'll wire the neon to the screen using bits of thin craft wire. Window screen kits are affordable (mine was less than $25 all inclusive) and are designed to be built into custom sizes and shapes.
Check your local hardware store, or look online for window screen kits, and don't forget the installation tool.
You'll also need some thin craft wire to wire the neon to the screen. Look for around 22g, it's easy to find either online or at your local craft store. I'm sure most hardware stores will carry it also.
