This semester, our Grade 8 and 9 3D Design and Engineering students have been working on an exciting and challenging project: designing and building their own wood-framed light boxes. This project combines woodworking, electrical circuits, and 3D printing in a way that allowed students to see their ideas come to life in an illuminated, interactive form.
Building the Foundation: Wood Frames and Plexiglass
The project began with the students constructing their wooden frames. Using tools from our Maker Space, they carefully measured and assembled frames to hold plexiglass panels—creating a sturdy foundation for their light boxes. The process helped them develop skills in precision and craftsmanship while learning how to work with various materials.
Wiring the Circuits: LEDs and Ohm’s Law
Once the frames were completed, students transitioned to the technical side of the project. They learned about electrical circuits, focusing on how to power LED lights with AA batteries. The students put Ohm’s Law into practice to calculate the necessary resistors for each circuit, ensuring the right balance of voltage and current for their chosen LED colors.
To get the circuits just right, they used breadboards to prototype and troubleshoot their designs. This step allowed them to experiment with different configurations and fine-tune their circuits before finalizing them. After testing, students soldered the components together and prepared them to be mounted inside their light boxes.
3D Printing Custom Battery Holders
We 3D printed custom battery holders designed to fit inside the students’ wooden frames. These holders were designed to house two AA batteries each, providing a clean and secure place to connect the wires, resistors, and LEDs.
Documenting the Process: Building Journals
Throughout the semester, students kept building journals with photographs to track their progress and showcase their results. These journals were a space for them to reflect on the challenges they faced, the solutions they came up with, and the lessons they learned along the way.
The Big Reveal: Illuminating Creativity
We were excited to turn off the classroom lights to see each of the unique light boxes illuminated to share each student’s graphic. We hope that these light boxes find a place of pride at home to remind students of the skills they’ve gained and their ability to make.
We can’t wait to see where their skills and ideas will take them next!
STEMIA Journal 