Generally, the projects featured on Hackaday actually do something. We won’t go as far as to say they are practical creations, but they usually have some kind of function other than to sit there and blink. But what if just sitting still and blinking away randomly is precisely what you want a piece of hardware to do?

That was exactly the goal when [createscifi] set out to dress a Lite Brite up as a futuristic prop. On a technical level, this project is pretty much as simple as it gets. But we appreciated seeing some of the techniques brought to bear on this project, and perhaps more importantly, really like the channel’s overall goal of creating affordable sci-fi props using common components. We don’t plan on filming our own space epic anytime soon…but we like to know the option is there.

The process starts off with creating some 2D imagery to represent various components on the final “control panel”, such as sliders, knobs, and a logo. These details, plus the big opening for the Lite Brite itself, are then cut out of thin wood using a diode laser.

After gluing the parts together, [createscifi] sprays the whole thing black and then rubs graphite powder into the surface to give it a unique metallic texture. Finally, small discs are glued onto the surface to represent knobs and buttons — a process known as “greebling” in the model and prop making world.

The very last step of the process is to glue the Lite Brite into the back of the console, and set it off randomly blinking. Personally, we’d have liked to have seen some attempt made to cover the Lite Brite. It seems like putting the thing behind a piece of scuffed up acrylic to act as a diffuser would have made for a more mysterious visual, but as [createscifi] points out, he considers the fact that its still recognizably a child’s toy to be something of a visual gag.

We love prop builds; from ray guns to historical recreations, they’re multi-disciplinary projects that really allow the creator to stretch their creativity without getting bogged down by the tyranny of practicality. It’s been a couple years since the last Sci-Fi Contest, perhaps it’s time for another?