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The spectacle shop, step by step construction Lighting the staircase Making of the signboard I have used a new process for the signboards of the Japan Post building. The case has been 3D-printed. The light comes from a new type of COB LED light strip. It is very narrow (2.7mm), can be cut every four LEDs, and the LED density is very high (480 LEDs per meter). It can be purchased from AliExpress here: www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003193200776.html  Photos of the detailing process of the JPost building. The window blinds and shutters have been 3D-printed. The second floor of the JPost building is a kindergarten. The top floor windows are made of a sheet of clear/light blue acrylic. The window frames have been painted, then pasted on a sheet or mirror-like tape. Next up: the rooftop details. The electrical cabinets are from Matsuri Models (matsuriyamodel.booth.pm). On the layout, I use an LED control system described here: https://shin-yukari.weebly.com/led-controller.html. It is based on Adafruit 12-Channel 16-bit PWM LED Driver modules spread all over the layout. They allow a central computer (a Raspberry Pi in my case) to control the hundreds of LEDs fitting the various buildings. In addition, I needed a similar control box on my workbench. This is a description of the system I have designed.  It uses the same Adafruit module and exposes the 12 LED outputs on terminal blocks with push-in connection, suitable for temporary connection (no soldering required, no screw).  Here we see a building "under construction", with its wires attached to the control box.   I have designed the PCB in Autodesk Fusion 360. The system is based on an ESP32 microcontroller connected to the Adafruit module and to the various connectors and terminal blocks. The ESP32 exposes a web page used to individually set the brightness of each LED.  The roof is fitted with accessories that have been 3D-printed. I built simple light boxes to simplify the lighting of the building. The front signboard backlight is made of a piece of polyester scored at precisely spaced intervals to spread the light evenly.   After googling a bit, I learned that the intensity of the light in the backlight panel decreases exponentially. I then created a small python script that generates lines spaced exponentially, and used the resulting document to score the transparent polyester (or acrylic) sheet. The result is a uniform light distribution, even if there are only two LEDs at both ends of the signboard. Next to the school dance building is the Softbank building. It is based on the very popular Tomix 4051 Square building set (brown). https://www.tomytec.co.jp/tomix/products/n/4051.html Complete with 3D-printed figurines... ... and a nice wooden bench. The top floor is the music studio, with a nice glass roof. Each storey is lighted individually, using small light boxes. The decals have been designed in my preferred vector graphics application, Affinity Designer. 
The building next to the construction site will be a Dance School, inspired by the Tokyo Dance Haiyu & Butaigeijutsusenmon School building in Shibuya.
Part of the first photo-etching project, I built a tower crane, which will be the focus point of the new construction area. The tower crane is largely inspired by a real crane, the JCL008II. I am experimenting with photo-etching to make highly-detailed parts such as catenary poles or steel platforms. The parts are first modelled in 3D in Autodesk Fusion 360 using the Sheet Metal module. Fusion 360 is a powerful CAD/CAM/PCB professional tool available free of charge for personal use (check https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal). These are a few examples of objects designed using this software. |
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