Introduction: Upcycled DVD Tower Night Lamp
I always liked the way light shines through DVD and CD discs and I thought that an old stack of discs would make a cool lamp. However, simply lighting up a bunch of CDs would not look very exciting.
So, I came up with the idea for a rocket shaped lamp using the disc tower as its core. It looks amazing in real life and it is perfect as a child's night light.
I used both a laser cutter and 3D printer from work but you don't really need either of those things. You can use a scroll saw for the wings and an upcycled plastic bowl for the rocket bell.
Enjoy!
Step 1: Collect Materials & Tools
Parts:
Core - Bunch of old CDs and DVDs. Most of us throw these out not but I'm sure you have some laying around
Wings - I initially made them out of cardboard and later out of acrylic. I'm sure they would look good out of wood
Base - Plastic bowl, or in my case a 3D-Printed "rocket engine bell"
Clear Acryclic Rod
Light Engine - Any LCD light source should work but I used a 3-LED light engine made to work with a clear lucite rod. I've also thought about using a CCFL lamp or a thin fluorescent tube, I'll try those out later.
Tools:
Scroll Saw or Laser Cutter
3D Printer (Optional)
Step 2: Cut Out Rocket Wings
I used Adobe Illustrator to trace out the shape of the wings. I then used an Epilog laser cutter to first make the wings out of cardboard and then out of some pieces of white acrylic I had around. I'm sure it would look cool made out of wood too.
Step 3: Design & Print Rocket Engine Bell
I know most people don't necessarily have a 3D printer but they are common enough now that you'll likely know someone who does!
I designed the rocket bell in SolidWorks but of course any 3D software will work.
Step 4: Test Assembly
I only had a small amount of white acrylic to work with so I cut out the wings out of cardboard first. Make sure to use the thick stuff!
Step 5: Final Prototype
Overall, I think it came out pretty good. I have some small issues to take care of like securely locking all the pieces together but all in all not too shabby.
I may decide to use colored LEDs for the base to make it look more like the rocket is ignited.