2017 - Volume #41, Issue #6, Page #07
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Solar-Powered LED Farm Signs
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He recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a 28 by 32-in. sign next to his driveway that shows his street address in big numbers under a colorful painting of a digitally printed duck. He made another sign for his son’s driveway with an image of Bigfoot.
Both signs hang from 4 by 4 treated posts anchored in the ground. They’re made from 1/4-in. thick acrylic plastic with digitally printed, full-color UV ink and are backlighted with 3/8-in. wide LED strips. A 2-in. wide frame supports each sign and has a reflective piece of material behind it.
“The LED strips have a double-backed adhesive so they stick both to the sign and the reflective material behind it,” explains Luoma. “A solar panel mounted above the frame charges a 12-volt sealed lead acid battery during daylight hours. An adjustable photo cell automatically turns the sign on at night.
“People often drive by at night and pull in to ask where I got these signs. I tell them they’re looking at the only ones in existence,” says Luoma.
He says the lights can be adjusted to stay on for 2, 4, 6, or 8 hrs. or left on all the time. The solar panel can be tilted according to the season and sun angle.
Luoma has also made signs out of plasma cut steel that are backlighted with the same LED strips.
He has drawn up plans for his design, which are now available on the website, www.GizmoPlans.com. The plans include a complete parts list plus instructions on how to build the signs.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gene Luoma, 4423 Normanna Rd., Duluth, Minn. 55803 (ph 218 591-4382; gene@zipitclean.com; www.GizmoPlans.com).
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