Cool ideas for acrylic windows?

[cerebrex]

I originally installed a large 16x16 window on my case which was 1/8" - far too flimsy for the 25cm fan, and it ended up cracking when I dropped it. So, I went ahead and bought a new sheet of acrylic that is 1/4" thick eek. I'd like to know if there is some cool ideas or tricks I could do to really make the window look awesome.. especially if I could use the thickness to my advantage. I'm good with building circuits and PCB's so go nuts if you have any LED ideas. The case is all black with a big 25cm fan in the center of the window, and it is water cooled/black lit w/ 5 CCL's.

 

[Arcygenical]

I still think a smoked black plexi window with white + another colour CCFL lighting is the coolest thing on the planet.

I wonder how black plexiglass responds to embedded white LED's...

Course, 3mm led's embedded in clear plexiglass looks amazing... It's just so hard to get an even light distribution... None of these cone patterns. Sanding the LED's flat (frosting them) helps prevent conage.

 

[Leman]

I would have said smoked 4" bulletproof Lexan...

How about engraving the panel, and fitting some EL wire in there. It'd be like LEDs, but in strips, and not as strong, I imagine.

 

[cerebrex]

I still think a smoked black plexi window with white + another colour CCFL lighting is the coolest thing on the planet.

I wonder how black plexiglass responds to embedded white LED's...

Course, 3mm led's embedded in clear plexiglass looks amazing... It's just so hard to get an even light distribution... None of these cone patterns. Sanding the LED's flat (frosting them) helps prevent conage.

I'm going to be embedding white LED's in the panel and I'll be grinding teh heads down flat.. funny how you recommended exactly to the T what I'm gonig to be doing, lol. But, what is the point of smoking a window and then embedding white led's? Do you mean burning polycarbonate plastic under the window to actually get a smoke pattern in the plexi and then clear coating it? Or do you mean just tinting it?

 

[GigantoR]

You could bevel the edges and mount it outside the panel using bolts. Evenly spaced between the actual bolts, you coult mount led's in the acryllic and use heads cut off of matching bolts to stealth the led's.