Build a Light Box

If you make double upright orthoses, a light box is a must. If you don't have a light box, or an x-ray viewer, you can buy one, and they range from cheap to expensive. But why not build one that exactly meets your needs? You may want to make one that is longer and wider for scoliosis x-rays, or if you don't have a lot of space to work, you can make something you can hang up only when you need it. In this article, I'll explain how I built one for our lab. You can modify this design to your needs. (Ideally, you should have a basic understanding of electrical wiring for this project.) Materials needed (Figure 1) Plain rectangle trim boards (I used prepainted, white medium density fiberboard, 5/8 in. x 3½ in.) Light switch Electrical box Switch cover LED light bulbs (I used E27 base) Plastic light sockets (E27 base) A sheet of 1/8 in. white copoly 1/8 in. plywood Wood glue Tacks or screws Short wood screws (I used 3/4 in.) Extension cord (you can use a two-wire with no ground; a three-wire will be color coded) Wire nuts Wide-mouth paper clip Start b y determining your dimensions. I based my box off a scrap piece of 1/8 in. copoly that was scuffed, so I did n't want to use it for an AFO. It was about 15 in. x 26 in., which is perfect for AFO tracings. Also think about where you want to hang your light box and how long your power cord needs to be. Add a bout three feet to that length for the internal wiring. I bought a single eight-foot trim board to make my box sides, a small piece of plywood for the backing, and the other parts at a big-box home improvement store. Once you have all the parts and dimensions, lay the pieces out and mark the lengths for cutting. I cut the sides to length and then beveled them at 45-degree angles, so when I put them together I would not have to paint them, hence the prepainted trim (Figure 2). I figured out where I wanted my switch to be and traced around the switch box. I then drilled the corner holes and used a jigsaw to cut out the opening. Make sure that the switch box fits in the holes, but leave it out at this point. I used masking tape to butt the ends of the box sides together, so it could fold over to mate the 45-degree angles, and then I used wood glue to adhere the 45-degree angles together. Be sure to clean off any excess wood glue before it dries. Carefully set aside the box's sides, face down, to let them dry. Cut the plywood to match the size of the box, and use the tacks or screws to carefully attach it to the back of the box sides. You can now lay the box on its back. Insert the switch box, after removing the wire openings, into the hole you cut for it and secure it to the box side. Cut the female end from the power cord. On the side of the box that will be the bottom, drill a hole just large enough for the cut end of the power cord and insert the cord. Pull enough of the cord through so you can reach both light bases and the switch, and have extra to cut and splice and to tie a knot in the cord near the hole so the cord cannot be pulled out of the box (Figure 3). Place the light sockets at the top and bottom of the box and mark them to be trimmed flush w ith the box front. Pull the cord through the switch box and cut it so there are a couple of inches hanging out of the box (Figure 4). Feed it back into the box so that there are a couple of inches hanging out, leaving you with two cut ends hanging outside the box. Then strip the ends of the wire about ½ in. from the end. Wire the switch using the black wires on the switch terminals. The green wire from the male end of the cord can be nutted. Use a wire nut to connect the white wires (Figure 4). Black is the hot (or current) wire, white is the neutral (or return) wire, and green is the ground wire. From this point on in the circuit, the green wire will not be used because the light sockets do not have a ground spot. Cut the wire where the first socket will be attached, strip the ends, and secure the white and bla ck wires to the terminals as they are labeled on the socket. Then use wood screws to attach the socket to the inside of the box and make sure the screw does not pierce through to the outside. Run the wire down to the opposite side and wire the second light socket and secure it. You can now screw in the LED bulbs, plug in the cord, and test it to see if you connected it correctly. If the light doesn't come on, unplug the cord and check all the connections. If you need help, You Tube has videos about wiring switches. If the light did come on, hurray! Now, screw the light switch into place and put the cover over it. Before you put the plastic on it, decide how you will hang it. I found a stud in the wall and used a couple of 2 in. wood screws to anchor the box to the stud near my outlet. I used a level to make sure it was hung straight. If you want to use a hanging bracket, attach it at this point. I just used some sticky-back Velcro to attach the plastic to the box so the screws aren't visible from the outside. You can use screws, or even plastic angle trim, to hold it on, as long as it is removable for servicing. I took one of the arms off a wide-mouth paper clip and slipped the clip over the plastic at the top middle and then placed the plastic on the box. I can use the remaining clip arm to open the clip to place the tracing on the light box (Figure 6). I hope this helps you out. Have fun! Travis Petersen, BOCP, COA, works at A.O.P. Orthotics and Prosthetics, Fayetteville, North Carolina, as a practitioner and clinic manager. He has also worked as a practitioner and technician for companies in Missouri. He can be contacted at travispetersen@hotmail.com .

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