Planning and Assembly for Light Art Project

Apr 10

Written By Dearon Panossian

When working at an Art Fabrication studio, I was asked to help prototype, plan, and manage the electrical assembly, testing, and packing of a 60-piece artwork for artist Leo Villareal for Brown University.

Partially disassemled board showing internal components: Power Supply, Data Receiver card, gray Ribbon Cables, black/red low-voltage power cables, and LED Tiles which each receive a Ribbon Cable (Data) and Power cable. Each LED Tile was screwed in with 4X tiny 2-56 screws.

Project Breakdown

Work on prototyping phase to:
- Help specify cord/cable lengths (Ribbon Cables came in 12”/24”/36”/48” lengths) and order the right amounts of each
- Aid in finalizing components: screws, zip-ties, velcro cable tie-downs, laser-cut plastic spacers
- Time each step
Complete 4 Boards/day (20/week) for a total of 60 boards in three weeks
Work in an environment free from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) to protect the sensitive LED tiles
“Burn in” boards for 24 hours and replace any with faulty diodes
Pack boards in ESD-safe packaging

Tracking and timing each operation to plan for ideal staffing

Comparing Staffing vs Time after completing prototypes

Order of Operations sheet posted on each wall for easy reference

Lengths of AC Cables and Ribbon Cables posted on walls

Assembly

Prototype assembly with Power Supplies, Data Cards, Low-Voltage Wiring Harness and Ethernet cables, and plastic Wire Duct

Prototype Assembly with aluminum Cover Plate screwed into standoffs

LED Tiles screwed onto assembly

Close-up view of one of four Power Supplies with tidy cables

Completed assembly displaying the mouse pointer from the attached computer in all four quadrants

Completed Assembly juxtaposed against original wiring diagram

Packed assemblies awaiting pickup

Dearon Panossian

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