April 2025 Update:
One of the main issues with the original model was the flimsy latch mechanism and the amount of slop that the print-in-place hinges had. I've revised the design of these models to reduce the number of moving parts and their strength and added the updated, complete model as a new print profile, “Lightbox V2”.
However, if you have already printed the old model and would like to upgrade just the changed components, I've also added a print profile “Updated V2 Hinges” that only contain the new components, which can 1:1 replace the old ones.


A few months back I ran into the issue of excessive glare in my SpellTable setup so I began designing a lightbox to place around a playmat or play area that would illuminate the surface from the side and avoid the glare issue altogether. After a couple of poorly thought out versions, I ended up with a folding design that could be stowed away when not in use.

This design DOES NOT include any of the tubing sections (for obvious reasons), but is relatively agnostic of what size of play area you want to design for. My current iteration (the one in the photos) covers an area that is roughly 37.5" wide and 18" deep, and it folds down to a size of 18.5" long, 6.5" tall, and 6" wide.

I designed this model in particular around a specific lightbar (link in hardware list) that I had previously purchased for a different project, but I imagine that the design could be tweaked to accommodate most lightbars as they all tend to have similar designs. Regardless of which lightbar you use, you will more than likely need to lengthen the connection between lightbars (I just soldered some speaker cable between them to length), as most will not have a long enough cable between bars.

“Required” Hardware:

(These aren't actually required, but it's just the hardware that I used)

• 36x - M3x10 Countersunk Screws - for connecting hinges and latches to legs/brackets
• 16x - M2x5 Screws - for connecting lightbar pieces together
• 14x - M3 Nuts
• 10x - M3x30 Bolts
• 2x - M3x35 Bolts
• 2x - M3x20 Bolts
• 1x - 2 part, plug-in USB Lightbar (sourced from Amazon here, not an affiliate link, just what I used)
• Speaker cable or similar cut to length to extend distance between lightbars (optional, but likely required)
• Lengths of ¾" tubing, cut to fit your play area. I had some steel tubing from an old bed frame sitting around, but standard PVC should also work, as long as the outer diameter is ¾"
• 4x - 1" round felt pads (completely optional, but I made indentations for them in the models if you want to include them
  Used on the old version of this model, but still want to shout out these hinges because they're awesome:
• 3x of these wonderfully designed PIP hinges (credit also to @ESoderberg for the original design), to pair with my poorly designed latches

Stuff that could be better in future versions:

• FIXED IN V2 - The latches I made are not great. Although they are PIP, they sometimes fall off when not in a latched state. They get the job done, but a normal clip-style catch would probably be far better for this design.
• FIXED IN V2 - The hinge between the midsection length and the lightbar bracket is pretty flimsy, this could definitely use some iteration in the future
• There is almost certainly a better way to secure the unit once it has been broken down, but I am currently just using some hook and loop tape I had from some cable management just wrapped around and it works good enough for me