The story of 8 Bit Lit
In January 2012, a friend and I invented a touch sensitive lamp in the style of Super Mario Brothers. It's made out of laser cut acrylic, a capacitive touch sensor, and a CNC milled circuit board with mounted LEDs and a speaker. The lamp was well received, and we formed a brand around it called 8 Bit Lit. The next month, we partnered with Lootiful.com where we are currently selling lamps and DIY kits.
In January 2012, a friend and I invented a touch sensitive lamp in the style of Super Mario Brothers. It's made out of laser cut acrylic, a capacitive touch sensor, and a CNC milled circuit board with mounted LEDs and a speaker. The lamp was well received, and we formed a brand around it called 8 Bit Lit. The next month, we partnered with Lootiful.com where we are currently selling lamps and DIY kits.
This is a demonstration video I made when we launched the product. The rendering is done in 3DS Max. The light switch noise is from the fan in my kitchen.
After a short time, marketing was essential. I started learning photoshop and produced stylized images like this one.
We soon got feedback that some people wanted the option of having the lamp on a table. I designed an 8 bit themed stand made from two pieces of acrylic that slot together. We are now selling the stands as well.
This is what the inside of the lamp looks like. The white acrylic outlines the question mark, while the black pieces cast the shadows. Soon we'll be switching over to screen printing, which will save us time and money.
Having access to a CNC mill was essential. I was able to produce circuit board iterations on a daily basis, allowing us to move forward quickly with new designs.
This is a completed circuit board with through-holes for easy placement.
This is a populated board. The through-holes make for easy placement. We're currently experimenting with solder paste and surface mounted components, which will make our jobs even easier.
A month after conception, we had a fully realized lamp, and partnered with Lootiful.com who specializes in retro 8 bit themed products. We are looking to partner with other sites who are interested as well.
