Lightboards are relatively simple technology. In fact, they’re open source, so this idea isn’t patentable.

Basically, there’s a sheet of glass, with LED lights shining into the edge of the glass. The light travels to all parts of the glass by total internal reflection (TIR). When you write on the glass with a marker, it shines through a property of physics known as frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) – and it glows.

Read more about Lightboards at Northwestern University:

https://lightboard.info/

Building one, however, is not trivial.

When I looked at this project, I sought simplicity.

I didn’t want a big complicated setup, that required multiple people, an incredible amount of technology, all housed in a huge studio.

I wanted something on my desktop. Something that would allow me to work normally – but when I needed it, it was there.

So, I built one.

If you want to build one – then the instructions are on the site at Northwestern.  If, however, you prefer to just buy one, then I’m building them for sale.

Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is a free and open source software for video recording and live streaming.

By combining this with the Lightboard, we can:

• record videos
• live stream to a variety of platforms
• insert additional media into our stream

There are also a variety of filters and controls that allow us to manipulate video and images.

No, I don’t write backwards on the Lightboard. OBS flips the video for me.

You need a few other things to make this work:

1. A deep black background.  You can get a Westcott 133 9×10-Feet Rich Black Background from Amazon, click here. This is what I bought. (Note, I am an Amazon affiliate and will get a small commission from this sale; this will not affect the price for you.) This backdrop is deep black – it will not reflect light. This is far superior to just a “black sheet” or something similar.
2. Some way to hang this up behind you. You can search “backdrop stand” on Amazon, or use a piece of PVC pipe, or … be creative.
3. A computer (I have a 27-inch iMac), but you do you. OBS will run on both Mac and PC operating systems.
4. An app that controls your webcam.  You can read more about that here.
5. A desk