Changes from v1

• Instead of creating a lattice from cardboard for each of the letter cells, I used 12mm MDF and used a large (16mm) countersink bit to create countersunk holes with a bevel around the LED, a bit like the reflector in a torch, and painted it white to reflect as much of the light as possible.
• Use an LDR to allow automatic brightness adjustment based on the light level in the room.
• Display the temperature – because why not.

I originaly thought of reading and displaying the temperature from the PICAXE 18M2+, however there wasn't a lot of program memory left, and additionally reading the temperature using the readtemp12 command actually stops the chip from doing anything else – like responding to button presses – for about ¾ of a second, so I decided instead to use a separate PICAXE 08M2 to read and display the time.

Light Reflector Array

Light reflector array drilled in to a piece of MDF. I drilled pilot holes first, then used large countersink to produce the beveled edge:-

I wandered a bit in the lower left corner, so stuck on some cardboard to fill the holes along the edge.