Electrical Systems and ideas...

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Oz,
McMaster is a great location for most of what youare asking. Flag terminals and perforated metal are some of their regular parts line. You can get aluminum, steel, stainless or plastic, you decide. LED's are left up to the user, but there are kits available to make almost any kind of light bar you want. Buying LED from Digikey would allow you to make it different colors as well.
As to the LED connect ideas, you could arrange a series of LEDs and resistors on another board and using #22 wire run a sense lead from each power destination to the light panel. (some companies call this an "annuciator panel") Add a little logic and bicolor LEDs and you could have all greens for "GO" and red to show a fault. One step further, if the load is connected, is it drawing current? Is it drawing too much current?