Anyone playing with LED Cubes?

[futz]

Saw **broken link removed** Friday and I was hooked immediately. The big complex RGB ones are very very cool! I didn't have any RGB LEDs, so I built a little 3x3 cube with some cheap Stanley LEDs I had kickin around.

Building cubes is a real pain in the butt. You can easily jig each level, but jigging the levels together vertically isn't so easy. The Makezine video glosses over lots of the details, making it look easier than it is. Fun stuff though.

My 18F452 board is driving the cube. I just now finished connecting everything up finally (couldn't find my transistors yesterday) and have only the most rudimentary of software in it so far. Now I have to get timer interrupt multiplexing working and get it doing something much more impressive.

If you build one, be sure to post some pics, like these Have fun!
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[kchriste]

Hmmmm... I wonder how hard it would be to try and CharliePlex a cube?
Kind of hard to film a cube that is multiplexed eh?
Looks like it might make a cool xmas project if you put LEDs in a glass sphere type ornament.

 

[Mike - K8LH]

The closest I've come is to recommend a hardware design to a chap for an 8x8x8 cube that would only use 10 PIC pins.

I'm not sure there'd be any advantage trying to Charlieplex that 3x3x3 cube. The wiring would be a bit more complicated compared to standard multiplexed wiring.

 

[futz]

Hmmmm... I wonder how hard it would be to try and CharliePlex a cube?

It would definitely take some thinking. This thing, the way I've built it, eats 12 pins of I/O, so any improvements would be good. For anything bigger than 3x3 you'd definitely need some additional chips to drive the cube.

Kind of hard to film a cube that is multiplexed eh?

What's hard is getting it to look right. Stupid LEDs won't stay still. I won't use flash (looks like crap) and I'm using the smallest aperture this camera will do so I get decent depth of field, so I use slow shutter speeds with a 2 second timer and brace the camera against the table.

 

[Mike - K8LH]

This thing, the way I've built it, eats 12 pins of I/O, so any improvements would be good.

You could could use a serial-to-parallel 16 output constant current driver like the Allegro A6279 and a few transistors to drive a 3x3x3 matrix using 4 PIC pins or a 4x4x4 matrix using 5 PIC pins and you'd have full brightness with PWM brightness control as part of the bargain.

 

[futz]

You could could use a serial-to-parallel 16 output constant current driver like the Allegro A6279 and a few transistors to drive a 3x3x3 matrix using 4 PIC pins or a 4x4x4 matrix using 5 PIC pins and you'd have full brightness with PWM brightness control as part of the bargain.

I'll have a look at that for future cubes.

I was just looking at the MAX7219. I have a couple here. They're made to do only 7 segments and DP on up to 8 digits multiplexed by the chip. Doesn't help much when each level ("digit") I want to multiplex is 9 segments. Ah well, there's lots of other chips out there.

 

[Mike - K8LH]

I'll have a look at that for future cubes.

I was just looking at the MAX7219. I have a couple here. They're made to do only 7 segments and DP on up to 8 digits multiplexed by the chip. Doesn't help much when each level ("digit") I want to multiplex is 9 segments. Ah well, there's lots of other chips out there.

Just happens to work out perfectly for a 4x4x4 cube though, doesn't it (grin)?

 

[futz]

Software finished. Only new patterns to build now. Here's a 6.8MB movie of the ones I've built so far:

It definitely looks better in person than it does on camera.

 

[kchriste]

Looks good. The patterns with just 2-3 LEDs lit at a time seem to show the 3D effect better. At least in the movie it seems that way.

 

[futz]

Looks good. The patterns with just 2-3 LEDs lit at a time seem to show the 3D effect better. At least in the movie it seems that way.

Some patterns look better from the side. I wasn't shooting directly from that side, so they don't look like much in the movie.

 

[Gayan Soyza]

Wow Nice work.The germ went to my head also lol.

I would start something like that for sure in the end of December bcuz I'm playing with some X'mas stars nowadays.

 

[matk95]

nice cube have a look at this one it might be cool to build one like it http://www.coilgunpower.com/333cube.html and http://www.coilgunpower.com/444cube.html

 

[matk95]

i like this idear and will definatley be building one of theass when i get a pic programer look at this link http://www.nw.com/nw/projects/cubatron/this is a huge 9*9*9 cube

 

[kchriste]

And then there is the BIG round one:
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It's "dimensions" are 28 x 24 x 10 Leds and draws 400amps at 10V!!!

 

[weym0]

Hey futz,

Im doing today for my school work something like you did and now im searching for a programme 100% complete, so if possible you send me your programme i would be thankfull for that

The stanley led's look always fun to see

 

[transistance]

im searching for a programme 100% complete

I think you did not understand the purpose of your school assignment.

But, if you start off and get lost at some point I'm sure the members will happily help you out.

 

[weym0]

Oh I simple asked kindly for that

I will upload later some pic's of my 3x3x3 led cube but then i will really need a help for the programme

 

[3v0]

I would be interested in knowing what class this is for?

My students started by writting a program that stored data to create a series of patterns on a line of 16 LEDs. The data is stored in a constant array of 16 bit words.

The same program was modified for use with LED cubes. Instead of displaying 16 bits at a time the cube software display 9 bits (3x3x3 cube) on a single cube layer. Three frames will light the entire cube. If you switch between the top bottom and middle layer fast enough the entire cube is displayed.

Start by writting code to display a fixed pattern on all 3 layers. Whey you have that working read the data from your array to change the pattern at a fixed rate and you will have it.

This is how the software works. Whey you get stuck you can ask questions here. But you need to write the code.

3v0

 

[weym0]

3v0 im from 9th class and i only have 13 years, nobody teach me to programme, i just know a few things of c++ and Zelio Soft

This isn't really for school, it's an extra-assigment and my teacher said that i have to work in BASCOM to programme and i don't know a thing about that if you could help with the start, this will gone help me guys

 

[Leftyretro]

I wonder if SMD LEDs would lead to easier construction, perhaps make up a thin plastic sheets for each level to mount the diodes on for each level?

Are there any small bright flat SMD LEDs?