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http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Cube-4x4x4/ Home Sign Up! Explore Community Submit LED Cube 4x4x4 by chr on March 24, 2008 Table of Contents intro: LED Cube 4x4x4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 step 1: What you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 step 2: Multiplexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 step 3: Making the cube, template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 step 4: Making the cube, solder the layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 step 5: Making the cube, connecting the layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 step 6: Choosing resistor values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 step 7: The controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 step 8: Wire up the cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 step 9: Compile and program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 File Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 step 10: Go large - 8x8x8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Customized Instructable T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

LED Cube 4x4x4

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LED Cube 4x4x4by chr on March 24, 2008 Table of Contents intro: LED Cube 4x4x4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: What you need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Multiplexing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Making the cube, template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: Making the cube, solder the layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Making the cube, connecting the layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 6: Choosing resistor values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 7: The controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 8: Wire up the cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 9: Compile and program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . File Attachments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 10: Go large - 8x8x8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customized Instructable T-shirts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 3 3 4 5 7 9 9 11 12 12 12 12 13 14 14 14

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intro: LED Cube 4x4x4Amazing 3 dimensional LED display. 64 LEDs makes up this 4 by 4 by 4 cube, controlled by an Atmel Atmega16 microcontroller. Each LED can be addressed individually in software, enabling it to display amazing 3d animations!

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step 1: What you needFirst of all, you need quite a bit of time to solder together 64 leds ;) Knowledge list: Basic electronics and soldering skills Know how to program an AVR microcontroller - I will not cover that in this instructable. Component list: Protoboard. The type with copper circles. Atmel AVR Atmega16 microcontroller Programmer to program the Atmega16 64 Leds 2 status leds. I used red and green. (optional) Max232 rs-232 chip, or equivalent. 16 resistors for leds. (100-400ohms) will get back to this. 2x resistor 470 ohm. for status leds 1x resistor 10k 4x resistor 2.2k 4x NPN transistor BC338 (or other transistor capable of switching 250-ish mA) 1x 10uF capacitor 1x 1000uF capacitor 6x 0.1uF ceramic capacitor 2x 22pF ceramic capacitor 1x crystal 14.7456 MHz 2x tactile button optional pwr switch connector for 12v power optional connector for 5v power

Image Notes 1. A lot of leds!

step 2: MultiplexingHow to control 64 LEDs without using 64 individual wires? Multiplexing! Running a wire to the anode of each led would obviously be impractical, and would look really bad. One way to get around this, is to split the cube into 4 layers of 16x16 LEDs. All the LEDs aligned in a vertical column share a common anode (+). All the LEDs on a horizontal layer share a common cathode (-). Now if i want to light up the LED in the upper left corner in the back (0,0,3), I just supply GND (-) to the upper layer, and VCC (+) to the column in the left corner. If i only want to light up one led at a time, or only light up more than one layer at the same time.. this works fine. However, if I also want to light up the bottom right corner in the front (3,3,0), I run into problems. When I supply GND to the lower layer and VCC to the front left column, I also light up the upper right led in the front (3,3,3), and the lower left LED in the back (0,0,0). This ghosting effect is impossible to workaround without adding 64 individual wires. The way to work around it is to only light up one layer at a time, but do it so fast that the eye doesn't recognize that only one layer is lit at any time. This relies on a phenomenon called Persistence of vision. Each layer is a 4x4 (16) image. If we flash 4 16 led images one at a time, really fast, we get a 4x4x4 3d image!

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Image Notes 1. All the LEDs on this layer share cathodes (-) 2. All the LEDs in this column share anodes (+)

Image Notes 1. This wire supplies GND (-) to layer 1 of the cube. 2. This wire supplies GND (-) to layer 0 of the cube. 3. All the leds in a layer have their cathodes connected together 4. All the cathodes connected together 5. All the leds alligned directly above each other have their anodes connected together 6. Each of the 16 vertical columns have a resistor to avoid frying the LEDS and the microcontroller 7. This wire supplies VCC to all the leds in this corner...

step 3: Making the cube, templateSoldering grids of 4x4 LEDs freehand would look terrible! To get 4 perfect 4x4 grids of LEDs, we use a template to hold the them in place. I wanted to make the cube as easy as possible to make, so I chose to use the LEDs own legs as much as possible. The distance between the lines in the grid was decided by the length of the LED legs. I found that 25mm (about an inch) was the optimal distance between each led (between the center of each led that is!) to enable soldering without adding or cutting wire. Find a piece of wood large enough to make a 4x4 grid of 2,5cm on. Draw up a 4x4 grid of lines. Make dents in all the intersects with a center punch. Find a drill bit that makes holes small enough so that the led will stay firmly in place, and big enough so that the led can easily be pulled out (without bending the wires..). Drill the 16 holes. Your ledcube template is done.

Image Notes 1. You want 90 degree angles! 2. Acurate measurements 3. Draw up the grid 4. Punch holes so the drill doesnt travel sideways when you start drilling out the holes

Image Notes 1. Nice and square

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Image Notes 1. Holes punched out

Image Notes 1. LEDs fits nicely

Image Notes 1. The distance of 25mm between the center of each hole, enable the pins to just barely overlap. just perfect for soldering.

step 4: Making the cube, solder the layersWe make the cube in 4 layers of 4x4 leds, then solder them together. Create a layer: Put in the LEDs along the back and along one side, and solder them together Insert another row of LEDs and solder them together. Do one row at a time to leave place for the soldering iron! Repeat the above step 2 more times. add cross bracing in the front where the led rows are not connected. Repeat 4 times.

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Image Notes 1. Start by aligning and soldering the outer edges 2. anode 3. anode 4. anode 5. cathode 6. Bend the cathode leg (the short one) of the LED 90 degrees to one side.

Image Notes 1. cathode 2. anode

Image Notes 1. All the cathodes (minuses) have been soldered together. 2. Since we bent all the cathodes in the same direction, there will be one sticking out to the side. just leave it for now. 3. The layer is pretty flimsy in this end, and would be bent out of shape if removed from the template like this. See the next image..

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Image Notes 1. Add a barcing to this side to make the layer more robust. Take a straight piece of wire and solder it to all 4 cathodes.

Image Notes 1. The finished product

step 5: Making the cube, connecting the layersNow that we have those 4 layers, all we have to do is to solder them together. Put one layer back in the template. This will be the top layer, so choose the prettiest one :) Put another layer on top, and align one of the corners exactly 25mm (or whatever distance you used in your grid) above the first layer. This is the distance between the cathode wires. Hold the corner in place with a helping hand and solder the corner anode of the first layer to the corner anode of the second layer. Do this for all the corners. Check if the layers are perfectly aligned in all dimensions. If not bend a little to adjust. Or re-solder of it's the height distance that's off. When they are perfectly aligned, solder the remaining 12 anodes together. Repeat 3 times.

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Image Notes 1. Start with the corners 2. Start in the corners

Image Notes 1. then solder the rest.

Image Notes 1. cathodes connected to layer 2. Anode 3. Same anode wire connects to the led directly above.. 4. Again, be carefull with the soldering iron when soldering this close to the LED. Be fast. If you make a mistake. Let the led cool down before applying heat again.

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step 6: Choosing resistor valuesThere are two things to keep in mind when choosing a resistor value for your leds. 1) The LEDs 2) The AVR The AVR has a maximum combined current rating of 200 mA. This gives us 12mA to work with per LED. You also don't want to exceed the maximum current your leds are rated to. I used 220 ohm resistors on my cube. This gave me about 12mA per led.

step 7: The controllerThe circuits controlling the led cube is described in the attached schematic image. The RS-232 interface is optional. and can be omitted. That is IC2 and all the components connected to it. Future firmwares will enable PC communication.. Start by laying out all the components on you circuit board in a layout that enable all the components to connect with a minimal amount of wires. If everything fits, solder the circuit. I won't give any more instructions on this, as the circuit probably will look very different from cube to cube, depending on the size of the circuit board etc.. Information on how to wire the cube to the controller circuit is in the next step.

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step 8: Wire up the cubePictures explain this better than words. Please see the pictures.

Image Notes 1. C0 2. C3 3. C4 4. C7 5. A7 6. A0 7. A3 8. A4 9. C1 10. C2 11. C5 12. C6 13. A1 14. A2 15. A5 16. A6 17. Port A 18. Port C 19. Front 20. Back

Image Notes 1. Transistor array for ground wires 2. Port D bit 7 controls layer 0 3. Layer 3 4. Layer 2 5. Layer 1 6. Layer 0

Image Notes 1. Ground for level 3 2. Ground for level 2 3. Ground for level 1 4. Ground for level 0

Image Notes 1. Ground wire for level 1 2. All the cathodes on this layer are connected together

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Image Notes 1. Ground for layer 0 2. Layer 1 3. Layer 2 4. Layer 3

step 9: Compile and programYou now have a led cube. To make use of it, it needs some software. I have made a driver for rendering a 3d data space on the cube, and functions to display some cool visual effects on the cube. You can use my code, write your own or build on my code and make more effects. If you make your own effects, please send me the code. I'm eager to see what you guys make! I will not cover the process of compiling and uploading the code to the microcontroller, as that is a whole instructable all on its own. You should have some basic microcontroller skills before starting this project. Maybe I'll do a "Getting started with AVR" instructable later.. leave a comment if you want me to do that. Enjoy your new 4x4x4 LED Cube! :D Many people have requested an instructable on AVR basics - will make this when I have time.

File Attachments4x4x4_ledcube-0.2.zip (14 KB)

4x4x4_ledcube.hex (19 KB)

step 10: Go large - 8x8x8After making this quite fancy 4x4x4 cube, I have also made an enormous 8x8x8 cube. I'll make an instructable for that one when I have time. Meanwhile, see pictures :-)

Video

Please rate this instructable if you like it! :)

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Comments50 comments Add Comment

view all 99 commentsSep 23, 2008. 9:13 PM REPLY

Lego man says: How can I do this with no microchip?, I really dont want the blinking or the animations. pinkoza says: please what does it mean : Protoboard. The type with copper circles. ?? in french pleaase pleasse OmAcronAlpha1 says: Protoboard. Le type de cuivre cercles. Atmel AVR Atmega16 microcontrleur Programmer pour programmer l'Atmega16 64 Leds 2 leds statut. J'ai utilis le rouge et le vert. (facultatif) Max232 rs-232 puce, ou l'quivalent. 16 rsistances de leds. (100-400ohms) reviendra cette question. 2x rsistance de 470 Ohms. de statut LED 1x rsistance de 10k 4x rsistance 2.2K 4x NPN transistor BC338 (ou d'autres capables de transistor de commutation de 250 mA ish) 1x condensateur 10uF 1x condensateur 1000 6x 0.1uF condensateur cramique 2x 22pF cramique 1x Crystal 14.7456 MHz 2x bouton tactile REP passer en option connecteur 12v pour pouvoir connecteur en option pour pouvoir 5v Sorry I utilis Google, ce traducteur mai pas une pratique courante

Aug 24, 2008. 3:02 PM REPLY

Sep 18, 2008. 7:48 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Cube-4x4x4/

msweston says: I WANT ONE!!! Great job, you should sell kits on the Instructables Store. jomavady says: What type of transistor is that between the toggle switch and power supply, and what are the wires next to the middle toggle switch? jomavady says: i did not mean middle toggle, I meant middle tactile switch. dbinnc says: What is the size of the protoboard u used? For ppl new to this, would be nice to have links to places online to buy the stuff. or where to find it all. Really want to try this out. Cool. spleethe6th says: where did you get your supply and what kind of LEDs did you use for the multi-color effect? mortaldoom780 says: I...I don't...I can't find the words to describe how awesome this is...Nice.

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Fire_Leon says: Sep 7, 2008. 12:45 PM REPLY Man i did this, with a microchip one, and i got it kind of working, here is the thing, if i got the anode with 5v and the transistor is not switching, the led should be off right? well some of mines arent goin off, the keep on, not as bright as if they were on but looks pretty bad, what could be the problem? ive checked a lot, i also cut the ground wires and unwired the transistors and those leds keep on without ground =/ midtjyden says: Sep 6, 2008. 10:45 AM REPLY Hey! I have followed your guide and built my own 4x4x4 LED cube, but when I put your hex-file on my atmega16 the C5, C4, C3 and C2 doesn't work :( I have tested the LEDS, and they are connected correctly and to the right pins on the atmega16. And oh, btw..My LED-cube isn't flashing as fast as yours in your video..How do I make it faster? :) chr says: Sep 7, 2008. 2:56 AM REPLY Oh, Seems like I have forgotten an important step, changing the fuse values of the AVR. You need to change from internal to external oscillator to get the correct speed, and disable the JTAG port to enable the leds that aren't lighting up. I don't have the cube where I'm sitting now, but I'll check the fuse values when I have access to a cube and a programmer! midtjyden says: Can you explain how I change to external oscillator and disable the JTAG port? I am very noobish at this :P Sep 7, 2008. 3:59 AM REPLY

midtjyden says: Sep 7, 2008. 4:22 AM REPLY Ah! I found out how to change to external oscillator, and it worked, but when I did the code for disabling JTAG port, I suddenly cant connect to my atmega16 anymore, and the LEDs stopped flashing...what do I do? :( jsyah says: Are you working on the "getting started with AVR" now? Sep 6, 2008. 8:27 AM REPLY

Demonic_Crow says: Sep 5, 2008. 6:25 PM REPLY I love this. This is really cool. What kind of programmer are you using. I'm having problem trying to figure out what to get. Also is that an USBtinyISP in the background of the video? picman123 says: need an avi controller anyone got one for sale tech3312 says: What atmel chip are you using specifically cause i think i have the same chip but i want to verify thank you desmond8015 says: hi all i new here i very like these led cube and can anyone tell me how to get the software? thanks Sep 4, 2008. 4:03 PM REPLY

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Sep 1, 2008. 11:41 AM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Cube-4x4x4/

n3m3sys says:

Aug 31, 2008. 9:15 AM REPLY Hello again! I have some questions: on the schematics diagram at step 7, what is that IC3 7805T? Every red arrow pointing upwards is connected to the +5Volts of a DC source. Is this right? Thus, the whole project requires a 5V power to work, but how many amps? (mili amps). Thnks! Aug 25, 2008. 3:11 AM REPLY

cmanou says: can someone please tell me how exactly to program the avr for the cube pinkoza says: yees u made me cry too ! this is so cuuuuuuuuuute and pretty so loooookk !! thk u ! LED master22 says: makes me want to cry it's that awesome cmanou says: are you still planning on doing the "Getting started with AVR" Instructable

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matbry01 says: Aug 23, 2008. 3:28 PM REPLY hi all ! just made the cube but nothing is working on it do i need to program it 1st b4 it will work ??? i put power to it but nothing is happening on it ? thanks matt. slithytove2 says: Aug 21, 2008. 10:49 PM REPLY A suggestion. It would make the code a little more complicated, but use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlieplexing Charlieplexing] for the control, instead of multiplexing. Using charlieplexing (named after a guy who works for Atmel, btw), the 4x4x4 would only need 17 pins, and that would leave 8 LEDs open for status or somethnig (or perhaps make it 4x4x6, though ruining some of the aesthetics). An 8x8x8 would need only 47 pins, leaving 40 LEDs left over. Also note that LEDs have a recommended current for continuous operation (generally 20-30mA) but also a recommended current for when they are only on temporarily (close to 100mA). as seen at http://www.superbrightleds.com/specs/B12120_specs.htm , listed as continuous forward current and peak forward current. (the use of more transistors would allow a much higher current without damaging the uC). chr says: Aug 22, 2008. 2:43 AM REPLY Charlieplexing requires that you have IO ports capable of both sinking and sourcing current. As for the 8x8x8 cube, this is not practical, as the external IO port array are not tri state (sing/source). It's an array of flip flop latches. For the 4x4x4, the implication is that each IO pin have to be able to sink the current from all 16 leds, which (without looking at the spec sheet) I think would be impossible. Other than that, great insights! :) supersith22 says: Aug 21, 2008. 7:43 PM REPLY wow i'm just gonna make it all light up at once, i don't have microprocessor knowledge i'll take a circuits class in college and i'll finally find out. also the last pic in step 4 looks like and LED swastika. very nice ible man! supersith22 says: i meant the step 4 thing as a joke i wish we could edit our comments Plasmana says: Wow! This is so cool! I love that LED cube! led235 says: Where did you get all of those LEDs!!! was it hard to program? chr says: Search eBay for "1000 LEDs", and you'll find a lot of cheap options for leds :) Yes and no. Getting the cube to work, interrupt driver and all, was easy. Making 3 dimensional effects that look pretty, that was a bit harder! mlommers says: Realy cool man!! How big are your leds 3 or 5 mm? and are they 8000 or 11000MCD? I'm trying to make one myself. I'm realy looking forward to the 8*8*8 version!!!! mms says: were beautiful how to do hit please Aug 20, 2008. 1:07 PM REPLY Aug 21, 2008. 7:38 PM REPLY

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http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Cube-4x4x4/

n3m3sys says:

Aug 16, 2008. 4:13 PM REPLY Yes...dear chr, I think that a schematic in order to make a printed circuit and etch it, is required at this point! Pictures are fine, but what goes where, is a bit confusing. Please provide one! chr says: I never use etched circuit boards. But if you want to make a layout to etch a custom PCB, please feel free to share it here :) n3m3sys says: Aug 16, 2008. 4:16 PM REPLY

Aug 16, 2008. 4:58 PM REPLY Yes I could do that, but I can't figure out the connection made in you pictures! All I'm asking kindly is if you can provide a drawing of the circuit at your board, so we can connect correctly all of the components together. Aug 16, 2008. 4:29 PM REPLY

MatheusLPS says: make one circuit by hand, please, itll be useful . Im trying to finish this project here, but i having some problems thanksit

MatheusLPS says: Aug 16, 2008. 8:18 AM REPLY well, I decided to change something here.... I inverted the order of the connections between transistor array and cathodes.... just the opposite now... i think is working right now.... if someone uses proteus..... can download the file down and see if i made some mistakes!!! :D link: http://discovirtual.uol.com.br/disco_virtual/matheuslps86/cube pass: cube you must unrar, then open the file cube, in Proteus you must put the file code.hex in the mega16 controller, just double click and link to the path and hit play thanks MatheusLPS says: well man, finallly i wire almost the wires.. i simulate.... its seems thats working... if you have time can you saw my circuit and say if is it correct please? ahhh my e-mail is [email protected] image: http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/3724/fmyfnd2feahe8uucopycc8.jpg thanks MatheusLPS says: Aug 15, 2008. 7:17 PM REPLY ahhh i find it.. i search at help me file of the program im using... there says the mega16 isnt full modelled yet... so it wont work fine... aff MatheusLPS says: im lost here.. explain better the process of wring the circuit... therere dark gaps!! thanks MatheusLPS says: Aug 15, 2008. 5:59 PM REPLY hey man i trying this projet here.. but i want to simulante it first! but theres a problem, look at pic down... my mega16 dont have the pins 10, 11 and 31!!!!! how can solve this? and the AVR_prog block, what is this? image: http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/659/u67ioicopycv9.jpg thanks Noodle93 says: Why do we need resistors on both the anodes and cathodes? I'm planning on making some sort of cylindrical version. chr says: You don't... Send pics :) Aug 11, 2008. 1:32 PM REPLY Aug 9, 2008. 5:31 AM REPLY Aug 15, 2008. 6:29 PM REPLY Aug 15, 2008. 10:01 PM REPLY

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Cube-4x4x4/

Noodle93 says:

Aug 11, 2008. 11:05 PM REPLY Ok, semi confused but will modify for arduino later. If I've got 5v and 40mA per pin, and I'm using 1 anode lead per pin (as expected), what voltage/current/mcd LED's should I get and which resistors. 3mcd at 10ma leds or 4000mcd at 30ma leds? I just don't want to finally build this and it ends up looking like a status light, or worse, no light at all.

vuurwerkbar says: wow... what a big thing. how can you make this? jonross says: the finished picture reminds me of a hologram at the MIT museum...

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harsim89 says: what is that led in the pic, is it use to progreme 16 mega

Aug 8, 2008. 10:36 AM REPLY

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http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Cube-4x4x4/