Summary of The 4x4x4 LED cube using an Arduino
This article guides users in building a 4x4x4 LED cube controlled by an Arduino Demulionove. It details material acquisition, board assembly, LED diffusion using sandpaper, and construction techniques involving resistors to ensure consistent brightness. The project utilizes the microcontroller's digital and analog pins to manage 20 I/O lines for the cube's layers and columns, concluding with code upload instructions.
Parts used in the 4x4x4 LED Cube:
- 64 LEDs
- Arduino Demulionove
- Wire
- Resistors (16 or 64)
- Male pin strip (Optional)
- PCB prototype board (Optional)
- Fine Grit sand paper (Optional)
In this instructable I will show you how to make a 4x4x4 LED cube that will be controlled by an Arduino Demulionove. now yes you might say” that Arduino has only 14 I/O pins well also the 6 analog pins can be used as pins 15,16,17,18,19,20. that way giving us enough pins (16 columns + 4layers = 20 I/O pins)
This instructable is made for those who know how to solder (well) and how to program the Arduino. Also I will be providing detours to skip sum steps so if you see (Detour available skip to __ Step) you can follow if you are to lazy to do that.
Step 1: Get the materials
To start of you will need these materials:
Mandatory
— 64 LED (color optional) **
— Arduino Demulionove
— Wire
Optional
–32 male pin strip
–PCB prototype board
–Fine Grit (400 +) sand paper
Your choice
— 64 resistors or 16
you can get 64 resistors which will help by keeping all the lights at the same light out put regardless of how many are on but it will be considerably more work.
Tools:
–Computer
–Soldering Iron
–Solder
–thin nose pliers
**Color is optional but use this website to find the right resistor for your leds http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz (I got Green so I used 100 ohm resistors)
Step 2: Assemble the board(the LED cube base)
(Detour available skip to next step)
In this step you will need the board and the wiring. First you will want to map out were all the wires will go and then feed the wires through the board. Don’t mind the LED and resistor note on the picture for now.
NOTE: I recommend you use Different color wire just because you won’t get confused which wire is which.
Step 3: Defuse the LED
DETOUR if you don’t want to do this then go to next step
So to defuse the LED I took normal 400 grit sand paper and sanded all the LEDs which made them look pretty good.
Step 4: Construct the cube
Now there is the Easy way to do this and that is to connect all the (–) in one layer and then the columns (+) to the resistor and then board. (Look at picture diagram below) what happens is when you turn it on (all of them) the lights are dimmer then when one is on.
My solution to this was to solder a 100 ohm resistor to each LED. (Follow picture instruction on how to do it.) Everything is done in the same way only now you solder all the resistors to the column which is a piece of Ethernet wire. (See picture)
Step 5: PROGRAM
LED_cube_4x4x4.zipArduino Demulionove
Wire
- How many I/O pins are required for this project?
The project requires 20 I/O pins, utilizing 14 digital pins plus 6 analog pins as additional inputs. - Can I skip the LED diffusion step?
Yes, you can skip defusing the LEDs if you choose not to sand them. - What is the recommended resistor value for green LEDs?
The author used 100 ohm resistors specifically for green LEDs. - Does the color of the wire matter during assembly?
Using different colored wires is recommended to avoid confusion about which wire connects where. - Why did the author solder a resistor to each LED instead of one per column?
Soldering a resistor to each LED prevents lights from appearing dimmer when multiple LEDs are on simultaneously. - What tools are necessary to complete this build?
You need a computer, soldering iron, solder, and thin nose pliers. - Is programming knowledge required for this project?
Yes, the guide is intended for those who know how to program the Arduino. - Where can I find the correct resistor calculation for my specific LEDs?
You can use the website http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz to calculate the right resistor.
