retrolefty:
vtterp:
I was under the impression that because of multiplexing I wouldn't be pushing the arduino too much. LED driver chips and the like are beyond my skill set at the moment, but I will certainly add them to the list of items to research.That is correct, a 3x3x3 led cube will be no problem being powered by your arduino board. You will need 3 transistors to drive the three 'levels' as a 'level driver' via 3 output pins, as it has to be able to supply up to 9 X 20 ma, more then a output pin can handle by itself. So you will need to use 12 digital pins, but keep in mind that the analog input pins can function as digital pins just by using pin numbers 14 to 19, so a Uno board is good to go.
Lefty
So, I've gone back to a 4x4x4 and am having a conversation with myself regarding the need for transistors. As the Uno can utilize 20 pins (16 columns, 4 rows) as digital pins and because of multiplexing, shouldn't I be able to (safely) get away without transistors? Regardless, I am amidst some heady (for me) reading on transistors and hope to understand the use of them for this project if necessary. I have some 2N2222's here and was initially planning on using these on the rows but am having some serious trouble understanding the calculations behind choosing correct resistors to use with the transistors. Any "beginner language" help would be greatly appreciated.
I've also attempted a first draft of a schematic for this project (attached). It assumes the use of transistors but does not include the connections to the Uno. I plan to have the columns connect to "digital" pins 0-13 and "analog" 0-1, while the rows will connect to "analog" 2-5. Thoughts? Am I tracking in the right direction?
Nickity - I am planning on "diffusing" the LEDs by sanding them. While this won't diminish the brightness, I hope it will prevent the need for sunglasses.
