Cubeduino - Rubik's cube-like display thing

I have buttons

Ummm I did read that...but after wards .. ::slight_smile:

The LED you mention with leads bent over a button seems prone to snap off after a few pushes?

That was my thoughts when I saw it, but the LED lead length was long, and the amount of vertical movement is small, so there is no actual sharp transistion, which takes the strain, rather a gentle bend.
I can scan the relevant bit, but can't post it (no tame website)

And lots of shiftregisters (24)

If you are shifting the data into these, doesn't that consume a lot of process time, or have I got it wrong.??

I have seen another method of getting an analogue voltage using a digital selection, by changing the voltage set resistor to a 3pin regulator.
In theory you could latch the x bit colour setting, and have the output do the voltage ... instead of PWM.

OR as the RGB coffee table does..use a second Arduino...

PS looked for that d..n clock, and couldn't see it....
It's now annoying me so I'll look at work tonight.
(It could be a symptom of old age, or something)
Cheers
Mark

If you are shifting the data into these, doesn't that consume a lot of process time, or have I got it wrong.??

No, you got it right! It uses about 40% of the time in the ISR at 1 kHz interrupt frequency.

It uses about 40% of the time in the ISR at 1 kHz interrupt frequency.

So in that case would using parallel loading of latches, help out.?
You would need a BCD decoder to sort out which latch the data is intended for, but this may relieve some of your processing time.

I have given up on the Hong Kong clock...I can't find it....maybe it was a figment of my imagination....

But some form of binary style clock might be a use....not sure you need that many pushbuttons though.
You could use the different colour for am/pm, and a 4x4 is enough to give the full number range.

Mark

(I feel a little guilty for bringing up my thread in the exhibition section all the time now...)

So in that case would using parallel loading of latches, help out.?

Already doing that :slight_smile:

However, you did give me an idea, even though I use kind of the same principle when reading the keypad buttons. I only read one keypad pr. ISR invocation (when updating a row). This is to save some ISR time. But in the current method I update the same rows on all 6 sides simultaneously.

I'm not sure how much time would be saved if I update a row on only one side at a time, since I use direct port manipulation anyway. But my idea was that I could possibly update one row on side 1, then, the next time the ISR is called, updating the same row on another side, until all 6 sides have the same row updated.

If for nothing else I could call it by some fancy name like, say "hexaphased row display" or something :stuck_out_tongue: But I would need to increase the ISR frequency for that I think, like maybe 6 times faster. So I'm not too sure about the gain. Then again, it might not be neccessary to have it 6 times faster either, as each row would have its last setting, for all sides that are not updating.

I need to think this through a little more though.

You could use the different colour for am/pm, and a 4x4 is enough to give the full number range.

I like the idea of different colors for am/pm! As for a clock, I should probably have one of those real time modules added. If I could use the normal serial RX/TX for that it would be possible (or else I'm out of pins, but then updating the Cube would be hindred?). But I also think it should be possible without such a module. But then I would have to adjust the time each time I turn it on.

As for 4x4, I made a "nibble font" for use in the cube, so I already have a 4x4 font, with numbers :slight_smile: Most characters are actually 3 by 4, leaving 1 column free for separating the characters. Some are 4 by 5, borrowing a row of pixels from the top side. It's pretty minimalistic. I've been meaning to post it for an ordinary 8 by 8 matrix display soon, when I get around to clean it up a bit (Except for the 8x8, I use a 4 by 5 font, so it's slightly bigger - the 4x4 font was a reduction from that one).

very cool. nice work

If I could use the normal serial RX/TX

It would be possible to use a RTC with something in between to communicate the time over serial. It may require a second processor, however you could use this to off load some of the processing, ie keypad...

I was wondering if you thought of scrolling the numbers around...ala a moving message, however in your case you have the option of changing the scroll so that it could go around or over the top.

I'm getting interested in making somthing similar now....
Never was much of a fan of moving displays, but this is cool.
The company I worked for imported moving message balls, which was basically a magic wand inside a sphere ....came from Germany and were expensive, but did look cool, as they were visible from 360deg.

Mark :slight_smile:

Awesome work, you have a lot more patience then I do! Nicely done on the documentation side as well!

Also, my wife wants to know if she can buy one :slight_smile:

markB:

It may require a second processor

I was trying to avoid that. Actually, I have avoided that :stuck_out_tongue: So far at least. But I have secured me some atmega 644's, just in case. I have not yet tried to program those though. Also, I would need to make a new "mainboard" for the cube then (If I can fit it in there, as one connector is basically locked to a position and I need to design it around it).

I was wondering if you thought of scrolling the numbers around...

Which is also what it does for the text. So yes I though of that with the clock numbers too. If I make a "clock" mode that is. I might do, it's a neat idea.

I'm getting interested in making somthing similar now....
Never was much of a fan of moving displays, but this is cool.

Just be aware that this display, since it is 4 by 4 pixels on each side and also somewhat big, it's best viewed from a distance. Or on video. Up close it is sort of awkward (?) too make out the letters scrolling by, at least in the beginning. Not sure how to explain it, but it is easier from a little distance. Another thing making it even more awkward to make out the letters, is that some of them are 5 pixels tall, and borrows the top-face edge pixels.

A1:
Thank you :slight_smile:
I keep finetuning the documentation, so it gets longer and longer it seems.

Also, my wife wants to know if she can buy one

Hehe ok. I'm sorry but I don't really think I will part with it just yet, and now that I know how much work it was... Actually I'm still not quite finished with it. I hope to get an acrylic casing for it next month (thanks to mowcius here on the forum). Then I have to dismantle the hole thing, drill a few holes and put it back together.. hopefully without breaking anything.

Btw A1, you have the coolest nick! Awsome logo/profile picture too :slight_smile:

But I have secured me some atmega 644's, just in case.

The 644s are very nice with the more I/O and space :slight_smile:
More than one processor would be interesting but I think if you had 2 you would just get eveyone tell you it was overkill :stuck_out_tongue:

Also, my wife wants to know if she can buy one

Maybe she could buy the parts and get you to make one for her!
;D

Btw A1, you have the coolest nick! Awsome logo/profile picture too

I was going to say that too. :smiley:
Have you got a high res version you wouldn't mind distributing?

Mowcius :wink:

Have you got a high res version you wouldn't mind distributing?

In fact I do, since I stole yours for potential future use I guess its only fair :stuck_out_tongue:

Btw A1, you have the coolest nick!

Thanks, been lurking on this forum for a while now had time to think about it :wink:

I've been telling my wife I'd love to build something for her but she still hasn't settled on anything, probably a good thing because I have too much of my own I want to do! Maybe I'll tone it down a bit and do a 3x3 cube...

Maybe I'll tone it down a bit and do a 3x3 cube...

Careful with those 3x3x3 cubes, that's how I started :stuck_out_tongue: A year ago in fact (time flies and all that), I ordered some RGB LED's with that in mind. Then something short-circuited in my brain and I thought "why not make it a 4x4x4 LED cube and add a Rubik's game on it?". One order later I realised that wasn't really feasible after all. Then I spotted those Sparkfun 4 by 4 button pad's, and immediately thought about that Rubik's cube thing.

It still went some time until I begun making it though. I saw a competition on instructables.com just before november 2009, which ended november 15th I think it was. Optimistically I though I had a chance. I only broke the deadline by a month - for the build. I understood I wouldn't make it some time before of course, but since I actually progressed with this thing I continued.

And I still haven't made any LED cubes.

Btw, I snagged your image too! :slight_smile: Thanks!

How many times have you stepped out from Christian Louboutin or Abercrombie Fitch,William Rast.

In fact I do, since I stole yours for potential future use I guess its only fair :stuck_out_tongue:

Racetronics: Stuff Page

What is that distributed under? Can it be used for anything then or are you placing restrictions on it :slight_smile:

Mowcius

What is that distributed under? Can it be used for anything then or are you placing restrictions on it :slight_smile:

Thanks for asking, I don't mind anyone using it as long as it doesn't end up on some commercial product ::slight_smile:

Forgot I should mention something like that, it's in the note on my page now. I thought I had the legal stuff covered at the bottom of my blog pages but I guess it doesn't cover graphics, etc!

Thanks for asking, I don't mind anyone using it as long as it doesn't end up on some commercial product

Okey dokey :slight_smile:

I made it a bit cleaner and higher res and stuck it up on my blog :slight_smile:
http://duinoaday.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/more-arduino-icons/

Mowcius

I don't mind anyone using it as long as it doesn't end up on some commercial product

Sorry for not asking :-[ Anyway, I wouldn't use it on any commercial products (as I don't have any). But I figure it could be fun sticking it on some arduino thing sometime, when I finally get to box a project :slight_smile:

I made it a bit cleaner and higher res and stuck it up on my blog

Nice!

Instead of making a new thread, I thought I might as well continue this one..

A little update on my cube project, thanks to mowcius here. Now I finally got a nice acrylic case for it :slight_smile: I took my time, but not I finally have a little writeup of it in my blog, in case anyone wants to have a look. No new video of it, mostly some pictures, except a little time-lapse video of me putting it together.

Still lacks some dome nuts and a little on the finish though. And of course, the never-ending task of improving that code... (that I'm good at procrastinating doesn't help either :stuck_out_tongue: That word sounds awful btw - "procrastinating".. sounds so negative somehow. English is not my first language though)

I saw your blog post (subscibed to your RSS when you first put it up).

I posted some comments in error while my internet was being a pain...

I especially like the purple but that's just me. I like purple :smiley:

Mowcius

I saw your blog post (subscibed to your RSS when you first put it up).

Ah ok. I gotta learn more about RSS... at least start using it. I've barely touched the subject.

I posted some comments in error while my internet was being a pain...

Yeah, that happens sometimes (with ISPs). No biggie. When I think about it, maybe I erased the wrong comment?

I like purple

Thanks to the sides being white (your suggestion I might add) they fit nicely with any color :slight_smile:

Combined with another RGB light I have, its cool to have matching colors.

Well almost any color, except black... Works nice in the dark though. At daylight the colors are kind of hard to see (only pastel-ish/light colors then).