CharlieCube64

Using Arduino LEDs and Multiplexing
1

I have put my other RGB LED Cube project down for a minute, to explore this clean and simple design. It is compose of nothing but LEDs and a microcontroller, thats right folks NO current limiting devices on the LED (well... except for the arduino...)

I have built one, and to my surprise, it doesnt suck. I need to build a few more cubes to compare them all (one with shift registers/resistors, one with constant current drivers). The charliecube doesnt seem to use PWM in the standard sense, but it does seem to mix the colors to some degree.

Here is Asher Glicks website about it:
http://aglick.com/charliecube.html

Heres is a video of the cube running:

Here i a playlist of some videos about making a charlieplexed RGB LED spire.

Have you made one of these? share with us what you learned.
Do you want to make one of these? I can help you.

Im currently working on my second cube, so hopefully i will have some improvements over the first one.

I havnt built one, but I have come up with a coulpe ways to make an 8x8x8 charliecube. Im still undecided if im willing to risk 512 LEDs and the amount of time/effort to test them out.

The basics of the design is to rotate the LED 90 degrees between each LED, but the results are a an LED cube made out of nothing but LEDs. a very impressive feat, if you ask me.

2

Hippynerd:
I have put my other RGB LED Cube project down for a minute, to explore this clean and simple design. It is compose of nothing but LEDs and a microcontroller, thats right folks NO current limiting devices

It's your Arduino, you're free to break it if you want to...

3

fungus:

Hippynerd:
I have put my other RGB LED Cube project down for a minute, to explore this clean and simple design. It is compose of nothing but LEDs and a microcontroller, thats right folks NO current limiting devices

It's your Arduino, you're free to break it if you want to...

Yes, I have seen a couple of these on the internet, but I havnt talked to anyone that has built one.

I have built one, and its been running for a couple days now on a cheapo knockoff nano ($12 on ebay). If it will break an arduino, it should break a cheapo unit faster.

How long before it breaks my knockoff nano?

4

Hippynerd:
How long before it breaks my knockoff nano?

It might not fail 100% dead.

Are you sure the LEDs are exactly as bright as they were two days ago?

5

They seem as bright as ever, these are new LEDs, i havnt used them in other things. I hope to make a couple more cubes with them for comparison.

Which should break first? the LEDs or the arduino? and if its the arduino, what will break on it (voltage regulator? CPU?

I dont have a scope, but I have a multimeter, is there a way I can test and measure bad things are happening?

6

The cube is still running fine. I have also built another charliecube using thinner rods, it was extremely difficult.

I want to make the cube a bit more interesting by adding a button to cycle through each program.

I was thinking something like this:
http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,116433.0.html
But I dont think this will work, since it takes a long time(seconds) to complete each segment.

This bit of code seems to call up each segment. I would like it to go to the next program when you hit the button, and then maybe if there is a long press, have it go to random, or cycle thorough each(like it normally does now)

void loop() {
planarSpin();
fountian();
trifade();
shiftSquares();
tunnel();
chaseTheDot();
planarFlop3D();

}

The cube itself only uses 16 pins, so there are actually a I/Os still available to add features.