10" x 10" LED Infinity Mirror

This covers building the 10" x 10" Infinity Mirror Kit from Chromation Systems. But the included plans could be used to build one from your own parts and supplies out of acrylic, hardboard or similar. The kit's frame is made from Polystyrene plastic and holds 32 LEDs(8 per side). The kit includes all the frame parts, glue, LEDs, wire, power supply, power supply jack and controller, everything needed to complete it excluding tools and spray paint.

The kit features an 8 Channel LED Controller v.3, which is used to control 8 channels of LEDs, with up to 5 LEDs in parallel per channel.(100 ma per channel) It utilizes a PIC12F1822 and a TPIC6C596 power logic shift register, with each channel current controlled with a single 0.5w resistor, allowing different colors of LEDs to be controlled with various currents. The controller runs at 32 Mhz, each channel is 8-bit(256 levels) PWM controlled at 370 hz. It can interface with TTL serial devices, such as a MAX232 or a USB to TTL Serial Adapter. The software, MonoMotion, can interface with the controller and is used to create, order, and upload patterns to the device for it to run on its own. Or the outputs can be controlled with live serial data from a computer or other serial device. Perfect for small Infinity Mirrors or other creations requiring intelligent LED animations on a small versatile, platform.

The finished Infinity Mirror is 9.5" x 9.5" viewable and 13.5" x 13.5" x 2.25" overall, with 32 LEDs, 8 per side.

All the diagrams used in this are available for download in the ZIP below the video.

Kits are Available for Purchase from The Chromation Systems Store.

Limited Time Coupon for $5 off purchase, use "Infinite40Instruct" during checkout to redeem.

Step 1: Parts and Tools

The 10" x 10" Infinity Mirror Kit, Full Kit comes with all the parts needed to a Infinity Mirror. Just supply the tools listed below. Or use the included parts diagram for creating your own.

Contact Us if you would like a custom kit with only the parts you need or for Custom Infinity Mirrors and Kits.

Frame:

• 4x front parts, trapezoid shaped, 13.5" x 2"
• 4x Outer walls, prepared, ready for LEDs 13.4" x 2.1"
• 4x Inner walls, 10.1" x 2"
• Rear Mirror. 1/8" regular glass mirror
• Front Mirror, 1/4" glass two-way mirror, brand name in the U.S. is MirrorPane
• Testors Polystyrene Glue, with 2 tips
• 46" of stranded picture wire, 20lb.
• 8" Aluminum Tape

Electronics:

• 8 Channel LED Controller v.3 - Instructable
• 32x diffused 5mm LEDs, choice of colors*, 1, 2, 4, or 8 colors
• USB to TTL Serial Adapter
• 24" 16-strand ribbon cable, split it into two 8 strand ribbons
• 44" Solid Strand Wire, cut into two 22" sections
• Barrel Jack, Panel Mount, 2.1mm x 5.5mm
• 5v @ 2 A PSU, 2.1mm x 5.5mm plug

*Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Cool White, UV, Purple, Pink, Turquoise, Aqua-Green, Cyan, Magenta

Or if you are building your own get a 32 pack of Mix-and-Matched Colors of 5mm Diffused LEDs

Tools and Supplies: (Not Included)

• Hot Glue Gun
• Soldering Iron and Solder
• Wire Stripper
• Razor Blade
• Diagonal Cutters
• Painters/Masking Tape
• Spray Paint for Plastic, color of your choice, preferably Krylon Fusion
• Isopropyl or other mild solvent, surface prep and cleaning.

Comments

[vigneshwaranece]

can we use glass fiber insted of two way mirror

[FeelX]

if i would want to power my infinity mirror by battery power, what kind of batteries and how many of them would i have to put in series to get the 5V @ 2A that the PSU usually provides?

[ChromationSystems]

Well if you are using the included controller or similar, you will need to provide it with between 1.8v to 5.5v at 600ma, at most.So a boosting circuit, such as the ones for USB charging could work, or batteries with a higher voltage with and a linear regulator.(7805) The LEDs require at least 3.2v to operate and their LED Resistor values would have to be adjusted for the voltage used.

[FeelX]

after having done further reading i have discovered that using a linear regulator (though being an easy and cheap option) is quite inefficient. i might have to look into the booster circuit option, or maybe even opt for a switching regulator, which is a pretty expensive part, but considering a 5v psu would still cost me approx. $10 more id have to take it into consideration. however i am interested in your thoughts on the whole switching the psu for battery power business. is it a stupid idea? i mean itd obviously be great to not have to plugin the mirror, but if it means having to buy crates full of batteries, it wouldnt really make much sense.. i'm sure there's a reason you've opted for a psu.

[ChromationSystems]

You are quite right, linear regulators are inefficient and would not be good choice, You could use batteries if you don't have your mirror in a position to plug it into the wall, but using the PSU is preferred if you can, so you don't waste batteries. Or perhaps invest in some rechargeable litiums.

[FeelX]

thank you for your response! i would be using the included controller. which one of those two options would be more efficient? let's say i'd decide to go for a 9v pp3 battery hooked up to an 7805 linear regulator. how long approximately would the battery be able to feed my infinity mirror? how can i calculate this?

[XTL]

The rear mirror needs to be a plain mirror. The front mirror is easiest to create by using the partially reflective solar film applied to windows. This is partially reflective and works well to achieve internal reflections.

[ChromationSystems]

Sun film does work to create the effect, but not nearly as well as the two-way glass and eventually it will start to bubble and separate from the front glass, which ruins the effect.

[axiesdad]

I'm not seeing any info on the mirror (mirrors?) used. Shouldn't there be something in the material list? Or did I just miss something?

[SuddleD]

If you look on the product page for the kit is has this listed:

- Front Glass Two-Way Mirror, 1/4" thick, 10" x 10"
- Rear Glass Mirror, 1/8" thick, 10" x 10"

[ChromationSystems]

Don't know how I forgot to include them on the parts list, I have since added them to the list on Step 1.

[triumphman]

How much to buy this ? Finished and working of course!