Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 2Assemble the layers
How to make 1 layer (64 LEDs) of this 512 LED cube:
The LEDs I bought were 3mm in diameter. I decided to use small LEDs to cut down cost and to make the final size of the cube small enough to sit on my desk or shelf without completely taking over the desk or shelf.
I drew an 8x8 grid with approximately .6 inches between lines. This gave me a cube size around 4.25 inches per side. Drill 3mm holes where the lines meet to make a jig that will hold the LEDs as you solder each layer.
The A6276EA is a current sink device. This means it provides a path to ground rather than a path to source voltage. You will need to build the cube in common anode configuration. Most cubes are built as common cathode.
The long side of the LED is generally the anode, check yours to make sure. The first thing I did was test every LED. Yes it's a long and boring process and you can skip it if you like. I would rather spend the time to test the LEDs than find a dead spot in my cube after it was assembled. I found 1 dead LED out of the 1000. Not bad.
Cut 11 pieces of solid, non-insulated hook up wire to 5 inches. Place 1 LED into each end of a row in your jig and then solder the wire to each anode. Now place the remaining 6 LEDs into the row and solder those anodes to the wire. This can be vertically or horizontally, it doesn't matter as long as you do all the layers the same way. As you finish each row, trim the excess lead from the anodes. I left around 1/8 ".
Repeat until you've finished all 8 rows. Now solder 3 pieces of hook up wire across the rows you just made to connect them all into a single piece. I then tested the layer by attaching 5 volts to the
hook up wire lattice through a resistor and touched the ground lead to each cathode. Replace any LEDs that don't light.
Carefully remove the layer from the jig and set it aside. If you bend the wires, don't worry, just straighten them out as best you can. It's very easy to bend. As you can tell from my pictures, I had a lot of bent wires.
Congratulations, you're 1/8 done. Make 7 more layers.
OPTIONAL: To make soldering the layers together (Step 3) easier, while each subsequent layer is still in the jig bend the top quarter inch of the cathode forward 45 to 90 degrees. This will allow the
lead to reach around the LED it is connecting to and will make soldering much easier. Don't do this to your first layer, we'll declare that one is the bottom layer and the leads need to be straight.
The LEDs I bought were 3mm in diameter. I decided to use small LEDs to cut down cost and to make the final size of the cube small enough to sit on my desk or shelf without completely taking over the desk or shelf.
I drew an 8x8 grid with approximately .6 inches between lines. This gave me a cube size around 4.25 inches per side. Drill 3mm holes where the lines meet to make a jig that will hold the LEDs as you solder each layer.
The A6276EA is a current sink device. This means it provides a path to ground rather than a path to source voltage. You will need to build the cube in common anode configuration. Most cubes are built as common cathode.
The long side of the LED is generally the anode, check yours to make sure. The first thing I did was test every LED. Yes it's a long and boring process and you can skip it if you like. I would rather spend the time to test the LEDs than find a dead spot in my cube after it was assembled. I found 1 dead LED out of the 1000. Not bad.
Cut 11 pieces of solid, non-insulated hook up wire to 5 inches. Place 1 LED into each end of a row in your jig and then solder the wire to each anode. Now place the remaining 6 LEDs into the row and solder those anodes to the wire. This can be vertically or horizontally, it doesn't matter as long as you do all the layers the same way. As you finish each row, trim the excess lead from the anodes. I left around 1/8 ".
Repeat until you've finished all 8 rows. Now solder 3 pieces of hook up wire across the rows you just made to connect them all into a single piece. I then tested the layer by attaching 5 volts to the
hook up wire lattice through a resistor and touched the ground lead to each cathode. Replace any LEDs that don't light.
Carefully remove the layer from the jig and set it aside. If you bend the wires, don't worry, just straighten them out as best you can. It's very easy to bend. As you can tell from my pictures, I had a lot of bent wires.
Congratulations, you're 1/8 done. Make 7 more layers.
OPTIONAL: To make soldering the layers together (Step 3) easier, while each subsequent layer is still in the jig bend the top quarter inch of the cathode forward 45 to 90 degrees. This will allow the
lead to reach around the LED it is connecting to and will make soldering much easier. Don't do this to your first layer, we'll declare that one is the bottom layer and the leads need to be straight.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
