LED Cube 8x8x8

Step 2: Component list

Here is what you need to make a LED cube:

• 512x  LEDs (plus some extra for making mistakes!)
• 64x resistors. (see separate step for ohm value)
• 1x or 2x large prototype PCBs. The type with copper "eyes", see image.
• 1x ATmega32 microcontroller (you can also use the pin-compatible ATmega16)
• 3x status LEDs. You choose color and size.
• 3x resistors for the status LEDs.
• 8x 74HC574 ICs
• 16x PN2222 transistors
• 16x 1k resistors
• 1x 74HC138 IC
• 1x Maxim MAX232 IC
• 1x 14.7456 MHz crustal
• 2x 22pF ceramic capacitors
• 16x 0.1uF ceramic capacitors
• 3x 1000uF electrolytic capacitor
• 3x 10uF electrolytic capacitor
• 1x 100uF electrolytic capacitors
• 8x 20 pin IC sockets
• 1x 40 pin IC socket
• 2x 16 pin IC socket
• 1x 2-pin screw terminal
• 1x 2wire cable with plugs
• 9x 8-pin terminal pins
• 1x 4-pin terminal pins, right angle
• 2x 16-pin ribbon cable connector
• 1x 10-pin ribbon cable connector
• Ribbon cable
• 2x pushbuttons
• 2x ribbon cable plugs
• 9x 8-pin female header plugs
• Serial cable and 4pin female pin header
• Piece of wood for template and base
• 8x optional pull-up resistors for layers
• 5v power supply (see separate step for power supply)

Total estimated build cost: 67 USD. See attached price list.

Comments

[ryanprocter]

would this work with an arduino uno. that has an atmega328 in it

[patyork]

Yes, there would be some minor changes when using the Arduino; see step 70 of this Instructable for more info.

[TechNotes]

I made an updated supply spreadsheet with parts only from Digikey and LED's from ebay. I hope you can make use of it.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai0ERwUks7OIdGFHT2xjQnpjcEhGNlpwMWg1eGQycHc&hl=en_US

[tmpx]

Hello,

Or is the link of your spreadsheet?

Vadim
[e-mail]

[tmpx]

Ho sorry, I was not on good paper.
I found your spreadsheet, thank you!
Vadim

[Tiagon9]

Hi TechNotes, your spreadsheet is really helpful!!!
I am just starting with eletronics and I need help to find the other parts (those without part number in your spreadsheet)... do you have now the part numbers from Digi-Key or any other virtual shop? Thank you very much for the help!

[TechNotes]

Ah, yes. Since my brother has been in electronics for a while, he has quite the assortment of computer parts and other stuff, so I just used stuff we already had.

Also, my spreadsheet is incorrect. I put a link for the prototyping boards up, but they do not have copper eyes. (You can still use them though). There is a board I found on Digi-Key with copper eyes. It is a bit bigger than the ones I ordered, but it should be fine.

http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/8016-1/V2012-ND/416001

What other stuff do you need? (LED's, ribbon cable, connectors, etc.)

[Tiagon9]

Hey, thank you very much for the prompt answer!

Nice, I already updated my order with this prototype board... :)

I have a doubt regarding the leds... may I buy leds of 5mm instead of 3mm? Does it will impact my project? I used the link you provided and I found this option here, is it good? goo.gl/c2b79

I´m in doubt regarding the following parts:

Maxim MAX232 IC
PN2222 transistors
2-pin screw terminal
polarized plug for pwr cable
inserts for plugs
8-pin terminal pins
4-pin terminal pins, right angle
16-pin ribbon cable connector
10-pin ribbon cable connector
Ribbon cable
pushbuttons
ribbon cable plugs
8-pin female header plugs
4 pin header for serial cable
Inserts for header plugs
optional pull-up resistors for layers

Thanks a lot!!!

[TechNotes]

Your LED's should be good; they're the same ones I got.

A lot of this stuff I didn't even get. First, I did not get the MAX232 because I already had a USB FTDI cable. If you want to use this, you have to alter the schematic a bit, but it should work. You can find one here:

https://www.adafruit.com/products/70

If you still want to use the MAX232, I think this one will work (you should look into it to make sure it's the right one):

http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/MAX232IN/296-6940-5-ND/371562

For terminal pins, connectors, plugs, etc. I just used headers (which I already had)

Ribbon cable:

10 wire @ http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_639672_-1

16 wire @ http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_643532_-1

If you want to use the PN2222 transistors, you will have to buy 16 of them. Another option would be to use the ones I got, which only requires 8. I have not finished this project yet and have not used them, but they should be fine.

[ALEX_BZ]

What do you change to use a FTDI cable instead of the max232?

[Tiagon9]

Hey, I´ve just ordered the leds... Thanks for the links of cables, I will buy them... Regarding the Maxim MAX232 IC I will confirm if it is the right one...

I think I will use the component list from chr´s project, this way will be easier for me to find tips and help and to follow the instructions when building the cube...

I got some pushbuttons and the status LEDs/Resistors...

I will try one more time to find the missing components:

PN2222 transistors
2-pin screw terminal
polarized plug for pwr cable
inserts for plugs
8-pin terminal pins
4-pin terminal pins, right angle
16-pin ribbon cable connector
10-pin ribbon cable connector
ribbon cable plugs
8-pin female header plugs
4 pin header for serial cable
Inserts for header plugs
optional pull-up resistors for layers

Thanks a lot again!

[homer]

Thanks a lot for the list. Great job. Can you kindly let me know this:
- Why it's listed 1 ATMega but you have 2 in your list
- Why 500 Resistor instead of 64
- Is 100 Ohm for Resistors calculated number for those LEDs listed in part list?

[TechNotes]

I have 2 ATMega's because I am using the other for another project. As for the 500 resistors, I like to buy in bulk, it's cheaper. I got 100 ohm resistors because that's what the LED resister calculator said to use.

[TDarklight]

thanks for the post. i'm trying to get the parts as well. I'm trying to find the ribbon connector on digikey but can't find it. mind guiding me? thanks! :)

[TechNotes]

Sorry mate, I couldn't find it. I would suggest then look at Electronic Goldmine, but I look there and couldn't find it either. I would look on Futurlec, as chr suggested, and tell me what you find. I have to get off now, so sorry I couldn't look anywhere else. I will definitely look for you tomorrow.

[TechNotes]

Hey I found some ribbon cable from Futurlec, if you want to order from there at http://www.futurlec.com/Cable.shtml . I also found ribbon cable at Jameco
10 wire @ Jameco:http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_639672_-1
16 wire @ Jameco: http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_643532_-1

Hey dude looking back on your original comment, did you want the connectors? I just used male and female headers and they work fine. Let me know if you want me to find them.

[TDarklight]

:) yeah. I was looking for the connectors. And I ended up getting the headers as well. Thanks a lot for replying though.

[dweith]

Another great buy on Red LEDs is at Evil Mad Science, one reel of 1000 for $27.00. It does take some time to peel them off the tape, also the A & K leads are the same length but the lens is marked with the flat for the K. The peel of is not too bad since the tape is not dry as I have experienced with other discounted parts from the reel.

http://evilmadscience.com/component/content/article/259

[luislhg]

I'm about to buy some new things, and I'm probably gonna buy an Arduino.
Would I be able to do this tutorial using Arduino Uno Rev3?
Thanks in advance,
Luís.

[spencelee]

I recently built this project and have used the Arduino Uno Rev3 to control it. It works great and will shrink your parts list significantly. The Arduino is awesome for all sorts of projects - I definitely recommend buying one (or 10). I will post some pics of my build soon...

[Tiagon9]

Hi, could you please give us more details on how to shrink the parts list significantly using the Arduino Uno Rev3 to control it? Thank you very much!

[arm171]

Just like aj1234 i am having problems with the names of these parts. Any help would be great.
Thanks

1x 2wire cable with plugs
9x 8-pin terminal pins
1x 4-pin terminal pins, right angle
9x 8-pin female header plugs

[aj1234]

Hi,
I am starting on this project and i have bought all the parts from digikey using the spreadsheet you provided in one of the comments. I also bhought the LED's from ebay. By comparing your spreadsheet and your list in the second step i found that i am missing these parts

64x resistors. (see separate step for ohm value)
3x status LEDs. You choose color and size.
3x resistors for the status LEDs.
16x PN2222 transistors
1x 2-pin screw terminal
1x 2wire cable with plugs
9x 8-pin terminal pins
1x 4-pin terminal pins, right angle
2x 16-pin ribbon cable connector
1x 10-pin ribbon cable connector
Ribbon cable Jameco
x pushbuttons
2x ribbon cable plugs
9x 8-pin female header plugs
Serial cable and 4pin female pin header
Piece of wood for template and base
8x optional pull-up resistors for layers

I managed to find the ribbon cable at Jameco but having trouble finding the other parts. is there anyway you guide me in finding the rest. I really want to build this LED cube. Thanks in advance for any replies, hope to be hearing from you soon.

[matt.e.jenkins]

I would check out http://www.taydaelectronics.com/ I have bought from them before and they have great prices. You can get at least some of your items there. Hope that helps.
Matt

[aj1234]

Hi, thank you very much for the reply, I found some parts in the website you mentioned above. Is there anyway you could tell me what is the real name for these or if you know where i can find them, this will really as i am starting to build the controller.

1x 2wire cable with plugs
9x 8-pin terminal pins
1x 4-pin terminal pins, right angle
9x 8-pin female header plugs

I type it in as it is in the search box, but don't get any results. Thanks in advance for your reply.

[lnr0626]

Hey, I'm just curious if there is a reason to not use another 74HC138 to control the which layer is turned on.
Thanks,
Lloyd

[jdorne]

Can you please tell me what "1x 2wire cable with plugs" is?

and also "9x 8-pin terminal pins"? (are these header terminals?)

and why are there 2x ribbon cable plugs but 3 sockets?

[D3v45t4t0r]

is there a way to get a logo or an image with the led

[poinu]

I have a doubt about the LED resistors.

I just be missing something, if you can't exceed the 50/8 mA rating from the 74HC574 (6,25mA), how can you use 100Ohm resistors?

I = 6,25mA = 0,00625A
V = 5 - 3 = 2Vdc

R = V / R = 2 / 0,00625 = 320Ohm

If I used 100Ohm resistors, I would exceed the maximum current and break the 74HC574, wouldn't I?

I'd really appreciate anything that could help me, thank you very much :)

[LINOLARIOS]

WHERE CAN I FIND MOST OF THE PARTS I NEED ??? I WAN TO START THE PROJECT, ITS OK IF I USE THE ARDUINO UNO ???

[chiefandkat]

http://www.allelectronics.com/

[hairs]

try willys electronics www.willyselectronics.com

[ben_xman]

I usually use Solarbotics. Just for note for other people too who need to know. They have a nice deal for 500+ of 20 cents a peice, so its 107.52$ for 512. You can also get almost everything else too.

[wingraham]

http://www.taydaelectronics.com has 5mm blue LED for 5 cents each

[Fireater989]

HI MY CAPS LOCK IS STUCK TOO! HAVE YOU FOUND A WAY TO FIX IT YET ??????

[LINOLARIOS]

YES ITS WORKING OK NOW.........I GOT A VIDEO ON YOU TUBE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fttTCOH6QOA

[cody86]

just wanted to say awesome instructible.. trying to gather parts but not understanding some of the variences in the hardware
"Also, looking at the schematics and browsing through data sheets I noticed the following: for the MAX232 converter, the charge pump cap. value is set to 0.1uF witch is OK for the MAX232A. However for the MAX232CPE, 1uF should be used. Take note when ordering either!

on a slightly technical note, you can safely use larger charge pump caps, but understand that the bigger the cap. the longer the charge time - which could adversely affect your transfer speeds/ baud rate."

if i run with the maxim232cpe do i change the value of the 16x 0.1uf caps to 1.0uf caps i am trying to understand cause i only have access to maxim232cpe. and if so will it change anything els with the circuit or code because of charge time

[dabamrak]

Can someone help me with the capacitors. What voltage should they be? I am a little confused as mdhowle and Technotes put different voltage capacitors in their lists and comparing the prices from the given pricelist.xls I myself find other capacitors on Futurlec.

Thanks!

[dabamrak]

Am I correct that anything above 5V will be sufficient?

[Ken R]

I believe "10x smallest available" means that the 10x is the least amount you can buy @ futurlec. They will not sell smaller quantities.

Also, looking at the schematics and browsing through data sheets I noticed the following: for the MAX232 converter, the charge pump cap. value is set to 0.1uF witch is OK for the MAX232A. However for the MAX232CPE, 1uF should be used. Take note when ordering either!

on a slightly technical note, you can safely use larger charge pump caps, but understand that the bigger the cap. the longer the charge time - which could adversely affect your transfer speeds/ baud rate.

...or you could just get the MAX233, which has all caps. built in

Please correct me if I'm wrong ;)