LED Cube 8x8x8

Step 72: Feedback

We love getting feedback on our projects! The 4x4x4 LED cube has received a ton of feedback, and many users have posted pictures and videos of their LED cubes.

If you follow this Instructable and make your own LED cube, please post pictures and video!

Oh, and don't forget to rate this Instructable if you liked it :)

As a token of gratitude for all the great feedback, here is a collage of some of the feedback on our 4x4x4 LED cube instructable:

Comments

[SuperTech-IT]

The return (ground) wires for each layer can drop a great deal of voltage when a large number of LEDs are on in any given layer, reducing the current available to each LED.
In my tests, the return wire was lowering the layer current by 400mA with all LEDs on.
My driver board has 2 40 pin connectors on it to go to the LED matrix, so I just doubled up the return wires (80 pins total...64 for each LED, and 16 for return rather than just 8...total, 80 wires)

[zdienos]

can this work with Raspberry Pi?

thanks in advice (and sorry for my bad English)

[ajitchahal]

Where are .c files?

[maischta]

hello.

i want to build a absolute perfect 8x8x8 Led-Cube. Perfect means with all special features you can imagine!! like IR-controll, Display, Music-visual, dimm complett cube with a poti, sd-card for more effects.......

Nice plan! but i have absolutely 0 knowledge about AVR-programming!!! ;)
so i started a few months ago to find my way in AVR-programming.
slowly, but it´s working!!;)
so i build the 4x4x4........works!!!
BUT:
1 please tell me how to use the rs232 connection, or: how to use it with my pc??
2 the s-status-led´s........have they any function??? ok, blinky blinky at startup, .....not more??
3 the Button on pin 3 of the avr..........function????
there is no function-or it works together with the rs232, then please explain it to me!!

thx

ps: if i did my XXL-Cube i will send you pic´s, vid´s, and schematics if you want to.

[kuprik]

I repeated the project on the boards Roel Mulder (thanks Roel). I put 16 transistors and pull-up resistors, and replaced it with BD139 (the base 4k7) it works fine. After mounting all the diodes worked, but had to change because of a few lights (possible consequences of overheating). Programming with WinAvr - all excellent (USBASP - $ 3-Ebay). I would like to see the implementation of the new and the real effect it calendar, clock, temperature, due to facebook, skype (why not).
Thanks for a great manual.
http://youtu.be/z1q1GV5jKuw

[omid-el]

can you help me program with winavr?

[omid-el]

so have can i program the atmega by winavr? please help

[kuprik]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=z1q1GV5jKuw

[pogasi]

Thanks for youre awsome guide, after the 4x4x4 i made the 8x8x8. Great job on the code aswel.

http://youtu.be/61GwtX5Ucio

[abbasy]

It's great ! I realy like that . Can you send me the code also ?
Thank you very much !
My mail : [e-mail]

[MartijnD]

Nice project!
Nokia snake would also be cool in 3D, maybe add a controller and counter and see who is the best 3D-Snake player. Have the head in 100% duty cycle(1/8) and the tale 25-50% duty cycle so is is better to see which direction it goes.

[SimBil91]

I also thought 3D Snake would be a great idea. That's why i wrote it myself. You can see it in the video below.

Thank you chr for the lovely tutorial, i learned a lot!

[bolanka]

Thanks your awesom instructables. Could you send the codes please?

[e-mail]

[SimBil91]

Here is the code for the SNAKE 3D game above:
http://www.file-upload.net/download-6760078/SNAKE3D.tar.gz.html

you have to install the "ncurses" libary and the program "beep" for sound.

sudo apt-get install ncurses beep

after that navigate into the Snake folder and type "make".

Have fun!
SimBil91

[omid-el]

hi,can you explain me how i can work with rs232(by wich softwere)??
thanks a lot
[e-mail]

[simtacts]

hy simbil91 thanks for code :)
Can you tell me how to run the code?

[SimBil91]

I explained it in the post before.
First of all you need to flash code from chr on your Microcontroller.
2. Start the Cube in RS232 Mode
3. You have to use linux to compile Linux. This does not work on Windows.

install the packages i mentioned above, (you need avr-gcc as well, of course)

if "make" still doesn't work, post your error messages.

Enjoy,
SimBil91

[Psychojm]

Hi thanks for the awsome instructable, I finished my cube and it is working, however there are some effects that are not showing properly such as the smily face, both arrows well the effects that spin, and the "INTRUCTABLES" effect shows like a 8x5 plane moving like crazy. I loaded the program without any changes so I have no idea how to fix it, any help plz? sorry for my bad english.

[rpb_86]

I am experiencing the same problem! Has anyone found a solution for this?

[Gecko23]

After many, many hours of soldering (and crimping, drilling, sanding...) I have a working 8x8x8 cube!

Thanks for the great instructable, and thanks to Roel Mulder for the excellent PCBs!

Now I just have to figure out where to put it.

[fluetke]

Hi everyone, I finally got my weird IC problems solved, but neither me nor my electronics technician buddy can explain what caused these problems or what fixed them. They were suddenly gone. Either way, here it is:

At the moment, it only runs the default animations as I didn't have time to programm new ones, but one of the future goals is to have winamp or vlc visualizations running on the cube. 
Also I forgot to drill a hole for the RS232 mode btn, hence the cable coming out under the front.

Let me once again, thank you and the community for this great instructable and all the helpful comments.

[trimdell]

Hola disculpa puedes ayudarme con tu programación por fa por que me esta fallando el cubo led ya que hay algo que no funciona bien no se prenden 3 filas

gracias

[weedetz]

Hi just wanted to thank yo guzs fir great and amazing instructables. This is my fiirst ever electronicks project and im satisfaed as it turned out.(Did a couple mini projects on arduino without soldering.) I didnt want to copy youre design, and i tryed to simplife it as much as possible, so i went with bit shift registors instead of latch array, and i used darlingtons transistor arry with pull up resistors instead of normal transistors. So here it is my cube. Its not done yet, its running under arduino uno atm for test purpose, but i have atmega ready and all the rest parts to make my own controller. As i said im happy with my cube, hope you guys enyoj it. And i want to apollagize for my bad english. Here is the video..

[Steel Chameleon]

dont have your code available do you? :P

[tronghai_tk]

you can send me all the PBC (printed circuit boards, code, diagram principle)? I want to make you one. thank you much.
mail: [e-mail]

[thanhdlk33]

nice, could you give me this circuit ?
thank you
mail: [e-mail]

[jacco82]

All these incredible instructables, great job everyone. I'm finished with my 3x3x3 and I am new to programming and electronics. I got a few codes written for my 3x3x3 but that was for the microprocessor final, now I'm in capstone and going to tackle the 8x8x8, can't imagine anything better to fine tune some programming skills and soldering.

The question is I want to set all the levels high without lighting all the LED's in a row, for setting letters and symbols etc. I have a beta code set for the 3x3x3 by manipulating delays quickly and it works but it just doesn't look as uniform as some of yours. I heard of something through the forums that mention setting the code in a byte format, and was wondering if there is any tutorials or example codes to decipher someone may know of that isn't popping up for me in search. my 3x3x3 is multiplexed and I'm sure the 8x8 will be too. Any information would be helpful, based on setting letters, and symbols that use many levels but not all LED's. I think I stated this clearly.

[jacksonliam]

I used a arduino uno (am going to replace with a Micro) and built mine across two breadboards. One holds the 8x 74HC595's (daisy chained latching shift registers) and one holds the layer logic (atm just connected to 8 arduino pins).

I've also hooked mine up to a wii nunchuck, I plan to make some sort of game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgwEwKs-sSw

[Cloudhail]

can you write an instructable on how to extend the uno out onto that many breadboards. I am new (just built my first 3x3x3) I learned alot but I dont know how to manipulate the uno like you do. Please respond!

[arm171]

Thanks so much for putting this tutorial out.
I just ordered all the parts to start with my cube.
I was wondering if you have thought about doing a cube with RGB lights.
I am new at this and don’t know how complicated it would be, but it definitely would be much better looking

[rclayled]

Take a look at this link - http://lumisense.com/eightcubed I have built this cube. The downside is the PCB is pre-assembled.

[triumphtotty]

With single colour LEDs there are over 1,000 solder connections to make in the cube. Triple that (at least) and remember that the 3 RGB wires will somewhat block the light from the back of the cube reaching the front. From the point of view of wiring it up, I would go for latching shift registers (24 of them!) for the layer, e.g. the 74HC595, so that the data for the next layer can be shifted in while the previous layer is lit up. Remember you would only have 7 colours this way, unless you could do some kind of basic PWM on the data. I've done 3-level PWM in software on my monochrome cube. With 3-level PWM and RGB LEDs you could have 26 (I think?) different colours. Probably enough for some cute effects.

[lpws521]

i have a question ,,,in the step 64 ,cube_pc ......this code's function ,,,how can i use it?

[triumphtotty]

This code uses a PC to drive the cube.  Firstly, the cube is connected to the PC via an RS232 connection.  The cube is started with the RS232 button to put it into "slave" mode.  Then the cube_pc program is run on the PC and it sends the display of the different effects over the RS232 connection to the AVR board.  Effectively the cube just acts like an 8x8x8 display to the program run on the PC.

To run it you will need an RS232 port (either real, or a USB-RS232 converter) and a Linux installation to run cube_pc.  If you look through the comments in Step 64 you will find some information on running it in Windows, but it's not straightforward.  Using a virtual Linux environment like Linux Mint is very easy.  This just boots from CD, allows you to install the development tools (libc and gcc are all you need I think) and you can make and run the program from there.

[lpws521]

oh，i know, you mean the cube_pc program must run in Linux system and some tools,,,,I try it again later ,,so i must install the Linux in the virtual environment..and try it ,,,,and reply you after trying

[triumphtotty]

Linux Mint just boots from a CD/DVD, so doesn't change your PC at all. Everything is stored in memory. When you restart your PC you go straight back into Windows. If you want to install a Linux system alongside Windows you can, but be very careful!

[lpws521]

thank you....but i don't know how to Compiled the cube _pc program in the Linux mint ...it' s the first time to compile the program in the Linux ... i have taken some picture about the gcc order ....

[triumphtotty]

Just cd into the directory with the source and type "make". You don't EVER need to run gcc by hand! Then type ./cube to execute it.

[lpws521]

hi...i have some problem .....show in the picture....i don't understand...i do that follow you tell me the step...but the consequence is not show effect....

[lpws521]

thank you every much !!! i try again....