POV Christmas Tree

Still don't have a tree for this holidays?, Don't worry here you have a small, reusable, eye-catching tree for your holiday needs.

This project started as a SMD soldering tutorial for a course i've made in electronics, so it's meant to be a one day project to learn a little bit of SMD soldering and also have the coolest of all trees.

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Step 1: Gather the materials

For making the Awesome POV tree you will need:

1x    PIC12F689 or 1x PIC12F675 (PDIP8)
1x    8 pins IC socket
1x    LM7805 5V voltage regulator
1x    0.1uF capacitor 50V (1206 SMD)
1x    10uF capacitor 16V (1206 SMD)
10x 220R resistors 1/4W (1206 SMD)
9x    220R resistors 1/10W (0603 SMD)
1x   10K resistor 1/10W (0603 SMD)
18x Green leds (0805 SMD)
10x Blue leds (0805 SMD)
1x    White led (0805 SMD)
1x    Pushbutton (5mm height)
1x    9V Battery clip
1x    9V Battery
1x 15x8cm PCB board
1x   12cm brushless fan (also works with 8cm ones)

IF you build the optional speed controller:
1x LM317
1x 220R resistor (1206 SMD)
1x 5K 1 turn potentiometer
1x 12VDC power supply or some more batteries
4   meters of small cable for the DC power line

All components are easy to source from any electronics dealer, in my case I just have all the stuff around in my room.

You will need some tools:

- Soldering iron (15-25W) fine tip
- 0,5mm rosin core solder (or anything you have in hand)
- Small wire cutter
- Fine tip tweezers
- Cardboard knife
- Metallic ruler or metallic frame
- Double sided tape or epoxy glue
- Magnifying Glasses or standalone magnifying glass

Also you will need a way to etch the PCB design.

Sorry, that info isn't the objective of this intructable, but follow this link for materials and method:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Sponge-Ferric-Chloride-Method-Etch-Circuit-Bo/step3/Etch-the-Board-Instant-Gratification/

Anyway my materials for etching are:
- Fine tip permanent marker pen
- Fine Steelwool
- Cheap magazine paper
- Ferric Chloride
- Small sponge
- Latex gloves
- Plastic Laminator (or iron)

And a way to program the microcontroller.
if you're building a programmer try the cheap and dirty "Pablin 2" with the Winpic800 software.
link: http://www.pablin.com.ar/electron/circuito/mc/ppp2/index.htm

If you want an usb programmer, bouy pickit 2 from microchip or build/buy a pickit2 clone
link: http://sergiols.blogspot.com/search/label/PICKit2Clone
link: http://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductSearch.aspx?Keywords=PG164120

jlforma says: Nov 26, 2012. 11:45 AM

We are coming up to Christmas and enjoyed making this Christmas tree that taste very nice. Someone help me pose ... I can not download the file code "Tree + Firmware PCB 2.0.rar60 KB". Someone can help me. My email is: joaolimaferreira@gmail.com. Thank you.

El_AMPo (author) says: Feb 23, 2011. 7:46 AM

Muy bueno Andres
Felicitaciones
Lilian A.

afwin says: Aug 11, 2011. 1:09 AM

nice idea
thanks

punkzter says: Jan 8, 2011. 3:11 AM

Do you think that this project could use an attiny chip?

El_AMPo (author) says: Jan 8, 2011. 8:15 PM

Shure, but you would need to write the software

punkzter says: Dec 30, 2010. 6:11 AM

What does the "PDIP8" mean? I went to microchip direct and want to buy the chip. Is the equivalent chip the "PIC12F675-I/P"?

Also, does microchipdirect program chips for you? Would this save me from having to purchase a programmer? Does anyone know?

Thanks.

El_AMPo (author) says: Dec 30, 2010. 11:10 AM

12F629 and 12F675 are pin compatible chips but the 1F675 has analog to digital converter that is not used for this aplication. PDIP8 means they are dual in line 8 pin through hole devices.
Microchip direct refuses to work for my country, but is a nice source, also they have free samples.
For the programming part sorry, the only way is to make a cheap programmer or find someone to program the chip

punkzter says: Dec 30, 2010. 12:28 PM

When I go to MicroChip direct, they have so many different options for this chip:

http://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductDetails.aspx?Catalog=BuyMicrochip&Category=PIC12F675&mid=10&treeid=1

Could you help me with picking the correct one?

papalevies says: Dec 29, 2010. 3:01 AM

Is there a way to connect the power cable to a battery outside the fan instead of on it? Some kind of mechanism that enables cables to not get twisted when passed through a rotating assembly such as this?

El_AMPo (author) says: Dec 30, 2010. 11:11 AM

Yes it's possible, search for "rotary contacts", but beats the simplicity of design and the objective of this circuit

Greasetattoo says: Dec 29, 2010. 5:48 AM

Great instructable..
One question though..

What is POV?

El_AMPo (author) says: Dec 30, 2010. 11:05 AM

POV: Persistance of Vision
Is the analogous to your eyes "refresh rate", where the light dalays a little to go away, the camera flash persistance effect is a simple example of the effect.
Tube TVs and multiplexed led displays work this way.

jomac_uk says: Dec 29, 2010. 6:38 PM

POV stands for Persistence Of Vision

Basically the eye is too slow to notice and capture fast moving things, the eye can be tricked into seeing a solid and continuous visual image, when in fact it is a high speed, set of dots or pixels that are moving too fast for the eye to capture.

Greasetattoo says: Dec 30, 2010. 5:11 AM

Thanks, that is what I thought..

I used to work in a ray-traced program called POV.
http://www.povray.org/

Thanks for your answer!!!