Single chip, 2 wire 4x4 LED matrix

I had started this back a couple months ago by collecting all the parts and doing some basic design ideas, then the arduino contest poped up and it took back seat to a very over ambitious project

1 week before the arduino contest deadline, I was not in a good position to even come close to the original contest idea, so i yanked this thing back out and constructed it in about 3 evenings

This is more of a show off, than anything else, when I publish my arduino project (basicly everything you need to know to control this thing) i will provide schematics and juicy details

Until then please enjoy the slide show

The entire circuit is made on a business card sized perfboard, with over 120 solder points, and only using uninsulated bus wire (not a single wire crosses over another while still on the same side) and there was no plan, all the wire routing was done on the fly as I confronted it

All parts except for the bus wire and perfboard were scavenged off of various boards using a keen eye for handy  "junk" (so its green as in recycling)

I don't expect anyone to actually replicate this in my future instructable, the circuit itself is fairly easy and could be done any number of ways, and I will leave that up to the reader.

Call it a testament of my patience, and commitment to insanity, but to put it into perspective I got my first soldering iron when I was 10 or 11, and I did not get my first breadboard until I discovered instructables.com in late 2007 (I am 30 now)  ... so its just another project to me :)

enjoy

Comments

[scottinnh]

I have to make a few comments here:


1) This is an instructable site, not a gallery of finished projects. I would encourage you to write down your process for this in the form of an actual Instructable. Missing are schematics, BOM, and actual instructions.

Know that people are stumbling into your "instructable" via searching on LED matrix 'ables... and when they scroll through your text and media finding no actual instructions, then it can feel like (I do not mean to offend) you wasted their time.

2) If you are put off by writing a full instructable for this design, you could re-title and re-theme the topic to be about PCB design using just perfboard and solder wire.

This would actually be helpful because someone searching on LED matrix howtos would not see your article up top, but someone searching on soldering instructions -would-.

In other words, this could encourage people to push themselves without making excuses over being afraid to design a PCB, not having time, etc.

Your soldering skills are excellent, BTW, good job on that.

[osgeld]

PS: if you want to know how this works

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-74HC164-Shift-Register-and-your-Arduino/step7/Project-3pt-1-2-Wire-4x4-led-matrix-display/

[osgeld]

This was originally a slide show and not an instructable, take it up with the staff as they seem to do odd things.

thanks

[scottinnh]

Thanks. I hadn't seen many examples done this way using the 164.. Interesting.

It is common here to review or offer constructive feedback on Instructables... That's what I intended anyways. Don't take it as negative, and my response to that other person's comment has nothing to do with you.

[osgeld]

The 164 can be a pain in the butt as whatever you shove into it (nearly) instantly pops out so you have to be mindful about how you go about it.

And I know what you intended, I have not been happy with changes like these, and find it confusing for users, which is why I tried to keep it short and to the point, instead of provoking a flamewar between two people that both have valid points.

I wont get on my soapbox here, but there is a few reasons I have severely slaked off on my instructables post's

[Robot Lover]

Instructables is a show and tell website. The user that made this originally made it into a slideshow. You probably don't know what that is because instructables recently changed the look of a slideshow. The point is, if he wants to show a slideshow of his project then he can if he wants to. Many people do this including Eric Wilhelm, the creator/founder of instructables. If you would like to tell Eric that no one is aloud to post pictures of their projects on his website, here is his profile: http://www.instructables.com/member/ewilhelm/

[scottinnh]

Sorry, my bad I did not know Instructables changed the format of some older posts. You said as such, but I did misread. A content type change obviously changes context (you'd think the staff would tag those posts, citing the original post type... Oh well). Apologies for my error.

[Robot Lover]

Sorry I didn't mean to sound so rude, I just don't like it when people say that. : ) Apology accepted!

[Bongmaster]

any chance u gonna document as an ible? :)

[scunucchiuz]

sorry the code?