nqtronix

Hey, thank you for showing your build! I did not expect a "light sesnsor" diode to work this will, but your resuslts are certainly usable for many applications. Maybe the reverse voltage was high enought to bring down the effective capacitance significantly. Using batteries is a good idea as this will solve much of the noise issues.

This is licensed under BY-NC-SA, this means you are free to use it for any non commercial purpose including translation; you only need to mention that I (nqtronix) wrote the original version and provide a link to this page.

If power consumption wasn't an issue, I would have picked the WS2812 as well. They offer so much flexibility with color selection. Thank you for posting the photos and the video!

Nope, unfortunatly instructables never bothered. As a workaround you can create manually a normal link (@3LRusS1T0) and message the person.

Ha, yeah the LED soldering part is "not easy" to say the least. I've tried a few different ways and because I was running out of time I just went with the "easiest" method I found. That said, your method seems a lot more straight forward. It systematically solves the alignment issues and should thus be a lot faster too! I think I have one half-build spare PCB left, I'll have to try it myself :D It's a shame that you can't pin comments, but I've added a note to step 13.The orientation of the LEDs is marked with a tiny dot close to pin 1 in the silkscreen layer. For diodes it the de-facto standard that pin 1 is the cathode, but I admit that I should have mentioned that somewhere. It should be possible to auto-detect the polarity of the LEDs at runtime, which I'd properly…

Ha, yeah the LED soldering part is "not easy" to say the least. I've tried a few different ways and because I was running out of time I just went with the "easiest" method I found. That said, your method seems a lot more straight forward. It systematically solves the alignment issues and should thus be a lot faster too! I think I have one half-build spare PCB left, I'll have to try it myself :D It's a shame that you can't pin comments, but I've added a note to step 13.The orientation of the LEDs is marked with a tiny dot close to pin 1 in the silkscreen layer. For diodes it the de-facto standard that pin 1 is the cathode, but I admit that I should have mentioned that somewhere. It should be possible to auto-detect the polarity of the LEDs at runtime, which I'd properly add if I'd ever make a new revision.I could not reproduce the ISP reset issue you've described, it likely depends on the tolerance of the integrated pullup on the reset pin. I think the best solution would be to limit the reset feature to a short time period after the power-on reset.My JLCPCB order passed without problems and the board outline was the same, although on a larger panel. Maybe they've changed the requirements after my order, who knows :P Like the PCBs the parts were choosen to be common and inexpensive, they are the most likely to be still available a few years down the road. Usually I order from aliexpress, but recently I've tried lcsc.com (same company as jlcpcb) was quite happy with the qulaity and delivery time. Unlike mouser they have common "asian brand" parts in stock at very affordable prices (eg. the TTP223 costs 10ct ea. in 10qty).Thank you for taking the time to write about you experience, especially because it seems you've created an account just for this! Your comment has certainly made my day :D (Please excuse my super late reply, the notification email got somehow lost in my inbox).

Wow, this version looks even more gorgeous than the smaller version. :DWish you best of luck in the contest!

Many LEDs will be suitable as long as they are roughly the same size and have two independent chips inside. I strongly recommend the red/green combination (not yellow-green) because the animations are optimized for those. From mouser these types should be usable: https://mou.sr/3aGCuSk. The generic ones I used are from aliexpress work ok as well.

Your welcome :) Thanks for the photo, they look great together!

Wow, your designs get more and more sophisticateted! Even though I do not need such a device (or know anyone who does) I do like reading the technical aspects behind it :)Oh, and one more thing: Unless you like etching PCBs much, consider getting them manufactured. elecrow and jlcpcb are both good and the size 10x10cm costs less than 25€ shipped.

Cool to see you here, bluqesh :D I'm glad you like how your project envoled. So yeah, thanks for the inspiration and all the kind words. Happy new year!

Cool to see you here, bluqesh :D I'm glad you like how your project envoled. So yeah, thanks for the inspiration and all the kind words. Happy new year!

The robot looks good even if it's not on a card :D Thanks for the colaboration!

Cool to see you here, bluqesh :D I'm glad you like how your project envoled. So yeah, thanks for the inspiration and all the kind words. Happy new year!

Although I don't know any practical application for this either, T think it looks really cool and might be good as a classroom demonstration object. :)

Congrats on the judges' prize! I haven't gotton around to build this, my plate is kinda full right now. Surely I post a picture once its done :)

Hey, I think I've seen you on r/electronics yesterday! Nice execution of an important tool in the workshop.

Interesting part, I didn't know they make them with an exposed base connection.

You have now made your own optocoupler which will work just as good as any store brought one.Although your build does provide galvanic isolation, it is not a substitute for an optocoupler. Not only will the transfer function be different (ie. the same input current will not have the same effect on a real optocoupler), but it will be also about 100 times slower. Typically optocouplers are used in high voltage applications as a safety measure and thus must have a guranteed voltage rating, which your build doen't have either.So yeah, to understand the concept this is fine, but for real applications it won't work in the best case or be a risk for electric shock in the worst case.

I've seen the original years ago and have to say that your version is a huge improvement in terms of the overall look and feel. I dig the "speaker grill look" on the top of the box, it makes it seem like a miniture version of a professional keyboard :D

Congrats on the 1st prize :D

The distance between high and low voltage is IMHO too small. If the buttons on the front panel are rated for mains voltage, it should be safe to use unless you use the reset button while connected to the mains voltage.I've attached a picture to illustrate my concern. The image is from Ken Shirrifs blog with more detailed explainations: http://www.righto.com/2016/03/counterfeit-macbook-...

This is insane! Years ago I was quite obsessed with Lego, especially the technic variety, and I've wished to make things fly more than once. And you just casually did it :DGreat first instructable and good luck in the contest :)

I totally dig this unusual lamp shade design. The abstract shapes work really well together with the light pattern it generates.Do you still have the print file used for the paper mock-up in step 12? I don't have a 3D printer, but I do have some spare matte acrylic glass that might work instead.

Huh, I never though about the acoustic noise a low-frequency oscillator generates, but it's so obvious in hindsight. I guess that's one advantage of the modern 32kHz watch crystals beside their reduced size.Nevertheless I appreciate you build as it is. Being able to see what makes a circuit tick - in this case quite litterally - has always a certain charme to it. So thanks posting this :)

I do like the tiny rechargeable backup battery. I've never seen them before and this seems like the ideal application for it!

Thanks! I actually planned on adding a case, but didn't get around to try it in time for the contest. Right now one must pay attention to keep enough distance to other elctronic devices.I try to avoid batteries for non-portable devices because of the added complexity and size. If I'd do this again I'd spend more time on the design before prototyping it, but I simply did not expect noise to be an issue.

I plan on entering on of my projects for the very same contest, but this is just too nicely done to not vote for you. Wish you best of luck :)

Despite all this negative feedback I have to admit that the re-design does actually look quite good and intuitive to use. So this update is MUCH better than the last big update two years ago and I'm glad you learned from your mistakes. Cheers to whoever implemented lazy-loading for the images, that is really helpful for browsing on mobile.The most annoying thing was the removal of the recent page, but you're already about to fix this. The other thing I'm missing is the general community button. Although I do not use it often (and I'm sure your statistics indicate similiar other user behavior), it is important for this general kind of feedback. Can't you just put a "Projects" and "Community" button on the start page, too? The projects button could take you to the "…

Despite all this negative feedback I have to admit that the re-design does actually look quite good and intuitive to use. So this update is MUCH better than the last big update two years ago and I'm glad you learned from your mistakes. Cheers to whoever implemented lazy-loading for the images, that is really helpful for browsing on mobile.The most annoying thing was the removal of the recent page, but you're already about to fix this. The other thing I'm missing is the general community button. Although I do not use it often (and I'm sure your statistics indicate similiar other user behavior), it is important for this general kind of feedback. Can't you just put a "Projects" and "Community" button on the start page, too? The projects button could take you to the "Recent" page like it used to.

No one reads this comment I can write anything. :D

I love the attention to detail on this build. Off-the-shelf led candles don't even stand a chance against this! Best of luck in the contest :D

Congrats to the first place! :D

@MaclskThanks for the info. I vaguely remembered a similar design I've seen a while ago and was curious why it was featured again. If you want people to make use of your inventions as long as they give proper credit, you should considering using a CC NC-SA licence or similar.@JLGG_3D Come on, you take like 90% of the work from someone else, fail to mention it and then have the audacity to enter a contest? That feels like a violation of the unwritten makers' codex.

Beautiful design of the flower as well as the PCBs themselfs. Great entry for the contest, wish you best of luck!

That project would make a good instructable :)

Really cool! I even voted despite I plan on entering on of my upcomming projects. Wish you best of luck :D

Just replace "community" with "topics" in the links:https://www.instructables.com/topics/What-kinds-of...https://www.instructables.com/topics/Prize-suggest...

Indeed. This is especially true if you require parts from overseas and/or custom made parts such as PCBs. It's not uncommon that a single project takes several months from the first idea to the final result.

Good write-up! Favorited for future reference :)

Pretty cool! Its refreshing to see how complex projects can be build from so few (mor or less) discrete components. While it is likely impractical for daily use, I like this instructable for the educational value alone. It proves that even without a micro one can do soo much more than what seems possible (at least to me, a member of the microcontroller generation).

When I clicked on the thumbnail I thought this was done with either EL-wire or some LED strip, either would have been a nightmare to mount and wire up. So I'm pleasantly surprised with the glow-in-the-dark pain and UV LED solution you've come up with. As a bonus, the light is way more even than it would have been with EL-wire or an LED strip. Thanks for sharing!

When I clicked on the thumbnail I thought this was done with either EL-wire or some LED strip, either would have been a nightmare to mount and wire up. So I'm pleasantly surprised with the glow-in-the-dark pain and UV LED solution you've come up with. As a bonus, the light is way more even than it would have been with EL-wire or an LED strip. Thanks for sharing!

Very cool! Recently I found a few filaments in my electronics drawer and thought about turning them into a seven segment display similar to yours. I have to admit that my idea can't compete with the elegance of your "free-floating" design. Thanks for sharing!

This could have been just a beautiful watch, but you've decided to take it to another level with a rechargeable battery and wireless charging. Kudos!I think we can close the contests now, this will be hard to surpass :DOh, and do you wear this watch on a daily basis? Did people notice that is was custom made an not store bought? Just curious :)

It has evolved on step further! In the end I'd say it didn't matter that the refractive indexes didn't match perfectly, it still turned out gorgeous :DThe 3D sand animation is a nice visual effect, now I feel like implementing some similiar algorithm on my cube, too :) I'll let you know when I'll get around to do that!

Looks disgusting, I love it! :D

I've seen something similar a while ago - but it used some bubblegum wrap as the conductor. Glad to see that there's now a fancier version of it!