My plan of making an LED cube with a Raspberry Pi is coming together… been making a list of stuff I need, and looking good resources.
IC 1: Serial in/Parallel out.
Apparently this particular type of IC is called a 74HC595. Found it on a list of popular ICs for Arduino chips. Linked datasheet is helpful to get timings for the chips. Also, the 74×595 is supported by WiringPI, so that’s a drop in library that looks easy to use.
LEDs need resistors to limit current, this explains why, and how to calculate the resistances needed. This explains why resistors appear in multiple component lists, but not the capacitors… but apparently it’s for filtering as well as dampening the surge when the LEDs in a layer kick on.
Random stuff:
- EE Question about using transistors with LED Cubes
- Sample-ish program that does ripple effects in Arduino
- Some talk about using 74hc595s with Arduino & LEDs
- Some guy’s RGB cube build, as well as his normal build
Still to do:
- Order Rasp.PI
- Order components other than the blue LEDs that I’m prototyping with
- Design the circuit.
- Run the circuit by people who know stuff
- Find out how to do colour changing for RGB LEDs
- PWM stuff?