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8x8x8 led cube

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Bigfillly

Hi everyone,
I built an 8x8x8 cube some years ago but when I switched it on it didn’t work properly, so I lost interest, well today I I went through every led and connection and found there was quite a few that weren’t connected, I’ve fixed all of them but now it has an edge that doesn’t work when it cycles through the cross section routine, can anyone help as I’d like to get this fixed and get downloading some patterns,
Thank you,
Phil.
 
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PETERDECO

Welcome. Did you assemble this from scratch? Kit? Is the electronics a pre-assembled module? Do you have a schematic? Sorry for all the questions.
 
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Bigfillly

Thank you, I did assemble the led’s from scratch yes. It was off eBay I did it around 4 years ago so I don’t have the schematics now, the board with all the components on was pre assembled, I can only assume that it is a program problem now, I have gone over it twice more since posting this earlier, what do you think?
 
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Nanren888

Maybe it will help to just remind of the obvious.
.
These things work but energising each led. The number of wires is horrific, so the share wires, usually in some sort of a grid pattern.
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If a single LED does notlight, then you look for its wires, connections.
If a plane does notl light, go for the common line grid line to that plane. Likely there is a single point of failure, so it must be the thing they share in common.
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Could be a connection. Could feasibly be a short on that line. Could feasibly be a blown driver/output, especially if there is or was a short.
Check the line that's common to the failures. :)
 
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Bigfillly

Thanks nanren888
I’ll have another look as it does seem like there is a simple solution of 1 leg not connecting somewhere but I have gone over it numerous time now and can not see anything wrong, I’ve checked all the leds, the legs that connect to the board, the other side of the board where the legs connect and I’ve had a multimeter alI over it checking for continuity, it all seems ok, I’m thinking it’s on the board or programming, as the lights come on, on that side sometimes then go out on a certain part of the pattern, when the lights are off the volts to them are 1.6v when they are on there around 2.6v I would have thought they would come on but really dull,
Where can I download other patterns?
 
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Nanren888

If the scan program is slow, you might see each line get voltage as it scans with a meter, assuming no scope available. If so, you can check for each line, including the one that does not light, getting power in turn.
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So, where there is no voltage, problem is either nodrive upstream, or a short somewhere, upstream or downstream.
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Probably not easy to do, but swapping two lines can help, lines for two planes onto the swapped planes; that is see if it is the drive or the load.
 
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Bigfillly

Thanks again nanren888
That sounds like a plan, it will eliminate a bad drive if nothing else, I try that and update you when I’ve done it,
Thank you again :-D
 
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Bigfillly

SUCCESS :)
I managed to fix it but testing each column with 5v, I found out that the side with the problem wasn’t making a column, it filled the whole side in, I then realised that at the top of this side with the problem, all the legs were soldered together the same as the other side, this was bridging the whole side together, note to 3 years ago me DO NOT SOLDER BOTH SIDES.....
thanks very much NANREN888 for giving me tips and help that steered me to finding the problem,
I now need the program to create patterns my self :)
 
N

Nanren888

Great to hear.
The main reason that I tell myself that I have not made any of these is that next step, of having to design those shapes/patterns/dynamics that look pleasing. I love some of the random, yet sort of organic, dynamics things you see on displays.
Hope yours goes well.
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The current project I'm looking at is one of these.
https://www.instructables.com/Wooden-LED-Gaming-Display-Powered-by-Raspberry-Pi-/
which has some of the same visually satisfying feel to it, but avoids that need for designing the effects by displaying games.
You have inspired me perhaps though to give it a screen saver free-roam mode.
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Then again, a 3D snake game on your cube might be super fun if one could work out the controls. :)
 
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Bigfillly

Wow that looks really sharp, I’m very interested in building something like this but the code puts me off, I have done coding in the past, I built a solar mining rig that came on when the sun came up and went off when the sun went down, bare in mind that it could be cloudy and the rig would have gone on and off all day but I managed to get it running well,
I have more time on my hands now so I think I will learn more about coding, and put it to the test on another project, that’s a very nice neat and great looking build you’ve done there ;)
 
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Bigfillly

I’ve downloaded the TOMAZAS program off GitHub, I’m trying to download the firmware to tap into the cube but I’m having trouble, it doesn’t want to connect to it, I’m using a usb to usb lead, the pc has picked the cube up and said it’s ready to use so I’m guessing the lead was ok, any ideas what I’m doing wrong.
 
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