So continuing from Part 1 of the Series on designing and building a 16 X 16 RGB LED Artboard...
At first, I had such grandiose ideas of this stunning foam core frame for the LED panel… well this didn’t work out for me. Let me explain why.
Have you ever tried to cut intricate foam core shapes with an exacto knife… the foam either gummed up the blade resulting in horrible edges that basically ended up pulling and ripping that paper backings on both sides…
Grid design for holding WS2812B RGB LED’sI tried multiple techniques and decided life was too short, plus I have a 3D printer at my disposal!! …..
Look it just wasn’t my thing. So instead I went with a 3D printed design. Now I could make precise squares, with thin walls. And I could make the exact shape of the LED as cut out and pop the suckers in…. it all made sense now and I began to come up with printable design…
With this design the LEDS simply “snap” into place on the side opposing the open face of the array.
Here’s a shot of the first piece being printed on my FDM printer:
Populating the first panel with LED’s:
Laying down copper:
Testing the first panel:
Four panels tested and ready for final connections:
After wiring all four panels together, tested finished 16 X 16 panel using Arduino Duemilanove and a 5V 4A power supply 😀
Conclusion of Series in part 3 – Programming and Finishing in Wood/Glass Frame
