Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Hobby Component self build kits
andrew
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Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by andrew » Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:11 am

It looks great. I did wonder why you wanted to make it dimmer but now I see. I've given your YouTube videos a thumbs up and added the link to your project to the first post of this thread.
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bluethunder22
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Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by bluethunder22 » Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:57 pm

Wow - thanks! Hopefully it'll encourage a few folk to pick a cube and try it. Thanks again!

GS42
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Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by GS42 » Wed Dec 18, 2019 12:51 pm

I enjoyed making this kit, works fine when plugged into my Mac but I can't see it from Adruino to programme it - when I try to select the USB port it just shows Bluetooth, is this something to do with the kit or Adruino and Mac compatibility?

andrew
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Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by andrew » Thu Dec 19, 2019 9:29 am

Glad you enjoyed building it. If you're using the USB to serial cable that came with the kit it's likely that you will need to install a driver for it. You can find OSX drivers on the Prolific website here:

http://www.prolific.com.tw/US/ShowProdu ... 29&pcid=41
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kevr102
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Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:58 pm

Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by kevr102 » Sun May 24, 2020 6:05 pm

Hi,
Iv'e just purchased one of these cubes, with the cube being Arduino based, would it be possible to have the time running through the cube through either a RTC or even NTP time through a Wemos D1.

andrew
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Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by andrew » Mon May 25, 2020 12:46 pm

Yes if you have some experience with programming Arduinos then this would be fairly easy to do. You need to download and install the Arduino library (HC8x8x8Cube) for the cube which you can find here:

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=1968

The library includes a font and you can display text using the printString() function or scroll text using the Scroll_Text() function. You may want to have a play with these functions first to see how they work.

You can then add a RTC module to get the time. The DS1302 (HCMODU0035) may be your best option as the library doesn't require connection to any specific pins. So you can just connect it to a couple of the spare pins that are taken out to the cubes aux header (P2).


If you want to get the time from an NTP server then yes an ESP module would be your easiest option. Then you could just pass the time to the cube via it's serial port.
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kevr102
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Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2019 2:58 pm

Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by kevr102 » Tue May 26, 2020 2:43 pm

Many thanks Andrew, Im maybe trying to run before i can walk re RTC with the cube, i haven't got it up and running yet, still on with the LED's, Iv'e already completed 3 Banggood 8 x 8 x 8 cubes and all work fine so shouldn't be a problem.
i'm only new to Arduino, but i have completed quite a few different types of Arduino based clocks i:e word clocks etc, the code was already there with the project, I will have a go at modifying the code myself, whats the worst that can happen?
I have just bought 3 RTC's from Hobby Components and have Wemos boards etc.
I have a code for the Internet clock 8 x 8 x 8 as well but it wont compile to a Wemos board for some reason.
Thanks for the info.

koeckera
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Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2020 12:44 pm

Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by koeckera » Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:22 am

Thanks for making such a well though-out kit. I've had much fun building it so far. However, after I've soldered the first 8x8 grid of LEDs and went about testing it, I noticed that a lot of the LEDs don't work.

At first, I assumed that I did something wrong. Maybe I lingered a bit too long with the soldering iron or something like that. However, after painstakingly testing all the remaining LED in the package, I found out that at least 110 of them were either dead or were barely lighting up at all (tests done with a 121 GW multimeter). It seems that roughly 1 in 5 LEDs is a dud!

Even with a generous portion of spare LEDs in the original package, that leaves me WAY short of completing the cube. I've Can you please help?

andrew
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Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by andrew » Sat Oct 17, 2020 12:44 pm

Sorry to hear that. That is quite a surprising amount. We do actually do sample tests on each batch of LEDs we get and we know it's possible for some to get damaged in transit but I've no idea why you would be in receipt of so many not working.

Can you email sales [at] hobbycomponents.com with something that would allow us to find your order such as an order number, name, or email address and we'll sort it out from there.
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Fleck
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:16 pm

Re: Hobby Components 8x8x8 Cube Kit (HCKITS0050)

Post by Fleck » Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:25 pm

Finished mine this afternoon, only 4 dud LEDs.
Works great. The new template makes it a lot easier.

I moved the LED grid up in the template rather than down so the grid of LEDs moves away from me and doesn't get in the way.

I also fitted a wire across the right hand side top of the cube to hold the grids evenly spaced. The spacing on the grids is 23mm for it to be square.

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