LEDBrick Project - DIY pendant w/ pucks - Page 5

perkint · 08/14/2015, 02:00 AM

Pretty good for hand snapped

Tim

theatrus · 08/23/2015, 11:58 PM

Had to build a second revision of the BLE PWM board:

Mostly wrong pin outs (SWDIO and SWCLK reversed, Vin and Vcc on the MCP16311 reversed), along with some bad footprints (extended pads on the PWM controller, totally wrong fan header, and some missing guide holes for connectors). There is also a tweak to the fan power circuit to avoid some of the brushless motor transients.

Isayso · 09/02/2015, 11:25 PM

Fantastic build, very jealous, can't wait for the final product

theatrus · 01/11/2016, 01:15 AM

Long awaited updated, when other projects and life get in the way. I've been using the LEDBrick pendants with several months now, but never got around to fully integrating anymore more than on/off control.

I've finished initial firmware for the LEDBrick Bluetooth Low Energy PWM controller, which isn't overly specific to this project and could be integrated into anything else needing 8-16 PWM channels and fan power/monitoring.

Features:

- 8 PWM channel dimming (though 16 total could be brought out to a header)
- 24V power input
- 12V fan power output with voltage control, PWM control, and tachometer readback
- nRF51 based Cortex-M0 + Bluetooth Low Energy stack (phone or PC control and monitoring of each channel and fan)

Apologies for the crooked caps - I bumped the board just out of reflow and some of the more massive components shifted.

Currently two characteristics are supported (LED and FAN):

I'm going to be updating the GitHub pages in a few days, stay tuned:

https://github.com/theatrus/ledbrick

Legot · 01/11/2016, 03:44 AM

Nice! Do those LM3414's report their current output back, or are they purely drivers?

theatrus · 01/11/2016, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legot

Nice! Do those LM3414's report their current output back, or are they purely drivers?

There is no built in feedback, but it's fixed by low power resistor. The actual control is handled by duty cycle (PWM)

Fish4ead · 01/12/2016, 04:02 PM

Great build, following along

theatrus · 01/12/2016, 09:27 PM

The firmware is available on GitHub, compileable with both GCC (Linaro or CodeSourcery for ARM) or the free version of Keil (since its < 32KiB)

Fish4ead · 01/12/2016, 10:50 PM

Wish I had thought to ask earlier but what is your approximate cost per unit?

theatrus · 01/13/2016, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish4ead

Wish I had thought to ask earlier but what is your approximate cost per unit?

Great question! I'll have to go calculate it out, so the following are ballparks. Some parts are bought in much higher quantity than I need.

The driver, in parts, is about $4 a channel (x8). The emitter is relatively expensive, especially due to the 4x$30 Luxeon UV LEDs. The small run of metal core PCBs ended up at about $9 a unit, but I'll have to dig the cost of LEDs.

Heatsink about $12 (HeatsinkUSA), and odds and ends from McMaster means about another $5 in mechanical parts. Fan was $10.

theatrus · 01/15/2016, 01:01 AM

Design files (schematic, gerber, drill, board images, basic BOM) and firmware have been updated on GitHub:

https://github.com/theatrus/ledbrick

monkeyruler90 · 01/16/2016, 11:35 PM

wow, looks awesome. great build thread!

theatrus · 01/17/2016, 02:45 AM

Three remaining BLE boards are out of the oven.

theatrus · 01/19/2016, 12:27 AM

I spent some time mocking up a case for the lights. I'm not totally happy with the side panels yet (more on that later), but a quick walk through the process:

Cutting the clear pieces on the laser:

The raw bits after cutting. The thinnest piece warped a bit from the cutting heat.

Putting the spacers on the bottom panel:

(Not pictured: cutting the side panels)

The basic box structure of the light cover. Far too many large holes and not optimized airflow. Also a smidgen too tall:

theatrus · 01/19/2016, 12:28 AM

The finish product from above. See what I said about a smidgen too tall?

A detail side shot:

You'll notice that this is asymmetric - the idea was to port some of the air from the downward firing fan across the surface of the LEDs, which isn't super optimal for an air path and isn't well ducted, but appears to provide some actual flow.

The new LED cover:

Fredfish · 01/19/2016, 02:55 AM

You gots cool toys!

xcghy · 01/19/2016, 04:00 AM

Look into the A6211. O2Surplus happens to have a large cash of them at the moment. about the only way you'll get them. He ordered a few hundred a while back for assorted projects. Shoot him a PM, I'm sure he can spare you a few.

perkint · 01/19/2016, 06:48 AM

Very neat. Always makes for an impressive build if you have the right toys

And know how to use them!

Tim

theatrus · 01/19/2016, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xcghy

Look into the A6211. O2Surplus happens to have a large cash of them at the moment. about the only way you'll get them. He ordered a few hundred a while back for assorted projects. Shoot him a PM, I'm sure he can spare you a few.

I have, and I have some. But no need to drive to 3A and the shunt less current sense of the LM3414 is nice.

Fish4ead · 01/19/2016, 01:21 PM

That's a beautiful project, thanks especially for sharing all of you hard work with us. Would you mind posting a pic of one hanging?

theatrus · 01/19/2016, 11:03 PM

After poking around with version one of the design, I noticed a lot of air recirculation within the case. Enter, the fan shroud:

I also redesigned the intake to be 100% from the top of the unit and not the sides, and made some artistic upgrades which give it a bit more style over yet another box with holes in it:

Also, the firmware is updated (finally) to read the on-LED-board MCP9808 temperature sensor.

theatrus · 01/23/2016, 01:26 AM

The family grows and undergoes some new firmware feature testing, including temperature based fan spin-down.

Poseidon · 01/24/2016, 08:10 AM

Wonderful!

For the top of the brick, I think a cover would add to the overall appearance, of course there would need to be holes for the airflow. If you made a cover, you could then attach a center mounting point for your cable hanging kit, or even use a small diameter steel cable ran parallel to your incoming power lines and have the appearance of a single small cable coming into the top of the box.

I really like the use of closely spaced LED's, I have been considering going to a puck based LED unit to replace my Phoenix 14K for a couple of years now.

theatrus · 01/25/2016, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poseidon

Wonderful!

For the top of the brick, I think a cover would add to the overall appearance, of course there would need to be holes for the airflow. If you made a cover, you could then attach a center mounting point for your cable hanging kit, or even use a small diameter steel cable ran parallel to your incoming power lines and have the appearance of a single small cable coming into the top of the box.

I really like the use of closely spaced LED's, I have been considering going to a puck based LED unit to replace my Phoenix 14K for a couple of years now.

Agree on the cover totally. I need to replace my fan header with a right angle one since right now it's above the case - oops.

In this scenario I'm mounting these on an aluminum rod slid under the cross cables which is held on hooks at the top of my canopy. For an open top look I'd totally do a single cable solution. Would need to look at the proper structural support - right now the case is effectively non old bearing and everything is held by the M4 stainless rods.

I'll post pictures of them mounted soon.

As for spacing, I'd consider increasing the area density on the next revision, or even consider a Vero multichip in the center.

McPuff · 01/25/2016, 09:07 AM

This is really cool. I'm always amazed at what some people on this board can accomplish!!

08/23/2015, 11:58 PM	#102
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	Had to build a second revision of the BLE PWM board: Mostly wrong pin outs (SWDIO and SWCLK reversed, Vin and Vcc on the MCP16311 reversed), along with some bad footprints (extended pads on the PWM controller, totally wrong fan header, and some missing guide holes for connectors). There is also a tweak to the fan power circuit to avoid some of the brushless motor transients. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

09/02/2015, 11:25 PM	#103
Isayso Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hamilton,ON.Canada Posts: 527	Fantastic build, very jealous, can't wait for the final product __________________ lets save the reef Current Tank Info: Hardware: 125g Reef,Mak4 for return,DIY 20G sump,DIY Beckett Skimmer(AF30) driven by a Mak4,DIY S.Denitrator,DIY Calcium reactor(PM), wavemaker .MJ mods on Swirlestein,Jebao WP 20,Lighting: 60 LEDs, moon lights

01/11/2016, 01:15 AM	#104
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	Long awaited updated, when other projects and life get in the way. I've been using the LEDBrick pendants with several months now, but never got around to fully integrating anymore more than on/off control. I've finished initial firmware for the LEDBrick Bluetooth Low Energy PWM controller, which isn't overly specific to this project and could be integrated into anything else needing 8-16 PWM channels and fan power/monitoring. Features: - 8 PWM channel dimming (though 16 total could be brought out to a header) - 24V power input - 12V fan power output with voltage control, PWM control, and tachometer readback - nRF51 based Cortex-M0 + Bluetooth Low Energy stack (phone or PC control and monitoring of each channel and fan) Apologies for the crooked caps - I bumped the board just out of reflow and some of the more massive components shifted. Currently two characteristics are supported (LED and FAN): I'm going to be updating the GitHub pages in a few days, stay tuned: https://github.com/theatrus/ledbrick __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics Last edited by theatrus; 01/11/2016 at 01:21 AM.

01/11/2016, 03:44 AM	#105
Legot Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 68	Nice! Do those LM3414's report their current output back, or are they purely drivers? __________________ 33L → 55 Shallow

01/12/2016, 09:27 PM	#108
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	The firmware is available on GitHub, compileable with both GCC (Linaro or CodeSourcery for ARM) or the free version of Keil (since its < 32KiB) __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

08/14/2015, 02:00 AM	#101
perkint Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Robin hood country, UK Posts: 817	Pretty good for hand snapped Tim

01/12/2016, 04:02 PM	#107
Fish4ead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 23	Great build, following along

01/12/2016, 10:50 PM	#109
Fish4ead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 23	Wish I had thought to ask earlier but what is your approximate cost per unit?

01/15/2016, 01:01 AM	#111
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	Design files (schematic, gerber, drill, board images, basic BOM) and firmware have been updated on GitHub: https://github.com/theatrus/ledbrick __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

01/16/2016, 11:35 PM	#112
monkeyruler90 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Diego, Ca Posts: 36	wow, looks awesome. great build thread! __________________ hi. im oscar Current Tank Info: 29 Gallon Freshwater tank

01/17/2016, 02:45 AM	#113
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	Three remaining BLE boards are out of the oven. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

01/19/2016, 12:27 AM	#114
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	I spent some time mocking up a case for the lights. I'm not totally happy with the side panels yet (more on that later), but a quick walk through the process: Cutting the clear pieces on the laser: The raw bits after cutting. The thinnest piece warped a bit from the cutting heat. Putting the spacers on the bottom panel: (Not pictured: cutting the side panels) The basic box structure of the light cover. Far too many large holes and not optimized airflow. Also a smidgen too tall: __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

01/19/2016, 12:28 AM	#115
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	The finish product from above. See what I said about a smidgen too tall? A detail side shot: You'll notice that this is asymmetric - the idea was to port some of the air from the downward firing fan across the surface of the LEDs, which isn't super optimal for an air path and isn't well ducted, but appears to provide some actual flow. The new LED cover: __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

01/19/2016, 02:55 AM	#116
Fredfish Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Posts: 2,661	You gots cool toys! __________________ Advice is like a firehose. Be careful how you drink.

01/19/2016, 04:00 AM	#117
xcghy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 4	Look into the A6211. O2Surplus happens to have a large cash of them at the moment. about the only way you'll get them. He ordered a few hundred a while back for assorted projects. Shoot him a PM, I'm sure he can spare you a few.

01/19/2016, 06:48 AM	#118
perkint Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Robin hood country, UK Posts: 817	Very neat. Always makes for an impressive build if you have the right toys And know how to use them! Tim

01/19/2016, 01:21 PM	#120
Fish4ead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 23	That's a beautiful project, thanks especially for sharing all of you hard work with us. Would you mind posting a pic of one hanging?

01/19/2016, 11:03 PM	#121
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	After poking around with version one of the design, I noticed a lot of air recirculation within the case. Enter, the fan shroud: I also redesigned the intake to be 100% from the top of the unit and not the sides, and made some artistic upgrades which give it a bit more style over yet another box with holes in it: Also, the firmware is updated (finally) to read the on-LED-board MCP9808 temperature sensor. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

01/23/2016, 01:26 AM	#122
theatrus 100-mile-commuter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: almost nevada Posts: 4,721	The family grows and undergoes some new firmware feature testing, including temperature based fan spin-down. __________________ Custom electronics purveyor. blueAcro.com Current Tank Info: 90g SPS+mixed reef (10 yrs): LEDBrick LEDs, 40g custom sump, Ca reactor, chiller, Vortech, lots of custom electronics

01/24/2016, 08:10 AM	#123
Poseidon Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Swartz Creek Posts: 728	Wonderful! For the top of the brick, I think a cover would add to the overall appearance, of course there would need to be holes for the airflow. If you made a cover, you could then attach a center mounting point for your cable hanging kit, or even use a small diameter steel cable ran parallel to your incoming power lines and have the appearance of a single small cable coming into the top of the box. I really like the use of closely spaced LED's, I have been considering going to a puck based LED unit to replace my Phoenix 14K for a couple of years now. __________________ Just say no to CRABS! Current Tank Info: 85 Gallon mixed Reef. Halide/LED combo lighting.

01/25/2016, 09:07 AM	#125
McPuff Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,735	This is really cool. I'm always amazed at what some people on this board can accomplish!!