3D Snake 8x8x8 LED Cube

thingiverse

The Concept This retro game of snake can be played on an 8x8x8 LED cube, controlled by a joystick and two arcade-style buttons. The joystick controls movement within each plane, while the buttons control up-and-down motion between planes. Each time the snake eats candy, it grows, and the candy reappears in a new location. The Assembly The joystick is comprised of two parts: the stem, which attaches to an analog joystick device, and the cap, designed for easy customization. To secure the joystick device, two 3D-printed parts connect it to the structure and switches. Between the joystick and switches, direction can be detected in the x and y directions. The Z direction is controlled by arcade-style buttons. Sides are designed for use with a 3D printer or laser cutter. Due to limitations with my available 3D printer, I used a laser cutter instead. Brackets printed on a 3D printer secure the pieces in place. This structure houses all circuitry controlling the cube. The Cube The cube consists of 512 blue LEDs, measuring 3mm each. Cathodes of each layer are connected, while anodes of each column are linked. The Circuit Programs are stored on a PIC microcontroller and programmed using the Pickit 3 debugger tool. The circuit includes eight 8-bit shift registers, one for each wall of the cube. One 3-to-8 multiplexer controls which wall lights up when, while eight transistors control layer lighting. Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj2vWJ5GK4M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6c7qBQbN9A