Tool to replace LEDs in a LED Cube

thingiverse

Unfortunately, a mishap occurred with some LEDs in my 3D LED cube (check out https://sites.google.com/view/flips-cubicle/home for more details). The LED cube consists of blocks measuring 12 x 4 x 12 LEDs, making it nearly impossible to get hold of each individual LED during replacement. To address this issue, I created a tool that securely holds an LED during unsoldering and continues to grip it when removing it from the cube. To accurately position the new LED, the tool grasps another LED at its correct location and aligns itself by selecting two other LEDs. The tool features a frame with two independent sliders integrated within it. On top of each slider lies a picker for LEDs: one half is fixed to the frame, while the other half is manipulated by either slider. The sliders terminate in handles, accompanied by springs for each slider. This design enables disassembly for adjusting the positions and assignments of the pickers to the sliders. To facilitate this process, simply remove the springs before separating the sliders and rearranging their components. The tool's framework has been designed using OpenSCAD, offering a high degree of configurability through various parameters (LED grid size, LED dimensions, tolerances, and other dimensions).