A Tech Enthusiast has shared his new open-source project, the 9x9x9 LED Cube, which takes 3D visualization to the next level with its modular design and interactive features. This cube consists of 729 RGB LEDs (WS2811) arranged in nine detachable 3x3x9 towers, making assembly and maintenance easier. Each tower features integrated voltage regulators and handles WS2812B serial signals for efficient LED control. The baseboard provides power distribution and data routing.
The LED Cube is powered by an Arduino Nano ESP32-S3, leveraging its dual-core architecture. Core 0 handles LED control via the FastLED library’s I2S driver for efficient rendering while Core 1 manages application logic, Bluetooth connectivity, and sound control.
The device includes Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), allowing users to control it via a Magicsee R1 gamepad. For audio, it features a DFPlayer Mini module and a 3W speaker, enabling interactive sound-based applications.
A custom 3D rendering engine is implemented, offering Mesh Objects to store, translate, and rotate voxel data, and a World Object to manage all meshes and assist in rendering.
This system supports simple games like Pong and ray-casting-based applications similar to early 3D games like Doom. The LED Cube can render game environments using 2D arrays for wall positioning and a ray-casting algorithm to create a perspective effect.
The 9x9x9 LED Cube is a versatile platform for 3D light-based visualization, interactive applications, and gaming experiments. Its modular design, BLE support, and custom rendering capabilities make it an exciting addition to open-source hardware projects.
