These are the files I used to make a ping-pong ball display! This is for somewhat advanced makers and assumes some knowledge to put everything together as well as access to tools. It attempts to simplify other designs out there for similar displays by using large, 3d printed parts to hold the diffusers, Custom PCBs to get the spacing right, and a laser cut back plane for ease of assembly.
Total is ~$80 hardware and $85 materials for roughly $165
General idea should be straight-forward from the photos. Assemble the PCBs (it might make sense to pay JLCPCB to do it for you), install them, wire them up!
Some build tips:
I printed the frame in four pieces, mirror two of them. I don't love it - I think replacing with wood would look a lot nicer. Be mindful of warping on the corners.
I have a bunch of Unos sitting around so I just used what I had on hand - an ESP32 or something would be super nice for this!
I also have an old RTC for the time, again, a better µcontroller would eliminate that need.
The DC power supply comes with a barrel-jack-screw-terminal thing that you can use. I made a small PCB that is a partial shield that holds the RTC and distributes the power to the LEDs. It puts the two barrel jacks right next to each other for maximum confusion.
The code I've uploaded is super barebones and not very good. It displays the time. It's more or less commented. I will upload better code if I ever write it, but I would rather someone remix this with good code :p
I use VScode + PIO to upload but I think it will work with Arduino Studio.
Let me know what questions/concerns/necessary information I might have missed. I will help where I can.
Category: ElectronicsThe author marked this model as their own original creation. Imported from Thingiverse.