Voronoi Diagram Based PCB Lamp
Introduction: Voronoi Diagram Based PCB Lamp
Hey, what's up you guys.
So this is my Voronoi PCB Lamp that contains Voronoi shape elements and is powered by an Attiny85 MCU, 64 WS2812B Mini LEDs are used in this project, and it's completely made out of FR4 PCBs.
It's kind of like an RGB Cube Project, the only difference is the shape and LED placement. (All LEDs are all placed inside)
This Instructables is gonna be about its built guide, so let's get started!
Supplies
Following were the things used in this project-
* Attiny85 SOIC8
* Custom PCBs- Main Square MCU PCB and Rectangular PCB
* WS2812B LEDs (i didnt use those, instead I use one of my previous matrix projects that contain similar but small RGB LEDs)
* USB Type C Port
* Diode M7
* 2R0 Resistor 1206 Package
* Arduino as ISP Setup for flashing the MCU
* SMD button
* UC202 Connector and wire harness
* Solder wire
Step 1: Voronoi Diagram Explanation and Implementation
Voronoi Shape or Diagram is a simple mathematical complexity that often arises in nature, and can also be a very practical tool in science.
In mathematics, a Voronoi diagram is a partition of a plane into regions close to each of a given set of objects. In the simplest case, these objects are just finitely many points in the plane (called seeds).
the skin of a giraffe, corn on the cob, honeycombs, foam bubbles, the cells in a leaf, and a head of garlic, these are a few of Voronoi Patterns examples found in nature.
Check out its wiki article for more details-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voronoi_diagram#:~:text=In%20mathematics%2C%20a%20Voronoi%20diagram,%2C%20sites%2C%20or%20generators).
Step 2: Making a PCB Based on Voronoi Patterns
To get started, I first search around for an existing Voronoi pattern that I could use as making Voronoi completely from scratch would take time so I download a black and white image and converted it into BMP format to upload it into my PCB Cad software.
Step 3: Rectangular PCB
First, I prepare the rectangular PCBs that will be the main structure of this whole project.
I prepared two PCBs for this project, one PCB which is for the walls of the rectangular lamp and another one that contains the main MCU (it will be the bottom part of the lamp), and one that contains the switch (it will be the lid).
This Lamp I'm making is gonna be a rectangular shape lamp so it requires four rectangles and two squares. I added MCU and LEDs on the bottom square and switch on the top lid, rectangular walls contain the Voronoi art layer.
I added Voronoi shape as an Art layer (TOP Etch to be precise), my idea here was to add this image and add a solder mask opening on the whole image so the TOP Etch would get open and no soldermask will cover that area giving us a perfect soldermask free silver pattern-filled void.
I then added a soldermask opening in the opposite layer of the image as well so we can see light through the void, because Voronoi patterns have Etch layer, the light won't go through them and the result will be a Voronoi effect that would look super cool in dark.
I copied the Voronoi shape with a soldermask opening as well and place it side by side and made this conjoined PCB that consists of two identical boards connected with a small part that can be cut down to separate two PCBs.
Step 4: Main MCU Square PCB
As for the main MCU square PCB, I prepared this simple schematic that contains an Attiny85 controlling four WS2812B LEDs.
This whole setup is powered by a Type C port and LEDs can be controlled via a switch that is present on the LID PCB.
I added two UC202 Connector header pins on both PCBs, my idea here was to use a wire harness to make the connection between two PCBs.
Step 5: PCBWAY
After finalizing the PCBs (Both Rectangular board and square), I send both PCBs to PCBWAY for samples.
I choose white soldermask with Black Silkscreen for both PCBs and placed the order separately.
After waiting for a week, PCBs arrived and their quality was super good. 982