WS2812 Big Edition
Introduction: WS2812 Big Edition
Hey what's up you guys, So here's something super cool.
A Huge WS2812 Addressable LED that is 10 times bigger than an average WS2812B LED.
This Huge LED Pixel is made by combining a few 5050 RGB LEDs with the WS2811 Addressable LED IC on a custom PCB with a 3D printed Enclosure.
A small chip of WS2811 is also present inside the WS2812 that is connected to R, G, and B.
My goal here was to make a magnified version of WS2812 LED that I will use in a future matrix Project.
This Instructables is gonna be about the whole built process of this Huge Pixel so let's get started!
Supplies
Following are the materials I used in this built-
* 5050 RGB LEDs
* Custom PCB which was provided by PCBWAY
* 100nF 1206 Capacitor
* 24R Resistor
* 3D Printed Enclosure
* WS2811 Addressable LED Driver IC
* Solder paste
* Arduino Nano for controlling the Pixel
* Pots
Step 1: Concept
The most commonly used WS2812 LED dimension is around 5mm x 5mm.
I wanted to make a Pixel that is 10 times bigger which means my version should be around 50mm x 50mm in size.
To get started, I first search for WS2811 IC's Datasheet and used one of its given example layouts to prepare a simple schematic that has 3 LEDs in series and 3 in parallel.
Step 2: PCB DESIGN
After finalizing this schematic, I converted it into a Board file and prepared a simple square PCB with a dimension of 50mm.
I placed LEDs and all componenets in a circle of dia 40mm.
The reason for doing this was, I plan to add an enclosure on this PCB which will cover the whole board except for the circular part.
I connected all the componenets with a 1mm width track and then exported the Gerber data before checking it one last time.
Step 3: PCBWAY
After finalizing the PCB, I sent it to PCBWAY for samples.
I choose white Soldermask for this project as WS2812B is white in color and white soldermask looks great in general.
I received the PCBs in a week which was super fast.
As for the overall quality, it was truly awesome. I ordered 20 boards and each board was perfect.
Been using their service for a while now and I have to say, PCBs that I got was great as expected!
Check out PCBWAY for getting great PCB service for an economic price and high quality!
Step 4: PCB ASSY PROCESS
These are the steps for the main assembly of this Board.
* Solder paste Dispensing Process
* Pick & Place Process
* Hotplate Reflow
* Adding Connector
Step 5: SOLDER PASTE
The first step is to add solder paste to each component pad one by one.
To Apply solder paste, I'm using a Solderpaste Dispensing Needle with a Wide syringe, and the solder paste I'm using is a regular solder paste consisting of 63% Tin and 37% Lead.
Step 6: PICK & PLACE PROCESS
After carefully applying Solderpaste we move on to the next step which is to add componenets to their assigned location.
This one is simple, we lift each component and place them in their assigned location with the right polarity, this is crucial in the case of IC and LEDs.
Step 7: HOTPLATE REFLOW
After the "Pick & Place Process", I carefully lifted the whole circuit board and place it on my DIY SMT Hotplate.
I made this Hotplate especially for making projects like these which require SMD soldering. hotplate available in the market were not exactly cheap so I made a minimal version of that which you can check out from here-
https://www.instructables.com/DIY-SMT-Hotplate-Project/
the hotplate heats the PCB from below up to the solder paste melting temp, as soon as the PCB reaches that temp, solder paste melts and all the components get soldered to their pads.
Step 8: ADDING CONNECTOR
At last, I added a CON3 male header pin at the backside of this board so I could use it to connect this Pixel on a breadboard.
Step 9: WIRING DIAGRAM
After adding the connector, I added this Pixel with an Arduino Nano by following the above wiring diagram.
I powered this setup with a 12V Supply but ran into some problems afterward. 982