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https://github.com/seanmlyons22/cube8


https://github.com/seanmlyons22/cube8

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README 

        
LED Cube

========



This readme explains how to setup the development environment for the LED cube.

Furthermore, it explains how to build and deploy binaries for the LED cube.



Inspiration

-----------



This project is based on and inspired by `chr`'s

[LED Cube 8x8x8](https://www.instructables.com/Led-Cube-8x8x8/). I started this

project when I was a university student learning electronics. The intent was to

copy `chr`'s work verbatim as I did not yet fully understand all the concepts.



As a busy student, it took around 4 years to complete the build. This is

because I really only worked on it during school holidays.

I learned a lot from  this project.

It flexed by my theoretical and practical knowledge of embedded programming and

electronics.



Now, I hope to give back to the project by coming up with some interesting

modifications and sharing them with the community.



Environment

-----------



The development environment is listed below. While the instructions are written

for macOS, they should also easily be adaptable to Linux or (maybe) Windows.



 - OS: macOS 11.1 20C69 x86_64

 - Host: MacBookPro11,4

 - Kernel: 20.2.0

 - Shell: zsh 5.7.1

 - Terminal: iTerm2



Hardware Modifications

----------------------



Note that I have swapped out the `atmega32` for a `atmega324pa` since I already

have one from a previous project.



Prerequisites

-------------



Since I am developing on a mac, I will use homebrew to install the dependencies

needed to compile the AVR firmware and load binaries.



Two things are needed:



 - [avr-gcc](https://github.com/osx-cross/homebrew-avr)

 - [avrdude](https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/avrdude)



The AVR GCC compiler is used to compile the firmware and avrdude is used

as a flash programmer.



You should also have a working LED cube.



Compiling

---------



The cube firmware is built using make, there is a makefile in the root

directory. Some build goals are listed at the top of the file. Most common is:



        make all



To clean the generated object files:



        make clean



Flashing

--------



avrdude is responsible for flashing the device.

The ISP is the [usbtiny](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9825) by sparkfun.



To program the board using the USB tiny, run the following command:



        avrdude -c usbtiny -p m324pa -B 1 -U flash:w:Main.hex



You can also run the make goal



        make program



Test Program

------------



There is a small program to test the LED cube in the `test` folder.

It can be built with make and is useful for debugging dead LEDs or broken

connections within the cube.



Hardware Design

===============



In order to reduce the number of ICs and IOs needed by the LED cube, the latch

board will be replaced by a CPLD. The CPLD selected was an Altera (now Intel)

Max II device. It will serve as an IO expander and perform all the logic that

the multiplexer board in the original design did.



Source and project files for the CPLD are found in the `hdl` folder.

Since CPLD development is only supported under Linux, I used a VM. The VM is

managed and provisioned using the following software



 - VirtualBox

 - Vagrant

 - Ansible



Prerequisites

-------------



The following steps are needed to setup the host machine:



 1. Install [virtualbox](https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads)

 1. On macOS make sure to give proper permissions:



   - settings > security & privacy > privacy > Accessibility

   - settings > security & privacy > privacy > Input Monitoring



   Note: when first installing virtualbox there will be a popup asking to give

   it permissions, this can be found at settings > security & privacy > general

   **Make sure this succeeds**, virtualbox will not work without it



 1. Install vagrant using homebrew `brew install --cask vagrant`



Running VM

----------



The VM can be accessed using the following commands:



 1. `vagrant up`

 1. `vagrant ssh`

 1. (in VM terminal) `sudo startx`



  - This starts the graphical environment

 1. Quartus can be run by executing `/opt/intelFPGA/quartus/bin/quartus`



On the first run, vagrant up can take quite a long time. This is because

Ansible is provisioning the machine. This includes installing quartus and all

its dependencies. Special thanks to

[Embida](https://github.com/Embida/quartus-docker/blob/master/playbook.yml),

whose playbook I copied from to get started.



Why Vagrant?

------------



USB support. Docker is a great tool for many projects, but on macOS hosts,

Vagrant offers much more seamless USB support. USB is needed to control the

USB Blaster that programs the CPLD.