Persistence of Vision (POV) Using Arduino

In this tutorial I will be creating a POV (Persistence of Vision). I'm going to make the POV can be used with two ways to play, easy to hold, and can spinning on the platform.

Ok, let's get started!!

Step 1: What You Need?

1 x Arduino UNO  

1 x USB Type-B Cable 
20 x  LEDs Super Bright  (Green Color LED used in tutorial)
20 x 100 Ohm Resistors
1 x PCB / Perfboard
4 x Spicer (0.5cm)
4 x Nut and Bolts
1 x Project enclosure (I'm using "Kitchen Ware" box)
1 x 9V Battery Holder or 9V Battery Snap
1 x  On/Off Switch 
1 x Breadboard
Shrink Tubing 
Male Header Extended

Male-to-Male Jumper Wires 
Female-to-Male Jumper Wires
1 x Computer with Arduino IDE
1 x 9V Battery

Tools
Soldering Iron and Solder 
Mini Drill 
Pliers 
Cutter 

Optional

Arduino Compatible UNO Ultimate Starter Kit / Learning Kit
USB To Power Jack Cable

Don't have components? Don't worry. Just click the component's name. 



If you want to make your POV spinning too, you need to jump right into step 11 to know what all you need..

Step 2: Write The Code. 

Download the POV code and upload it onto your Arduino board. If you have trouble uploading be sure that nothing is connected to digital pins 0 and 1 and that you have selected the correct board and serial port under the Arduino/Tools menu.

Replace the words HELLO WORLD with any message in all caps with no punctuation. You can create your own characters and images by generating matrices of 1s and 0s.

Download code here: POV

Step 3: Making The Board.

A PCB can be made by many methods like UV etching, toner transfer method, using a CNC mill etc. We’ll be doing it with manually way because the circuit is so simple, and doesn't necessary to print it. it’s the only method which doesn’t require access to expensive equipment/materials.

1) Cut the perfboard, about 22 cm long and 4 cm wide

2) Draw the circuit line with permanent marker. 

3) Etching time! There are a lot of " How to Make PCB Etching" out there, so I won't explain again in this tutorial. 

4) Drill out the holes on perfboard with a drill and a small drill bit. Be careful when using a drill. 

Step 4: Making The Circuit On Breadboard. 

Let's build it on breadboard first. First, lets put the components on a breadboard so we could see how it worked and how to fit it onto the perfboard. 

Test the 20 LEDs to make sure they're shining bright. You don't want to pull out the LED after they're already attached on perfboard.

Step 5: Move to Perfboard.

1) Arrange the resistors. Each resistor is connected to an LED on one side and ground on the other. 

2) Bend one of the leads of each resistor so that they are touching each other and solder them all together in a row.

3) Arrange the LEDs. 

4) The cathode (-) of LED connect to resistor, and solder them together.

5) Solder the anode (+) of LED on perfboard. Clip the excess metal from the leads. Leave the last lead unclipped so that it can be attached to a wire later. 

Step 6: Wiring time!!

1) Attach wires to each of the LEDs on the perfboard. As you solder each connection, clip the excess lead off the end of the LED. 

2) Using shrink tubing is essential to prevent shorting.

3) Solder the end of each leads, together with male header (extension). Be careful when you soldering the wire and the header, make sure they didn't touch each other. This will be connect to Arduino. 

4) Strip both ends of a (preferably black) wire and connect the unclipped resistor lead, this is gonna be a ground. Solder it together. 

Step 7: The enclosure

1) Drawing the pattern on the lid with marker for placing the spicer for Arduino. It's really helps for drilling.

2) Be careful when you drilling the "Kitchen Ware" Box, because it made of plastic. It easy to melt if the drill get hot, but it's okay you can tidy it up by using a small cutter knife. Put the spicer 0.5 mm. 

3) Put the Arduino to fit with the lid.

4) Draw a pattern for on-off switch, a long hole for wires, a long hole for insert the perfboard, and 4 holes for nut & bolts. Use a small cutter knife to make a rectangular cut, still be careful.

Step 8: Put all together

1) Drill the perfboard to attach the nut. 

2) Arrange the switch and the battery.

3) Connect the battery and switch to Arduino.

4) Put together the POV perfboard and Arduino.

Pin connections:
Top of perfboard
1                            Digital Pin 13
2                            Digital Pin 12
3                            Digital Pin 11
4                            Digital Pin 10
5                            Digital Pin 9
6                            Digital Pin 8

7                            Digital Pin 7

8                            Digital Pin 6

9                            Digital Pin 5

10                          Digital Pin 4

11                          Digital Pin 3

12                          Digital Pin 2

13                          Digital Pin 1

14                          Digital Pin 0

15                          Analog Pin 5

16                          Analog Pin 4

17                          Analog Pin 3

18                          Analog Pin 2

19                          Analog Pin 1

20                          Analog Pin 0

Bottom of perfboard

Step 9: Put the circuit into enclosure.

1) Attach the PCB with nuts to the enclosure. 

2) Tidy up the wires by inserting them to second long hole. 

3) Attach the on-off switch to enclosure. 

4) Put the battery into the enclosure, and connect it to the switch. I'm using "Foam Double Side Tape Adhesive" to attach the battery.

5) Attach the wires to Arduino. And close the enclosure. 

Step 10: Finish!

You're just finish it right away. The enclosure it's make easier to hold and play it safely.

If you are too lazy to holding it all the time, you can choose the second option that I will give it to you. Just check out step 11 to make it spinning.

Step 11: All you need for making it spinning

This is a quick step to make your POV spinning. So here all you need :

- Platform from wood 

you can build it with your own way, for me I just bought it on the market, and it's originally was a cutting board

- 12V motor

I think it's the best choice, because you can run it from 3V to 12V, at 3 volts it only pulled about 20mA and it runs fairly slow, then you can tune your adapter to the speed as fast as you want, but I warned you 12V are fast enough to make your platform shaking like crazy.

- Pencil case from plastic 

I'm using an old pencil case. We're going to use just one side.

- I don't know how to name it or it's called, it's just a bended hard plastic. so we can stick it with the perfboard horizontally. 

Tools
- Drill
- Hot Glue Gun
- Cutter
- Foam double tape adhesive
- Gorilla glue
- Super glue

Step 12: Build the platform board

1) Drill the board. Customize the diameter to the size of the dynamo that you used. 

2) Drill the bended plastic 4 holes as the holes on the perfboard. 

3) As I said before, we're gonna use a one piece of the pencil case. Add a glue (gorilla glue) at the corner to attach the bended plastic. 

4) Soldering the wires to the leads of motor. Don't forget about the polarity. Then attach a little piece of board on the motor with super glue.

5) Put your motor in the hole. Add some gorilla glue onto the little piece of board to attach the pencil case later. 

6) Use a hot glue to attach the motor with the boards. Just to make sure it doesn't shaking when it's run.

7) Attach the pencil case onto motor. You should put on the middle. to keep it balanced. Attach the bended plastic onto the pencil case. And attach the battery with some tape adhesive. Attach the Arduino with some Foam double tape adhesive. 

Step 13: Assemble all parts and Finish it for the second time!!

Assemble all parts. Try the platform first. Give 3 or 4,5 volts from the adapter to make sure they spinning with balancing.

If it's all run okay, then congratulations you just finish the second way to play your POV. Yay!!

Download:

Arduino IDE

Source: http://www.instructables.com/id/Persistence-of-Vision-POV-with-2-ways-to-play-/?ALLSTEPS

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Author & Editor

My Robot Education Sdn. Bhd. (Robotedu.my) was founded in 2015 as the first robotics education centre in Malaysia to provide Arduino-based robotics courses for youths. Our vision is to be able to provide robotics education to every youth in Malaysia.