Lots of spinning POV goodness

posted Nov 13th 2010 11:00am by
filed under: led hacks

[Retrobrad's] spinning POV display has long been our favorite. When it popped up on our radar again this morning we were surprise to see we never ran a feature on it! But now there’s so much more to share. Hit the projects icon at the top of his page and you’ll not only get the 8×85 RGB display’s build instructions, but he’s also built a 32×64 pixel spinning display.

Even if you’re not going to make one of these, he explains some pixel-graphics techniques that are useful in other instances. Check out his video on using spreadsheets for creating the hex arrays necessary for each frame the 8×85 display. It’s embedded after the break along with demos of the two displays.

[via Hacked Gadgets]



19 Responses to Lots of spinning POV goodness

  • Addidis says:
    November 13, 2010 at 11:44 am

    Nice, probably some of the best graphics Ive seen done on a POV. This has serious consumer product potential. Parents will gladly buy something like this to keep babies entertained with their favorite cartoon characters.

    Reply Report comment
  • element_leader says:
    November 13, 2010 at 12:10 pm

    These POVs are making people fat and lazy; when we were kids, we had to spin ourselves around.

    Reply Report comment
  • roboman2444 says:
    November 13, 2010 at 12:20 pm

    it would be awesome if someone could make a driver and program a propeller or something to use one of those as a secondary display for a computer via serial or usb.

    Reply Report comment
  • boris says:
    November 13, 2010 at 2:12 pm

    @roboman2444
    That’s exactly what I was thinking about doing when I saw this. It reminds of the program to use a psp as a second display.

    Reply Report comment
  • RBRat3 says:
    November 13, 2010 at 3:06 pm

    these POV’s keep getting bigger and bigger, anymore larger I’d be scare shitless something giving out at high RPM’s. Yea I remember having to spin myself LOL.

    Reply Report comment
  • retrobrad says:
    November 13, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    Hi everyone and thanks for the comments.

    I can’t actually claim the last video though, basically because I didn’t make it!

    I have made a POV display that does everything that the old one does but now only uses one chip (instead of seven)

    I will upload a video to youtube in the near future.

    Reply Report comment
  • ferdi says:
    November 13, 2010 at 7:46 pm

    can i play black ops on it :)
    just kidding it looks gread
    the picter on it looks good for a led
    go on

    Reply Report comment
  • edonovan says:
    November 13, 2010 at 10:39 pm

    This makes me want to do POV. Although, I’d code a bitmap parser instead of using excel/hxd; but that’s mainly because I’m not really a fan of repetition. I’d just code a bitmap parser, instead.

    Reply Report comment
  • derwin says:
    November 14, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    that last video creeps me out for some reason. there’s just something unsettling about those ancient, badly-drawn pixelated cartoon characters flickering in total silence.

    Reply Report comment
  • Hirudinea says:
    November 14, 2010 at 2:06 pm

    Next 1024 LED POV, I dare you!

    Reply Report comment
  • ferdi says:
    November 14, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    1024 led,s its posebal use small led but a hell bit off work

    Reply Report comment
  • Gdogg says:
    November 14, 2010 at 3:23 pm

    Anyone else think it’s hilarious/ridiculous that he has a ‘god page’ on his electronics website?

    Reply Report comment
  • retrobrad says:
    November 14, 2010 at 3:50 pm

    @Gdogg why do you think it’s rediculous?

    Reply Report comment
  • PR0CR4571N4T0R says:
    November 15, 2010 at 8:04 am

    I thought the god page was quite fitting, given the subject matter and overall design of the site.

    Im very eager to see some updates on the 32×64 POV, as ive wanted to build one for about two years now

    Maybe think about selling closed-source kits, if youre not ready to share the complete project.

    Id certainly be interested in making a money order/deposit.

    Reply Report comment
  • Gdogg says:
    November 15, 2010 at 1:05 pm

    Because there’s no real reason to add ‘controversial’ stuff to a site that has nothing to do with the website. It’s like HaD posting about the book of mormon.

    Obviously you’re free to do it, it just seems super lame/creepy to include it.

    Reply Report comment
  • bancroft says:
    November 15, 2010 at 1:41 pm

    i wouldn’t call it controversial. the guy has convictions, it’s his site, so let him put up whatever he wants.

    if he like cats, then would you object to him having a ‘cats page’? or would that make him creepy?

    Reply Report comment
  • retrobrad says:
    November 15, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    God has everything to do with electronics since he is the chief designer and creator of everything.

    I am thankful that Hackaday thought my design was pretty cool and decided to do a write up about it. I think God’s design is pretty cool and decided to do a write up on my site.

    Reply Report comment
  • Gdogg says:
    November 16, 2010 at 9:21 am

    @bancroft Yes

    Reply Report comment
  • Tim says:
    November 17, 2010 at 6:51 am

    Good on you Brad.

    Gdogg, why do you think this is a controversial issue?

    if people want to read about God, they can read it!
    if people don’t want to read about God, they don’t have to read it!

    “We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangements of the books, but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God” – Albert Einstein

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