Watching a good old-fashioned light show is always a treat. Whether it be a Christmas light showOpens in a new tab covering a house or an army of drones making patternsOpens in a new tab in the night sky. Here, however, we have a light cube that puts on a next-level spectacle using more than 4,000 LEDs. And all we can say to the cube’s 3D rainbow display is whoa.
YouTuber and electrical engineer Malt WhiskeyOpens in a new tab created the LED cube display. He recently posted the build video (above) to his channel, although it’s unclear what served as his inspiration. The engineer—at least we think that’s what Malt Whiskey is, even tidbits of a bio are scarce for the YouTuber—clearly loves putting on dope light shows, though. Something Malt Whiskey’s “dragon fire” LED lampOpens in a new tab and “dot matrix” lava lampOpens in a new tab can both attest to.
In the video, Whiskey shows how he designed and executed the LED light cube. As the engineer shows, the setup consists of a bottom box that houses electronics; layered jigs, each of which has an equal portion of LEDs soldered onto it; an acrylic dome for housing the cube’s LEDs, and an Arduino computer boardOpens in a new tab. Plus a nifty LCD touchscreen.
In total, Whiskey notes the cube has 4,096 LEDs, which almost seems like an underestimate. Every time Whiskey gives us an “inside” look at the cube’s lights, it feels like falling into the binary rain of The Matrix. Albeit a much more cheery version, with trippy, colorful eye candy.
Speaking of which, the end result of Whiskey’s work is a light cube that puts all others to shame. (There are definitely others.) The engineer demos the cube around 15 minutes into the video, and it works flawlessly. Using proprietary code, Whiskey’s able to have the cube light up in patterns that seem three-dimensional and wavyOpens in a new tab. There’s a fluidity to the Cube’s lights as well, which will keep you enraptured. Seriously though, look away from the cube every 20 seconds or so to make sure it doesn’t consume you.
