# LED Cube?



## daniel0731ex (Feb 22, 2011)

Has anyone posted this before?

http://lightake.com/detail.do/sku.3x3x3_LED_Flash_Magic_Cube_-35342


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## ianography (Feb 22, 2011)

I think so but I don't know who


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## Antcuber (Feb 22, 2011)

GHCLUC

( ghost hand crystal light up cube.)

You can get it on cubedepot for $7.


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## unirox13 (Feb 22, 2011)

it's not as impressive as you may think. I got one and there's no way to just turn on the LED rather it just comes on and does some little slow blink fast blink thing and then turns off.


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## o2gulo (Feb 23, 2011)

Ooh, might try it, i have seen a couple of that cube lying around in our shop here,:fp


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## advincubing (Nov 18, 2012)

I was going to try to DIY an internally-lit cube, and stumbled onto this thread. I may buy one and then try to hack it to use one of the center caps as a switch (or something like that). I want to see where the LED/battery goes in the core.

Has anyone disassembled one? Does anyone know of any DIY attempts to do something like this?


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## IQubic (Nov 18, 2012)

To me this is like the groovik cube that was at the pacific science center a while back, but much smaller.
EDIT: WCA hosted a comp. there, the record for the groovik cube 9m 54s.
http://www.miketyka.com/grooviks-cube/


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## advincubing (Dec 9, 2012)

So, I went ahead and ordered three of the Crystal Cubes from Lightake. Surprisingly, they turn decently, especially for a novelty cube.

I hacked one, as detailed in this blog post -- eliminating the annoying blinking function and wiring past the flaky mercury switch. It worked great as a proof of concept. Now I need to figure out how to build in a power switch. The blog post mentions a couple ideas (tact switch in the core, photoelectric cell, etc.). Any other ideas or suggestions?


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## CarlBrannen (Dec 10, 2012)

Put a little processor in there that works out God's algorithm.


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## ketchuphater999 (Dec 10, 2012)

looks like alpha design


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## sneaklyfox (Dec 10, 2012)

I want to see a solve using one of these cubes in the dark.


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## Muesli (Dec 10, 2012)

Could you make it into a generator so I can charge my cube during the day and have it glow at night?

Probably unlikely to be possible, but it'd be cool.


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## advincubing (Dec 15, 2012)

sneaklyfox said:


> I want to see a solve using one of these cubes in the dark.


Ask and you shall receive. Here's a blog post detailing the conclusion of the mod, with a video showing a solve in the dark:

http://adventuresincubing.com/2012/12/15/crystal-cube-hack-part-2/


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## sneaklyfox (Dec 15, 2012)

Thanks! It would be awesome if they produced one that was a little smoother. Perhaps it could be done by modding the pieces? And if the light could be turned on and off by pressing, say, 3 center pieces simultaneously for a second. I would love to play in the dark.

Edit: Or have the on/off switch inside one of the center caps. I'd rather take off a cap than pop a piece and have to use a paperclip...


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## advincubing (Dec 15, 2012)

Hard to run wires into the center pieces, since they turn. Also, the centers don't have caps. They have a glued on tile covering a screw.


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## Michael Womack (Dec 16, 2012)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blqwrIKQU5U

Thats my review of the cube


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## advincubing (Nov 10, 2013)

sneaklyfox said:


> I want to see a solve using one of these cubes in the dark.


Here's one a did last weekend: http://youtu.be/HO7nAMeOw_8

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As I posted earlier in this thread, I modded the electronics in the core -- disabling the blinking and using a microswitch to control power (instead of the flaky OEM motion sensor). It works really well.

But, never one to settle, I bought a bunch of extra Crystal Cubes and eventually will work to improve two aspects:

(1) The glowing is somewhat uneven because of where the LEDs are in the core. I may try painting the inside of the core with a translucent white to diffuse/spread the light a bit. (The video exaggerates the unevenness a bit -- it's not as extreme to the eye.)

(2) Relocating the switch so that the paperclip can access it from between pieces (without removing an edge piece).

A more ambitious project would be replacing the slide switch with a momentary one that triggers a latching circuit. It's just really hard to wire a latching circuit with components small enough to fit in the core. I'm way too clumsy at soldering on small components for that. Even fancier would be a way to activate that switch by pressing on a center cap or with a magnet -- or basically any way other than forcing a paperclip down to the core's switch....


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