Charles Van Hook Portfolio

Project overview

This project was undertaken to explore the principles of persistence of vision (POV) and push the boundaries of custom display technology. The objective was to engineer a spherical display capable of rendering arbitrary images through precisely timed LEDs on rapidly rotating arms.

Timeline

1 Month (January-February 2024)

Team

2 Electrical Engineers

Role

Lead Engineer

Components

Awards

2nd Place BU Lutron Light Competition 2024

STATUS

Complete

Tools

Onshape

Arduino IDE

Python

Design Process

This Persistence of Vision (POV) globe utilized a central rotational axis equipped with four distinct arms. Each arm held a line of LEDs and was mechanically offset from the others. As the arms spun rapidly, the offset positioning combined with the timing of the LEDs created a spherical display surface with an effective resolution of 180x50 pixels through the viewer's persistence of vision.

3D Render/CAD

Software / Electronics

The electrical design involved driving the numerous LEDs on the spinning arms, requiring power and data transmission through slip rings or a similar wireless method. Precise timing control was essential to synchronize LED activation with the rotational position of the arms. Custom software was developed to take standard image files, process them, and convert them into the specific timed sequences of LED on/off states needed to render the image correctly on the rotating spherical display.

Electronics

SOFTWARE

Challenges

Achieving high rotational speeds smoothly and without vibration was a significant mechanical challenge. Electrically, reliably transmitting power and high-speed data to the spinning LED arms was complex. Software challenges included efficiently processing images into the correct format and ensuring the extremely precise timing required for the POV effect to create a stable, clear image across the entire globe surface.

MEDIA

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