LED Edit Tutorial: In both the Led Edit and Led Edit-K editions, we discussed how to use the auto-layout maker to produce panel-like layouts and how to use the manual layout creator to create non-regular layouts. In this article, we’ll show you how to Utilization AutoCAD software to design and wire any type of led arrangement you want outside of the LED Edit program.
Before continuing, please download and install Auto Cad 2007 or a later version. I’ll show you how to accomplish it with both LED Edit and LED Edit-K.
As I previously stated, please install the AutoCAD program. I will be using AutoCAD 2007 in this post, but you may use a newer version.
Designing the LED layout
The Strategy
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make a circle-shaped led layout, but you may make whatever shape you like. Before we start, we need a blueprint for our design. Here’s what I came up with.
The LED lines are evenly spaced, and each LED line has a sequence of equally spaced LEDs. When drilling the board for LED placement, make sure to leave adequate room for drilling holes when inserting LEDs in the lines. The panel’s edge is represented by the board outline.
Dimensions
Consider this a scaled replica of the actual product developed for simulation during LED programming. The proportions we use in AutoCAD do not match the dimensions of the actual physical product. Make your own led layout measurements if you want to be more creative. It should not be too huge or little.
So, without further ado, let’s get started. Start your AutoCAD program.
Click “OK” after selecting AutoCAD classic from the workspace option (the phrase “AutoCAD classic” may change in future editions). Select “Units” from the “Format” drop-down menu in the top bar. Select “inches” from the “insertion scale” drop-down option in the Drawing units box and click “OK.”
Creating the LED References
Select the “Circle Tool” from the toolbox and click anywhere in the workspace where you want the circle’s center to go. Move your mouse cursor away from the center and left-click if you’re happy with the circle’s size.
Double click on the circumference of the circle which will show you the properties of the circle change the geometry settings as below :
- Center X = 0
- Center Y = 0
- Center Z = 0
- Diameter = 1
Now that we’ve made our first LED reference, I’d want to make a line of them down the (-) X Axis. Select the circle if it is not already chosen. From the right-hand edit menu, select “Array Tool” Check “rectangular array” in the Array menu and alter the settings as shown below. and then press the “OK” button.
Rows: The amount of rows along Y axis (In my case it’s one because I want a line ).
Columns: Number of columns along X axis (In my case it’s 15 because I want 15 of them along X).
Row offset: Offset along Y axis or distance between each row ( In my case it’s 1.0000 because I don’t have any rows ).
Column offset: Offset along X axis or distance between each column. (In my case it’s, minus is to change the direction and 4.0000 is the distance between each led reference center).
Angle: The angle of the array. ( In my case it’s Zero ).
Creating The Circle
Select the “Array” tool from the edit bar on the left side by clicking on the second circle. In the “Array” settings, check the “Polar Array” radio button and alter the configuration as shown below. And then click “OK“.
Center Point: X and Y coordination of the center of the objects to be copied around ( In my case it’s zero on x axis and zero on y axis ).
Total Number of Items: Number of copies per Angle fill value. ( In this case, it’s 15 ) you can change it to a value you prefer, More items mean less space between items and may overlap, and fewer items mean fewer details.
Angle to Fill: The angle at that items should be distributed ( In my case it’s 360 because I want the items to be distributed around a full circle ).
Here is the result:
Now we must repeat the process with the remaining LED references. Select one at a time and continue the steps above (05th Step), making sure the center point X and Y values are zero and the Angle to Fill is 360 in the polar array parameters. All you have to do is modify the “Total Number of Things” text box since the circle becomes bigger and bigger as we move left, which implies the space between items gets wider and bigger. As a result.
as time goes on, we’ll need to expand the “Total Number of Items“, You have the option of selecting a value that you prefer. Instead of pressing “OK” after altering the options, click the “preview” button. This will show you what will happen if you modify your settings. If you’re satisfied with the outcome, click “Accept“, If you’re not happy with the results, go to “Modify” and alter the “Total Number of Items” value to whatever you like. Throughout the design, try to keep the spacing between each LED reference the same.
Here is what it looks like after doing it to all the 15 LED references (The number in the red is the Total Number of Items per circle).
Wiring the LEDs
We’ve completed the design of our LED setup. It’s now time to connect them in sequence. This is my wiring diagram.
In order to make the connecting easy, we need to change the snap settings Select the line tool from the toolbar, You will see some buttons will appear at the bottom, Enable and disable the features by clicking on these buttons as in the image below.
Right-click on “OSNAP” button and select “Settings” change the settings as below image and click “OK“.
From the toolbar, select “Line” Tool and click on the center of the first LED to be linked, then the center of the second LED, the third, the fourth, and so on… Until the final LED is turned off. It’s worth noting that the LEDs are linked in series. To quit the tool after completing the last connection, use the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
If you accidentally click somewhere else instead of the circle’s center. Don’t panic, simply right-click and select “Undo” from the drop-down menu to reconnect.
Discontinuing the line: If you are weary, hit “Enter” on your keyboard to end the line at any point, and then pick the line tool and make sure that you continue from the last place you ended the line by clicking the center of the last circle that you wired.
Here is the result after wiring the LED references.
It’s now time to link it to a port label. Because the number of LED references in this example is less than the maximum number of LEDs that may be linked to a port on my controller (my controller can have 2048 LEDs per port), I can attach this led pattern to a single port without trouble. However, if the number of LEDs linked to your controller exceeds the maximum, you must connect the additional LEDs to another port label, taking into account the number of ports available on your controller. For further information, consult the user manual for your controller.
Select “Multiline Text Tool” from the toolbar, then click on the dark space next to the first LED reference, enter “0” on your keyboard, then “,“, then “0” again, and finally “Enter.” By putting “1” in the text size area, you may change the font size to 1 inch. Now write “p1” in the text box (which stands for port 1) and hit “OK“.
The port label must now be connected to the LED layout. Click on the “Line Tool” in the Toolbar, then on the First LED reference center, the text labels connecting point, and then hit “Enter“.
If you need to utilize more than one port, make labels for each one and attach them to each LED reference set as follows: “p” = Port, and the number following the letter “p” signifies the port number it connects to.
The final result of the layout:
Now that we’ve constructed our layout and attached it to the port label, we can go on to the next step. Select “Save As” from the drop-down selection under “File“, select the directory where you wish to store the file and give it a name by putting it in the “File Name” text field, then pick and select “AutoCAD 2007 DXF (*.dxf)” from the “files of type” drop-down list, then click “Save“.
Close the AutoCAD software and run the LED Edit or LED Edit -K software.
Importing To LED Software
If you are using LED Edit -K versions :
Click on “File” and select “New” to create a new project and select your controller and click “OK” .( [please click here for more information on project creation] ) and refer to the “Starting a New LED Edit Project” section of that tutorial.
From the left side panel, select “Import dxf” Click “OK” once you’ve browsed and selected the file you’ve produced. Select the parameters as shown in the figure below from the dxf file settings menu. Change the scale of the imported file with the scaling slider and then click “OK“.
You will see a message showing how many LED references have been imported successfully.
If there are connection failures, you will get a message like this.
If you get a message like the above click “OK” and a notepad will pop up which will show the locations where connections failed.
Close it and use your mouse wheel to zoom in on the LED layout, where you’ll find failed connection references in violet and successfully connected led references in yellow, with blue lines linking them.
Make a note of those places, then double-click the dxf file in AutoCAD to reopen it. Select the present connections surrounding that area by clicking them and erasing them by right-clicking and selecting “Erase” then rebuild the connections by picking the line tool from the toolbar and clicking in the centers of the circles. To quit the line tool, press enter. Do this for each unsuccessful connection point, then press “Ctrl + S” to save the file.
Start programming the layout [CLICK HERE to program the layout] after successfully importing the dxf file. Please refer to and proceed from the “Recording a Video or an Animation” subsection of my First LED Edit-K lesson.
If you are Using LED Edit Versions :
Click on “File” and select “New” to create a new project select your controller and click “OK”. Please refer to the “Starting a New LED Edit Project“
Choose “Import (.dxf)” from the “Project Config” menu in the top bar. This choice will display. Select “Not accurate attachment” from the drop-down menu and click “OK” The Open File box will open; navigate to and pick the file you just made, then click “OK“.
if you successfully imported the file, You will see a message like this .stating that importing failed is zero. Click “OK“.
If you get a message like this. which states that failed lights are greater than zero.
Click “OK“, then use your mouse wheel to zoom in on the layout, looking for white-colored LED references, which indicate that connections failed at that place.
Make a note of those places, then double-click the dxf file in AutoCAD to reopen it. Select the present connections surrounding that area by clicking them and erasing them by right-clicking and selecting “Erase” then rebuild the connections by picking the line tool from the toolbar and clicking in the centers of the circles. To quit the line tool, press enter. Do this for each unsuccessful connection point, then press “Ctrl + S” to save the file
Import the dxf file successfully without errors and start programming the layout.
