4×4×4 LED Cube

A 4×4×4 cube of 64 LEDs, hand-soldered layer by layer, driven by an Arduino Uno.

Construction

Each layer is a 4×4 grid with a single shared positive (anode) node and 16 individual ground (cathode) connections — one per LED. This row-column multiplexing scheme means the Arduino can address any single LED by activating the correct layer and column simultaneously.

All 64 LEDs were hand-soldered, including the layer connections and the vertical column wires that link the layers. Getting the structure square and stable required a jig to hold LEDs in position while soldering.

Code

Animations cycle through patterns — rain, wave, spin, and random sparkle — by rapidly multiplexing across layers faster than the eye can detect, creating the illusion of all LEDs being on simultaneously.

The cube was one of the most satisfying builds to watch run for the first time.