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Step 5: Drilling the copper plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Step 6: Making the board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Step 7: Wiring the board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Step 8: Starting the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Step 9: Wiring the Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Step 10: Finalize the box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Step 11: Preparing the pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Step 12: Making the pieces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Author:Tetranitrate
I'm attending Polytechnic Institute of NYU.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Step 2: Materials
This project uses a wide range of materials and tools, so I separated the two lists into individual steps. The materials include: Glass chess set - I got mine at Walgreens. It was a two for $10 deal. I bought a couple so if I broke some of the pieces I would have extra. The chess pieces should have a small cavity in the bottom covered by some circular felt stickers, to prevent them from scratching the glass chess board. LEDs - Twenty 5mm blue and twenty 5mm green LEDs. I ordered mine from superbrightleds.com . Magnets - I used 1/8" tall 1/16" diameter cylindrical neodymium magnets. Since three were used in each square on the board, 192 were needed all together. Of course the magnets could be 3/8" tall and only 64 would be needed. Wood - A thin sheet (~1/4" thick) with the same area as the copper plate, used both as an insulator and as a structural backing for the copper. Thicker pieces of wood are also needed to make the final box / enclosure for the chess board, but the dimensions do not matter too much, as almost any scrap wood will do. Copper plate - A square copper sheet around 1/16" or 1/32" thick, and with an area at least that the size of the original chess board. I found mine on Ebay. Copper washers - The outer circumference should be the same size as the outer circumference of the base of the chess pieces. The inner diameter is not as important, but should be large enough to easily wire an LED through. Steel plate - Should be exactly the same dimensions (length and width, thickness doesn't matter too much, but around 1/16" or 1/32" would be ideal) as the original chess board (only the 8 x 8 grid of squares, not counting any extra border). If each square on the chess board is 1" by 1", then the steel plate should be 8" by 8". Copper foil tape - Again the exact specs change depending on the size of your chess board, but a few feet (~6') of tape should be good. The width of the tape should be half the width of one square on the chess board (1" chess board squares = 1/2" copper foil tape) Acrylic sheets - It doesn't really need to be acrylic, but that was the building material available to me at the time. One square will be to sandwich the steel and copper plates together, and to hold the wires in place. The other square I used as a bottom to the chess board box. Power supply - I used a wall wart with a 120V AC input and 3V 300mA DC output to power the chess board. Gaffers tape - To tape stuff in place Glue / epoxy - To hold the copper plate to the wood sheet. Wood glue is also used to make the box.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Step 3: Tools
There are many different tools needed to make this project exactly the way I describe it. That being said, this project can most likely be completed without most of the tools I list. Improvisation is the name of the game. Sandblaster - You can either use a professional "real" sandblaster, or you can make your own using a paint sprayer, rubber hose, and bucket of garnet following Star's instructions here. I highly recommend making your own. It is dirty, it is simple, and it is fun. Soldering iron - Used for doing the obvious. Deburring tool - Used for burring De's. Deez what? Deez nuts. Drill and bit set - Some carbide tips are useful if drilling out the glass chess pieces is necessary. Multimeter (optional) - Used to measure the voltage given off by the board, once constructed. Dremel and bits - Various dremmeling needs Steel wool - To polish the copper plate Metal file - For breaking out of prison, and to help with deburring.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Soldering iron, not to be confused with the much less pleasant sodomizing iron.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Pull away at a sharp angle, so the square stickers remain firmly attached to the copper
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Clamp with rubber feet 2. Metal clamp with cardboard insulator to prevent scratching
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Allowing the glue to mess up the face by entering through the holes - an even worse idea
Image Notes 1. Our once beautiful copper checkerboard sheet, now marred by epoxy
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Each column is three magnets tall 2. Each row of magnets (unlike this image box) lines up with the copper foil tape
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Two holes for wiring it up on opposite ends of the board
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. wire to steel plate 2. wire to steel plate 3. wire to chessboard 4. wire to chessboard
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Edges cut at 45 degree angles 2. A shelf cut for the copper sheet and wood plate. The steel plate will not be on the shelf, but held underneath by the magnets.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Extra cut that was already in the scrap wood to be removed and smoothed.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Holes for the magnets to be glued into 2. Holes for the magnets to be glued into
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Gluing the LEDs - Using the gel superglue I glued sixteen blue LEDs into the clear pieces (I chose blue for the clear pieces because it would resemble ice), and sixteen green LEDs into the frosted pieces. While gluing try to make sure the negative lead (the longer one) is directly in the center of the piece because it will be making contact with the magnet that is in the center of the square. Trim the leads - Bend the positive lead to the rim of the base and clip the excess, as shown in the picture. Clip the negative lead so that it is just slightly extending past the bottom of the piece, and bend the excess at a 90 degree angle, so it will have some area that comes in contact with the magnet. Glue the washers on - I covered 3/4ths of the bottom of the chess piece with glue. The remaining quarter was the area near the positive lead. I left it unglued because I did not want to risk ruining the connection to the washer. Firmly press the washers onto the glue (but do not rotate!) and let sit undisturbed until the glue is dry. Solder the lead - Solder the positive lead from the LED to the inner rim of the copper washer. This will be a delicate, slow going operation, but be patient and do each one carefully. YOUR FINISHED!!! - Plug the board in, and put the pieces on it to make sure they all work. Sit back and bask in your awesomeness which is a direct result of my awesomeness.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Outer rim the exact same size as the outer rim of the chess pieces 2. Inner diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the chess piece
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Image Notes 1. Bend the positive lead so that it will make contact with the overhang on the inner rim of the washer.
Image Notes 1. Solder the positive contact to the rim of the washer
Image Notes 1. Bend the negative lead so that it will make a nice broad contact point for the magnet.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 129 comments
noah279878582 says:
i made this, and it is beautiful! though, the wire should be cordless :P
karnold70 says:
Jan 10, 2011. 7:55 AM REPLY Annnnd just had another thought. You could cast the peices with the led's inside... although if you got them 2/$10, it's probably not cost effective. On the other hand, this would allow you to use colored plastic with all white leds, or use the 'superflux' type of leds, especially if using the copperclad board I suggested earlier. Again, hats off to your inovation. Jan 10, 2011. 7:52 AM REPLY Just had an interesting thought.. instead of a copper 'washer' and the little 'lead' just kind of hovering in the center of the peice, why not cut the washers out of copper CLAD IC board, and simply etch it? All in all, however, a MOST excellent idea and instructible. Jun 26, 2008. 6:25 PM REPLY Very good work. A couple points of advice - I noticed your wall wart isn't regulated. Most LEDs draw about 20 mA of current, so if you have a full board, you're overloading your transformer, which would make your LEDs dim because the voltage will drop. When you have fewer pieces on the board, you won't be loading the transformer enough, so you risk shortening the life of your LEDs. Overall an excellent Instructable.
karnold70 says:
zygomatic says:
Tetranitrate says:
Jul 9, 2008. 4:05 PM REPLY Each piece gets brighter as the game goes on, so it builds suspense and the game gets more intense. It would be cool to have a current overload trigger and a small amount of gunpowder (or as I like to call it, funpowder) in each piece, so if there are particularly few pieces on the board they will all explode. This gets me thinking... What if there was a new hardcore form of this game that were half chess and half Russian roulette. When it is not your turn, you get to protect yourself with an explosives shield. When it is your turn you have to be fully exposed to the board in order to make your move. Each piece would be about 6 inches tall and filled with LEDs, a current overload trigger, and gunpowder (In essence each piece would be a glass shrapnel grenade). It is in both players interest to end the game quickly, because the longer the game goes on, the more likely it is to detonate the pieces. It will be called Death Chess, and we can use it to win dirt or gasoline in the post apocalyptic future (dirt for waterworld style apocalypse, gasoline for mad max).
P.Bechhthold says:
lolz
Opsenica says:
did you consider to put wireless power for leds into the chess figures?
SnuffyDaPenguin says:
If in the case of a russian roulette type thing, the chess board has to be life size so it's SURE to kill you. :D
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
M F says:
now you can have it for real. the world chessboxing championship. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Wcbd0dJpQ http://site.wcbo.org/content/index_en.html There are rules, but don't ask me what they are:)
Jakobsdillusion says:
HAHAHA! I love that idea, anything that combines strategy and death, Im in.
godofal says:
nice instructable, im thinking of doing it wireless, but that's just an idea i have rightnow, dont know if it's possible/buildable :D about like this
chimeforest says:
Amazing instructable! I was wondering though: 1. Do you have to use copper and steel plates, or would any conductive metal work? 2. If you hooked this up to a battery would it still function? if so,how big of a battery would it have to be? This chess set is super awesome.
godofal says:
Oct 16, 2010. 4:31 PM REPLY 1: it doesnt really matter, altough copper is the best conductive-wise 2: it would have to be the right voltage, in this case 3V, wich is 2 AA or AAA's. might need 2 pairs in paralel to get enough juice to run it for the longer matches though or use a 9V battery with a 3.3V regulator (and some caps) like this one
peabnuts123 says:
Jun 28, 2008. 4:02 AM REPLY As far as I know (and I who knows, it may be different in some cases) the longer lead on components is positive. Whereas in this instructable it states the the longer lead is negative. Just thought i'd point this out...
Dan-Technician says:
perhaps they wired the input power supply the wrong way?
chisaipete says:
It really depends on whether they are common anode or common cathode LEDs. They could swing either way.
godofal says:
erm, that's only true in bicolour or RGB LED's in single colours it's always long = + short = so dan is prolly right, (s)he wired the power suply backwards
kingtrae says:
Dec 12, 2009. 3:01 PM REPLY dude, the only thing that would make this board better is if you used either LED's or fiber optic thingies from the circus to outline the boxes. SUPER DOPE though! thanx for sharing!
wazza123 says:
This is so cool like a winter chess set
russian5 says:
This is wickedly awesome. Definitely gonna make this. 5/5
firesketch says:
Sep 2, 2008. 2:07 PM REPLY Awesome, very nice. Would have used different colours though, I think green and blue are too similar. Maybe red and yellow :P
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
Gamer917 says:
lol red vs blue is hilarious even though i have never played halo
knektek says:
Sep 27, 2009. 12:46 PM REPLY you could have a 'dead' area for all of the 'dead' pieces, instead of putting the white of whatever color LED you want on the bottom, you could put it on the side and make the dead area a wall instead of the floor
eyebot117 says:
Apr 8, 2009. 7:22 PM REPLY Could you use bipolar LEDs to make one for a game of Othello? Example:one side of the piece lights up Red, but when flipped over it lights up Green...
DivideByZero says:
May 27, 2009. 8:46 AM REPLY Just put two LEDs in each piece, and do a similar thing to above... You might need a bigger board and bigger pieces, but it is definitely possible.
eyebot117 says:
May 28, 2009. 9:07 PM REPLY Heh, heh-I can easily see myself getting carried away with RGB LED's and some crazy game with pieces that change colors when they're sitting on the board differently or something really insane. I think this is a cool area to experiment in. Maybe it'll hit the markets, and make me millions!
DivideByZero says:
I'm supporting you all the way. Anything's possible. Just don't forget my cut. :)
y2kkmac says:
May 17, 2009. 7:08 PM REPLY This would make for an excellent summer project! Also, top notch Instructable, I love all the photos! I hope I can get around to making one of these someday...
NetReaper says:
I haven't seen this forever but now i actually understand it! thank you electronics for dummies
mattameo213 says:
That's awesome If I were any better at chess I'd go out and attempt to make something like that.
hammertong says:
This would be a good reason to practice and get better.
fergieunrelated says:
Nov 4, 2008. 5:50 PM REPLY Its seems since you bought two chess sets, you should have used the same type of pieces(both clear or both frosted) instead of both textures and and colour. It looks awesome either way.
dirkovic2112 says:
Dec 18, 2008. 12:35 AM REPLY true, but if you want to play chess and don't have a free power outlet you couldn't play. but of course, who would want to play with unlight chess pieces if you have such an awesome chess set...
disturbedreaper says:
Nov 4, 2008. 4:35 PM REPLY just a thought what if you used the neodynium magnets and placed them on the base of the chess pecies and in stead of making the complete stack use somthing like a steel rod so the chess peices snap into place and dont short by simply sliding.
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/
disturbedreaper says:
also i relized i have the same exact chess set sitting in the room next to me cool
Redgerr says:
thats really cool lol, nice job :D
eeesteve says:
holy crap.... you are a genius! :]]
DBLinuxLover says:
Really REALLY good job.
supes says:
this is great...i have to respond due to sheer effort involved...
HeWantsRevenge says:
awesome instructable
Goodhart says:
Sep 20, 2008. 5:11 PM REPLY Had you considered using bright white LEDs in the board, and having the underside of each piece colored with either color, in a translucent coating? Then, all the piece would need is the ring to make contact. Sep 12, 2008. 8:36 PM REPLY couple of things I did different making mine... for the bottom contact I just glued a solid sheet of copper and it worked just fine. I also found a 50pk of very small springs that I used for the center contact of the chess pieces. worked great! Jun 21, 2008. 2:14 PM REPLY Would it be possible to add a small coil to each piece, and have one large coil (or 64 small ones) under the board? then you could have contactless power for the lights.
T3Hprogrammer says:
Derin says:
probably,some probing,a couple rolls of magnet wire and rectifiers later it would be possible
http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Chess-Set/