I’ll update my progress on this project as I go. I added a lot more light bars to the shift registers on my prime number generator project. I’m up to 5 daisy-chained shift registers completed (powering 40 LEDs) with 7 more to go! I’m using 22 gauge solid-core (fancy and expensive, from digikey, 100′ 14$!) wire for the back of this project. Being that I plan to keep it for many years, I want it to look crazy awesome. Remember, I’m only about 1/3 done so far…

I powered the device up and it produced proper output. Yay! I was so discouraged yesterday when I wired-up an entire row (the top one), powered it on, and 1/2 the LEDs didn’t work. At first I thought it was software, but then I realized that I burned the LEDs out in the soldering process by getting them too hot. I had to de-solder EVERYTHING, rip out the destroyed LED bars, and start over. I’ll have to pick up some more light bars at Skycraft soon. This is what it looks like currently:

I’m making this project a priority because I only have a few weeks before I move to Gainesville, FL for dental school (the cutoff date for all electronics/radio/programming projects). I’ll be busy the next few days with other obligations (work, apartment hunting, field day, etc.) but I hope to resume this project soon.

UPDATE (June 26, 2009 @ 7:30pm): I finished wiring all the light bars I have. I need to purchase 3 more 10-led bars at Skycraft to replace the ones I melted with my soldering iron. D’oh! Anyway, here’s the beaut: