Flip Fluid on Flip Dots
19 hours ago
- The project was built as an installation for EMF2026, aiming to simulate swishing noises using electromechanical flipdot displays instead of silent LED liquid.
- Commercial flipdot displays are extremely expensive (over $50,000), and the author found no affordable options, so he decided to build his own from salvaged panels.
- Flipdots use non-volatile magnetic parts; each dot needs a brief pulse to flip, but the original drive circuitry was slow (about 1 second per update).
- Key technical challenges included building a fast matrix driver, managing high power requirements (13 amps per column), and avoiding visual artefacts from unsynchronized flipping.
- The author explored using cheap H-bridge chips (like MX6208) and a series-capacitor technique to reduce component count, but encountered issues with current draw and voltage drops.
- After multiple PCB iterations, he succeeded in driving 8 panels (13x28 dots each) with a CH32V003 microcontroller, achieving ~40 FPS fluid simulation.
- The final installation used a joystick for user interaction, a 12V power supply, and a large plywood frame; total cost was under £500 (excluding labour).
- The display ran continuously for four days at EMF, though some dead pixels appeared from mechanical wear and dust.
- Future plans include a gimbal mount (using a gym ball as a cheap alternative) and adapting the design for different panel sizes.