Assembling the Beautiful Box

Thank you for purchasing the Pixelblaze Beautiful Box! The following instructions are intended to guide you through assembling it as easily as possible.

beautiful-box parts

Before getting started, make sure you have the following:

  • Beautiful Box kit
  • Soldering iron
  • Solder
  • Small Phillips screwdriver (#1, to be specific)
  • 22-24 gauge insulated stranded wire (solid wire will work as well, but stranded is easier to manipulate)
  • Wire cutters
  • Wire strippers

Optional extras:

  • Rubber bands
  • Sandpaper
  • Gloves
  • Wood stain
  • Clear spray lacquer

Electronics assembly

To get started, you will need a Pixelblaze V3, a Pixelblaze Sensor Expansion Board, a seven-pin header, insulated wire, a soldering iron, and solder.

Step 1 - Solder the Sensor Board

beautiful-box sensor board held

First, insert the seven-pin header into the PCB of the sensor expansion board, taking care to ensure the long side of the pins faces up. Solder the header into place.

beautiful-box sensor board soldering

With the header soldered to the expansion board, insert the long side of the pins into the PCB of the Pixelblaze. Solder it in place.

beautiful-box sensor board sandwich-below, side view
beautiful-box sensor board sandwich-below, quartering view
NOTE: The row of holes on the Pixelblaze has eight holes. Make sure to line up the hole marked “GND” with the pin that is soldered to the “GND” pin of the sensor board. The hole on the Pixelblaze marked “IO26” should go unused in this instance.

Step 2 - Connect your Matrix

From your insulated wire, cut three pieces, about 1.5 inches long each (four pieces if you are using an HDR SK9822 panel.) and strip a short length of insulation from each end. Insert one end of these wires into the holes on the Pixelblaze marked “GND,” “DATA,” and “5V.” If using an SK9822 panel, insert a fourth wire into the hole marked “CLK.” Solder all wires into place.

led connection solder 3 pin

Before you solder the wires to the LED panel, it is helpful to pre-apply solder to both the ends of the wires and the pads of the LED panel. This is called “tinning” and will let you easily join them with a quick touch from the soldering iron.

helping hands aligator clip on wire
To create a neat solder joint, give the stripped portion of the wire a quick twist with your fingers. A set of soldering “helping hands” will hold the wires for you and make it easier to tin them.
untinned wire
Once twisted, the strands of the wire will resemble a tiny rope.
tinning
Apply solder to the wire by holding the soldering iron to the stripped portion. Hold the solder against the wire, rather than the tip of the iron. Once the wire is hot enough, it will melt the solder, which will then coat it.
tinned wire
A properly tinned wire should be coated in solder, but not have large globs hanging off.

Now solder the other ends of the wires to the pads on the LED panel marked “+5V,” “DAT IN,” and GND.” If it's an SK9822 panel, do this for the “CLK IN” pad as well. The insulated length of the wires should face toward the center of the panel, rather than toward its edge.

Pixelblaze connected to panel

You have completed the assembly of the electronics. It is a good idea to test them now—before you proceed with assembling the case. You can do this by plugging a micro USB cable into the micro USB port on the Pixelblaze. Plug the other end of the cable into a USB power source with 2 amp output. If everything is correctly soldered together and an adequate power source is used, you will see the orange LED on the Pixelblaze flash three times and a pattern should appear on the LED panel as soon as the Pixelblaze boots up, after about 2 seconds.

If you are using a non-SK9822 panel, you'll have to go through the Pixelblaze setup process before anything appears on the panel.

Congratulations! You may now put away your soldering iron, flux, and other electronics tools.

Case Assembly

For this portion of the assembly, you will need the Pixelblaze/Sensor Expansion Board/LED panel combo, the five pieces of laser-cut plywood, the two acrylic panels, the set of small screws included in the kit, and a Phillips screwdriver. One or two rubber bands are optional, but may be helpful.

Step 3 - Interior Electronics

Screwing the LED panel to the wood

Place the LED panel atop the piece of plywood marked “LEDs.” Route the wires attached to the Pixelblaze so they pass through the cutout marked “Input.”

matrix leads, reverse side

Attach the LED panel to the plywood using four screws inserted through the holes in the LED panel PCB. Tighten the screws snugly, but do not overtighten them.

matrix top, closeup
The holes in the LED panel should line up with the holes in the piece of plywood.

With the back side of the LED panel/plywood assembly facing you, turn the Pixelblaze/sensor board combo so it fits into the notch in the plywood as shown.

Pixelblaze mounting slot

Step 4 - Assemble the Sides

If you would like to apply a finish to the wood, see optional Step 4a below before assembling the box.

While holding the Pixelblaze in place, take the piece of plywood marked with a spiral and slip its notch onto the stub sticking out from the side of the LED plywood. It is important that the spiral goes on the side with the Pixelblaze because it is a flexure that allows you to press the button on the Pixelblaze to cycle through patterns or to perform a reset. With that piece in place, you should be able to press the center of the spiral until you feel the button below it click.

inner panels engaged with side

Now, while holding those pieces together, assemble the remaining plywood pieces so they form the sides of a box and their notches fit together.

4-sides-and-panel-assembled
If you have rubber bands, place them around the outside of the box sides to hold them in place while you complete the next step.
rubber bands around walls assist assembly
Rubber bands will help ensure the sides of the box stay in place while you work.

Step 5 - Attach the Back

Lay the box on your work surface so that the LEDs face downward and Pixelblaze faces upward. Lay the piece of acrylic that’s engraved with “Pixelblaze” on top of the box so that the square holes line up with the USB port and the audio jack of the Pixelblaze and sensor board assembly.

Pixelblaze mounting slot

Grab eight screws, and insert them into the eight small holes around the perimeter of the acrylic panel. Using your screwdriver, screw them in, applying a firm and steady pressure so they self-start into the wood. Tighten them so they are snug, but do not overtighten them.

backside acrylic with screws, assembled
All eight screws installed in the back acrylic panel.

Step 6 - Attach the Front

Flip the box over so the back acrylic panel is facing down. Take the other acrylic panel and wipe the back side so it is free of dust and debris (particles stuck to the shiny side of the panel will be visible later if you don’t remove them now.

wiping the acrylic
Wipe down the back of the front panel to remove dust before assembly.

Following the same procedure for attaching the back panel, attach the front panel using eight screws.

assembled box, all sides

If you used rubber bands to hold the box together during assembly, remove them.

Congratulations, your Beautiful Box is assembled and ready for setup!

Assembled box showing colors

Step 7 - Install the Beautiful Box Pattern Pack

We've released a special Pixelblaze archive image with lots of hand-picked 2D patterns that look great on the box. It's full of good examples for getting started with matrices and 2D renderers.

REMEMBER: When you restore a .pbb Pixelblaze backup file to a Pixelblaze controller, it overwrites all existing patterns, LED settings, and any pixel map you have created. If you've done any pattern development already on this Pixelblaze, be sure to export those indidual patterns (or download a complete backup) before restoring this one.

Download the Beautiful Box archive image

To upload this image and overwrite the contents of the Pixelblaze controller:

  1. Load the web interface and click the Settings tab
  2. Scroll down to Backups and click "Restore from Backup
  3. Read through the warnings, and select the .pbb file you downloaded from the link above.

Step 4a - Wood Finish (optional)

Your Beautiful Box can be assembled and enjoyed with all the parts as-is from the kit, but if you would like to apply a finish to the wood pieces, you may do so. Paint is not recommended because it may interfere with assembly, but wood stains are acceptable and can provide a rich color to the wood.

It is recommended that you first sand the sides of the box (as individual pieces) using 220 grit sandpaper. Do this until their surfaces look and feel smooth.

sanding the side surface
Light sanding will remove surface roughness from the sides of the box.

Apply a stain of your choosing using a rag, paper towel, or brush. Gloves should be worn during this step. After applying the stain, wait a couple of minutes and wipe off any excess with a rag or paper towel. Allow the stain to dry according to the directions on the can.

stain 4 sides
Choose a wood stain of a color that suits your taste.
stain partially applied
Wipe the stain on with a rag, paper towel, or brush.
lacquer wipe
After waiting a few minutes for the stain to soak into the wood, wipe off any excess with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Varathane offers a variety of stains that come in small bottles with a built-in applicator. Here are three dark varients that pair well with the black acrylic caps.

three beautiful boxes with dark stains, labeled three beautiful boxes with dark stains, lined up

After it has dried, you may proceed to Step 5 or you may apply a clear spray-on lacquer for additional protection and sheen. If you choose to apply a spray lacquer, follow the directions on the can.

clear coat
Clear lacquer will help protect the wood and will provide a pleasant sheen.
final stained and lacquered box
A completed Beautiful Box with a chestnut wood stain.

Now what?

If your box didn't ship with a playlist full of beautiful 2D patterns, be sure to see the step above for installing the Beautiful Box Pattern Pack.

Then head over to the forums and let us know how your build went! The community can probably help quickly with any build, power, or code problems you encounter.