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Flip Fluid on Flip Dots
Summary
The author built a FLIP fluid simulation on a flip-dot display, overcoming challenges with sourcing panels and their slow, matrix-driven update mechanisms. The solution involves using cheap H-bridge motor driver chips to individually control dots, requiring modification of existing panel PCBs.
- Flip-dot displays are electromechanical, non-volatile, and require specific pulse durations (~1ms) to set state, though physical flip takes longer (~60ms).
- Traditional matrix-driven flip-dot panels are slow (~1s update) and produce visual artifacts due to sequential dot updates.
- Repurposing old flip-dot panels for faster, artifact-free animation requires bypassing original matrix drivers.
- Cheap H-bridge motor driver ICs (e.g., MX6208) can be used to individually control flip-dots, but require cutting existing PCB traces.
This project demonstrates practical techniques for driving complex electromechanical displays at high speeds, relevant for custom hardware interfaces or repurposing legacy display technology.
7/10
