This project is going to take some time... I've just finished the fourth pillar and did some timing. I first cut, stripped and straightened 24 wires (for eight columns). This took about an hour, 7.5 minute per pillar. Then I started building pillars.
- Bend the legs on eight LEDs
- Trim the leads on the LEDs
- Insert them in the jig
- Insert the wires
- Solder the LEDs
- Trim the leads on the LEDs further
- Cut the wires
- Take the pillar out of the jig
- Test it using the test jig
That took well over half an hour for the first pillar, 30 minutes flat for the second, and 20 minutes for the third. I did things slightly different for the last pillar. Instead of trimming the leads after bending them I just inserted the LEDs in the jig. I start by slightly pressing the top wire down on the jig and trim the top leads (green) before soldering them. Then I solder the top leads. After that I trim the remaining leads (red and blue). I then slightly bend the leads so they (almost) touch the wires. This makes soldering a bit easier, and you don't risk damaging the solder joint when trimming the leads.
All in all it takes about half an hour to create one pillar. I must admit I'm not that experienced when it comes to soldering, so I might be able to shave a few minutes off on that. It also helps to do things in batches and minimize switching between tools; I've first cut 24 wires, then stripped them and finally straightened them, instead of performing 3 steps on 1 wire after another.
Anyway, at this speed it's going to take about a month to finish all the pillars if I spend one hour a day. Damn...
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