6 ms·

https://kno.wled.ge/ https://kno.wled.ge/ Many 'effects' already prepackaged. Plus the ability to schedule time based changes (on/off/change pattern/etc.). I

by pwg 2y ago

https://kno.wled.ge/ https://kno.wled.ge/ Many 'effects' already prepackaged. Plus the ability to schedule time based changes (on/off/change pattern/etc.). Includes a web server to provide "app like" control over a phone or PC. Also includes integrations for several "home control" systems and a http API for programmatic control from another system. Can even synchronize plural controllers into a whole 'net' (note, I've not used this feature yet). Small ESP32 boards (with wifi capability) such as this example (no affiliation, just an example that works): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y8X1GK7 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y8X1GK7 WS2811 LED strings [1] (of which there are an infinite variety) suitable for outdoor use. One example (no affiliation): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYZF1WCR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYZF1WCR Suitable power supplies, outdoor weather sealed boxes, and wiring (all left to you to locate). Willingness to assemble the pieces and some time to do so. Having a soldering iron is helpful here, although one could possibly get by with screw terminal blocks inside weatherproof boxes if need be for many of the 'connections'. [1] Or other 'programmable LED' strings for which WLED is compatible (it works with numerous different programmable LED standards, browse the WLED website for details).

neotek 2y ago
Seconding WLED, it's fantastic. Super easy to install and operate, compatible with HomeAssistant, the built in effects are great, the web app / native mobile apps are powerful but straightforward, and the community offers plenty of help and other resources.
Firerouge 2y ago
It also supports DMX input (sACN or Art-Net) for designing and controlling complex effects from external software.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
jhardy54 2y ago
Warning: don’t buy an ESP32-C6 for this. It’s not compatible with WLED/ESPHome/etc and it isn’t clear whether/when this will be resolved.
quickthrowman 2y ago
I strongly suggest not buying any electronic components from Amazon, but 5VDC LED light strings should be OK. Do not roll the dice on the power supply, buy a UL listed one. If you buy some shitty Chinese PSU and it lights your house on fire, your homeowners insurance will deny the claim. This one puts out 30w @ 5VDC and is also UL listed: https://poliledsigns.com/shop/poli-5vdc-30w-waterproof-led-power-supply-120vac-input-ip67-ul-listed/ https://poliledsigns.com/shop/poli-5vdc-30w-waterproof-led-p... Even though it says ‘waterproof’, it needs to be installed in an enclosure, NEMA 3R rated enclosure if it’s installed outdoors.
- harrall 2y ago
  This is some major myth. Crack open your insurance policy — it’s not going to say “UL listed appliances only” or anything like that. Insurance also covers mistakes. But you should get a good power supply anyway because the hassle is not worth it.
  - quickthrowman 2y ago
    My bad on perpetuating the myth regarding homeowner’s insurance and UL listing, I appreciate the correction. You’d need to read what the policy has to say about uninspected electrical work performed by or at the direction of the homeowner. If you use a hardwired power supply, non-UL/cUL equipment won’t pass an inspection [0]. You can bypass the inspection by using a cord and plug 120V rectifier which wouldn’t need to be UL listed since it wouldn’t need an inspection. [0] NEC Section 110.3(c): https://up.codes/s/examination-identification-installation-use-and-listing-product-certification-of https://up.codes/s/examination-identification-installation-u... > 110.3 (C) Listing Product testing, evaluation, and listing (product certification) shall be performed by recognized qualified electrical testing laboratories and shall be in accordance with applicable product standards recognized as achieving equivalent and effective safety for equipment installed [1] to comply with this Code. [1] ‘Equipment installed’ means hardwired.
    - moregrist 2y ago
      You might need permits, inspections, and to worry about code if you’re permanently wiring this into your house electrical system. If you’re doing that, you’re probably well beyond asking about Christmas lights on HN.
joshstrange 2y ago
WLED is the clear answer here. I got a simple USB controller (usb just for power) so it can’t run a a massive strand of lights (at least at full brightness) but it was perfect to dip my toes in and try out. The Home Assistant integration works great as well.
- sircastor 2y ago
  The fact that you can install the WLED firmware _from the website_ is the cherry on top. It’s a fantastic piece of software.
  - tiagod 2y ago
    Agreed. There's people on HN complaining about APIs like Web USB, but I never got why. You can ship a firmware flasher as a single .html file now! No sketchy native tools or messing around with the command line, and runs on pretty much any machine.
    - pbasista 2y ago
      > complaining about APIs like Web USB, but I never got why I think that these people are not complaining about the API itself, which might be well-designed. The problem is, in my opinion, elsewhere. It seems to me that the main reason for criticism is that having a browser perform operations on your USB port or on your Bluetooth is potentially dangerous, if you do not know what you are doing. At the same time, the target audience of these APIs is typically the people who cannot be bothered to or are unable to use a command line tool. So, in a way, by having these APIs in the browser, a potentially dangerous tool is being put into the hands of people who may not be capable of realizing how dangerous it actually is. I think it is fair to note that some people often do not review the scripts they download before running them, either. They just trust the source. Which might be a good-enough approach in some cases. From that point of view, having the browser run a script from a trusted website and operating a USB device is similarly safe. Or similarly unsafe. But with a browser having this kind of capability, there are other threat models. If a scammer wants to read the user's USB devices and look for something to exploit, they can either ask the user nicely to run their probing script. Which, for better or worse, many people that may be prone to this kind of attack, would just be unable to do. Or, an attacker might simply use the browser's API to do the same thing. And they may even present a nice guide to the user explaining how to allow it to run. It seems to me that there is more people who would be prone to falling for this kind of trick than there is people who may be tricked into and capable of running a script.
sowbug 2y ago
The most plug-and-play WLED-compatible controller I've found is made by athom.tech and available on AliExpress <https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101393719 https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101393719>. There are two versions based on the ESP32C3. One is powered by USB-C @ 5V, and the other has a barrel jack and passes through 5-24V to the lights, which is useful if you're using a higher-voltage strip like WS2813. I used to build my own controllers from ESP development boards, but it's just not worth it when an enclosed controller with convenient connectors is priced between $10-20.
- asteroidburger 2y ago
  I’m a fan of these guys: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHHZTGJR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHHZTGJR Power is passed through from either connector, so it’ll work on 5v or 12v strings. And it’s got two output channels. It’s only an ESP8266 inside, but that works fine for my needs. For a slightly more DIY approach, try this one: https://wiki.vdbx.io/product/flip_c3 https://wiki.vdbx.io/product/flip_c3 Has everything you need to give it some sort of power and get the requisite data signal out.
  - daredoes 2y ago
    The ESP8266 is no longer recommended for WLED due to its lack of resources
    - asteroidburger 2y ago
      If you need the upgraded performance, you can pay a bit more and get the ESP32 equivalent: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4Z4YG4H/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4Z4YG4H/ Personally, I've found the ESP8266 version adequate in the year I've owned it.
- blutack 2y ago
  The athom stuff is a bit annoying because they never bothered to upstream anything to support their fairly minor changes - they just forked instead. You can still install upstream WLED, but the remote control support is faffy. The mottramlabs or QuinLED boards don't have this problem.
leptons 2y ago
WLED is nice for 1-dimensional LED strips, or if you don't really care how the animations project on your LEDs, but anything in 2 dimension is painful, the grid mapping in 2D is just overly complicated and obscure. I barely got my simple LED matrix working and I've been doing LED grids with my own software for over 10 years (so I know how easy it can be). WLED was just an awful experience for 2D led arrays or anything more complex than a single LED strip.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- stavros 2y ago
  Really? I connected four panels to make a display and it was a simple issue of choosing how the panels were laid out. However, their 2D wizard might be new, so give it a shot if you haven't tried it.
- ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
  Have you used it recently? The matrix configurator is much improved.
  - leptons 2y ago
    Yes I have used it recently. WLED is a joke for anything other than 1-dimensional arrays. It's the way the pixels are addressed and mapped in 2 dimensions that is the problem with WLED. It's especially difficult if your "grid" is anything but an exact square or rectangle, with skipped pixels, or multiple mapped areas, etc. I found it all to be extremely frustrating and a badly designed system. I tried WLED to see what the fuss was all about, and I was not at all impressed. I have my own LED mapping system that works with 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D pixel mapped arrays, with arbitrarily placed pixels being simple to work with. Of course this is not what WLED was designed to do, and it shows. The 2-D mapping in WLED seems like a bolted-on hack.
    - ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
      There is support for oddly shaped arrays but you gotta use a custom mapping function, there's a generator online for it. The discord is really helpful.
codetrotter 2y ago
> kno.wled.ge I want to take a moment to ackno.wled.ge how absolute awesome of a domain hack “kno.wled.ge” is for the website of a WLED project!
eddieroger 2y ago
I used WLED and some WS2811 lights for Halloween this year, and I was blown away but how much it _just worked_. As long as I kept the order of the lights correct (there are arrows, derp), they just strung along. I ended up with a decently complicated array, but as long as my counts were good, the thing just worked. Govee is a very mainstream brand currently using WS2811-based lights, and with a little knife action, you can add them in. I'm hopeful next year to play with some 2D matrix stuff in it.
mbesto 2y ago
Also, since on one has mentioned it yet, the go-to LED strips are from BTF-Lighting. I personally buy them from AliExpress since I dont care if they arrive in a week as opposed to 1-2 days from Amazon. https://btf-lighting.aliexpress.com/store/1100777574 https://btf-lighting.aliexpress.com/store/1100777574
- xattt 2y ago
  The missing middle appears to be tree lights that have a traditional appearance (and don’t look like robot spaghetti). Adhesive LED light strips are meant to be only indirectly visible.
  - sowbug 2y ago
    These are a good stand-in: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002906547500.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002906547500.html They are strip lights, but the light is mostly omnidirectional, and the strip material is flexible. If you want a dark-colored strip, which looks better on a dark-green tree, here's a non-BTF option: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805412113378.html https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805412113378.html
    - xattt 2y ago
      The colours look decent, but like you said, the conductor appears out of place. NOMA has a “smart” line of traditionally packaged lights, but these appear to use a proprietary box: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/cat/christmas/christmas-lights/smart-christmas-lights-decor-DC0000519.html https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/cat/christmas/christmas-light...
    - BHSPitMonkey 2y ago
      I've had a set of these (purchased from Amazon) deployed since October and we've been happy with them. The outdoor strand is run by a QuinLED Dig-Uno board and has stood up to a lot of rain so far. The wires at the end are just flush cut short with the conductors showing, so I made some attempt to weatherproof that spot just in case.
zwb2324550 2y ago
agree

by pwg 2y ago

neotek 2y ago

Seconding WLED, it's fantastic. Super easy to install and operate, compatible with HomeAssistant, the built in effects are great, the web app / native mobile apps are powerful but straightforward, and the community offers plenty of help and other resources.

Firerouge 2y ago

It also supports DMX input (sACN or Art-Net) for designing and controlling complex effects from external software.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

jhardy54 2y ago

Warning: don’t buy an ESP32-C6 for this. It’s not compatible with WLED/ESPHome/etc and it isn’t clear whether/when this will be resolved.

quickthrowman 2y ago

I strongly suggest not buying any electronic components from Amazon, but 5VDC LED light strings should be OK. Do not roll the dice on the power supply, buy a UL listed one. If you buy some shitty Chinese PSU and it lights your house on fire, your homeowners insurance will deny the claim. This one puts out 30w @ 5VDC and is also UL listed: https://poliledsigns.com/shop/poli-5vdc-30w-waterproof-led-power-supply-120vac-input-ip67-ul-listed/ https://poliledsigns.com/shop/poli-5vdc-30w-waterproof-led-p... Even though it says ‘waterproof’, it needs to be installed in an enclosure, NEMA 3R rated enclosure if it’s installed outdoors.

harrall 2y ago
This is some major myth. Crack open your insurance policy — it’s not going to say “UL listed appliances only” or anything like that. Insurance also covers mistakes. But you should get a good power supply anyway because the hassle is not worth it.
- quickthrowman 2y ago
  My bad on perpetuating the myth regarding homeowner’s insurance and UL listing, I appreciate the correction. You’d need to read what the policy has to say about uninspected electrical work performed by or at the direction of the homeowner. If you use a hardwired power supply, non-UL/cUL equipment won’t pass an inspection [0]. You can bypass the inspection by using a cord and plug 120V rectifier which wouldn’t need to be UL listed since it wouldn’t need an inspection. [0] NEC Section 110.3(c): https://up.codes/s/examination-identification-installation-use-and-listing-product-certification-of https://up.codes/s/examination-identification-installation-u... > 110.3 (C) Listing Product testing, evaluation, and listing (product certification) shall be performed by recognized qualified electrical testing laboratories and shall be in accordance with applicable product standards recognized as achieving equivalent and effective safety for equipment installed [1] to comply with this Code. [1] ‘Equipment installed’ means hardwired.
  - moregrist 2y ago
    You might need permits, inspections, and to worry about code if you’re permanently wiring this into your house electrical system. If you’re doing that, you’re probably well beyond asking about Christmas lights on HN.

joshstrange 2y ago

WLED is the clear answer here. I got a simple USB controller (usb just for power) so it can’t run a a massive strand of lights (at least at full brightness) but it was perfect to dip my toes in and try out. The Home Assistant integration works great as well.

sircastor 2y ago
The fact that you can install the WLED firmware _from the website_ is the cherry on top. It’s a fantastic piece of software.
- tiagod 2y ago
  Agreed. There's people on HN complaining about APIs like Web USB, but I never got why. You can ship a firmware flasher as a single .html file now! No sketchy native tools or messing around with the command line, and runs on pretty much any machine.
  - pbasista 2y ago
    > complaining about APIs like Web USB, but I never got why I think that these people are not complaining about the API itself, which might be well-designed. The problem is, in my opinion, elsewhere. It seems to me that the main reason for criticism is that having a browser perform operations on your USB port or on your Bluetooth is potentially dangerous, if you do not know what you are doing. At the same time, the target audience of these APIs is typically the people who cannot be bothered to or are unable to use a command line tool. So, in a way, by having these APIs in the browser, a potentially dangerous tool is being put into the hands of people who may not be capable of realizing how dangerous it actually is. I think it is fair to note that some people often do not review the scripts they download before running them, either. They just trust the source. Which might be a good-enough approach in some cases. From that point of view, having the browser run a script from a trusted website and operating a USB device is similarly safe. Or similarly unsafe. But with a browser having this kind of capability, there are other threat models. If a scammer wants to read the user's USB devices and look for something to exploit, they can either ask the user nicely to run their probing script. Which, for better or worse, many people that may be prone to this kind of attack, would just be unable to do. Or, an attacker might simply use the browser's API to do the same thing. And they may even present a nice guide to the user explaining how to allow it to run. It seems to me that there is more people who would be prone to falling for this kind of trick than there is people who may be tricked into and capable of running a script.

sowbug 2y ago

The most plug-and-play WLED-compatible controller I've found is made by athom.tech and available on AliExpress <https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101393719 https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101393719>. There are two versions based on the ESP32C3. One is powered by USB-C @ 5V, and the other has a barrel jack and passes through 5-24V to the lights, which is useful if you're using a higher-voltage strip like WS2813. I used to build my own controllers from ESP development boards, but it's just not worth it when an enclosed controller with convenient connectors is priced between $10-20.

asteroidburger 2y ago
I’m a fan of these guys: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHHZTGJR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHHZTGJR Power is passed through from either connector, so it’ll work on 5v or 12v strings. And it’s got two output channels. It’s only an ESP8266 inside, but that works fine for my needs. For a slightly more DIY approach, try this one: https://wiki.vdbx.io/product/flip_c3 https://wiki.vdbx.io/product/flip_c3 Has everything you need to give it some sort of power and get the requisite data signal out.
- daredoes 2y ago
  The ESP8266 is no longer recommended for WLED due to its lack of resources
  - asteroidburger 2y ago
    If you need the upgraded performance, you can pay a bit more and get the ESP32 equivalent: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4Z4YG4H/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4Z4YG4H/ Personally, I've found the ESP8266 version adequate in the year I've owned it.
blutack 2y ago
The athom stuff is a bit annoying because they never bothered to upstream anything to support their fairly minor changes - they just forked instead. You can still install upstream WLED, but the remote control support is faffy. The mottramlabs or QuinLED boards don't have this problem.

leptons 2y ago

WLED is nice for 1-dimensional LED strips, or if you don't really care how the animations project on your LEDs, but anything in 2 dimension is painful, the grid mapping in 2D is just overly complicated and obscure. I barely got my simple LED matrix working and I've been doing LED grids with my own software for over 10 years (so I know how easy it can be). WLED was just an awful experience for 2D led arrays or anything more complex than a single LED strip.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
stavros 2y ago
Really? I connected four panels to make a display and it was a simple issue of choosing how the panels were laid out. However, their 2D wizard might be new, so give it a shot if you haven't tried it.
ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
Have you used it recently? The matrix configurator is much improved.
- leptons 2y ago
  Yes I have used it recently. WLED is a joke for anything other than 1-dimensional arrays. It's the way the pixels are addressed and mapped in 2 dimensions that is the problem with WLED. It's especially difficult if your "grid" is anything but an exact square or rectangle, with skipped pixels, or multiple mapped areas, etc. I found it all to be extremely frustrating and a badly designed system. I tried WLED to see what the fuss was all about, and I was not at all impressed. I have my own LED mapping system that works with 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D pixel mapped arrays, with arbitrarily placed pixels being simple to work with. Of course this is not what WLED was designed to do, and it shows. The 2-D mapping in WLED seems like a bolted-on hack.
  - ThrowawayTestr 2y ago
    There is support for oddly shaped arrays but you gotta use a custom mapping function, there's a generator online for it. The discord is really helpful.

codetrotter 2y ago

> kno.wled.ge I want to take a moment to ackno.wled.ge how absolute awesome of a domain hack “kno.wled.ge” is for the website of a WLED project!

eddieroger 2y ago

I used WLED and some WS2811 lights for Halloween this year, and I was blown away but how much it _just worked_. As long as I kept the order of the lights correct (there are arrows, derp), they just strung along. I ended up with a decently complicated array, but as long as my counts were good, the thing just worked. Govee is a very mainstream brand currently using WS2811-based lights, and with a little knife action, you can add them in. I'm hopeful next year to play with some 2D matrix stuff in it.

mbesto 2y ago

Also, since on one has mentioned it yet, the go-to LED strips are from BTF-Lighting. I personally buy them from AliExpress since I dont care if they arrive in a week as opposed to 1-2 days from Amazon. https://btf-lighting.aliexpress.com/store/1100777574 https://btf-lighting.aliexpress.com/store/1100777574

xattt 2y ago
The missing middle appears to be tree lights that have a traditional appearance (and don’t look like robot spaghetti). Adhesive LED light strips are meant to be only indirectly visible.
- sowbug 2y ago
  These are a good stand-in: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002906547500.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002906547500.html They are strip lights, but the light is mostly omnidirectional, and the strip material is flexible. If you want a dark-colored strip, which looks better on a dark-green tree, here's a non-BTF option: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805412113378.html https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805412113378.html
  - xattt 2y ago
    The colours look decent, but like you said, the conductor appears out of place. NOMA has a “smart” line of traditionally packaged lights, but these appear to use a proprietary box: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/cat/christmas/christmas-lights/smart-christmas-lights-decor-DC0000519.html https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/cat/christmas/christmas-light...
  - BHSPitMonkey 2y ago
    I've had a set of these (purchased from Amazon) deployed since October and we've been happy with them. The outdoor strand is run by a QuinLED Dig-Uno board and has stood up to a lot of rain so far. The wires at the end are just flush cut short with the conductors showing, so I made some attempt to weatherproof that spot just in case.

zwb2324550 2y ago

agree