How does it work
As I explained in the video above, the process of creating these smart Christmas lights is incredibly simple.
LED’S
The actual LED’s themselves are a special type of led called ‘led pixels’ that use the WS2811 protocol. These are then connected to an ESP32 based Ethernet Controller. The One I am using is called the WT32-ETH01 these run some open source software called Wled. This is a standalone led controller primarily used for creating diy projects and making small led signs, however, it also supports a live mode where it can receive DDP data from an external source.
The controler
That external source is a simple raspberry pi 4 running some software called Falcon Pie player (FPP). This has a variety of sequence files on it which are then put into a playlist and then commanded over the network to the WLED controllers based on a schedule set on the raspberry pi.
We use a piece of software called Xlights to design the sequences. It is in this software that you input the layout, length, type, shape etc of leds that you’re using, as well as putting animations on a timeline to make it look how you want. This is all rendered and put into a single sequence file which is uploaded to FPP.
Links
The controllers I used: https://bit.ly/3GUC7oj
Leds: https://bit.ly/3Rzq0lF
Conectors: https://bit.ly/3GUCwXR
3D model of the snowflake: https://www.printables.com/model/176751-snowflake-to-use-with-pixel-leds
My custom made stars model: https://www.printables.com/model/529865-20-point-star-led-pixel-holder
voltage regulators: https://amzn.eu/d/cZrttlR
Xlights: https://xlights.org/
falcon pie player: https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp
WLED: https://kno.wled.ge/