RGB Lamp WiFi

Hello friends! My name is Nikolas and I am 15 years old. Today in this Instructable I'll show you how to make a Minimalistic RGB Lamp that you can control through WiFi from your smartphone or computer. The Lamp will also be battery powered and will feature USB Type-C charging! I hope you'll have as much fun making this as I did! Make sure to watch the YouTube video above to see the Lamp in action and to follow the instructions from there if you prefer!

You can also see some of the Makes of this project Here!

Supplies

Here's a list of the required components:

• Wemos D1 Mini Lite (V1) (UK)
• TP4056 USB Type C (A micro USB option exists as well if you prefer) (UK)
• Slide Switch (11mm x 6mm) (UK)
• 18650 Li-On battery (UK)
• 1m/60leds of WS2812B led strip (UK)
• 100uF Capacitor (UK)
• Some Wires (UK)
• White Filament (UK)

You will also need:

• Soldering Iron
• 3D Printer (UK)

(Some of these links are affiliate links, which means that I earn a small commission from any purchases, at no cost for you. By using these links you can help me make more cool projects!)

Step 1: Understand How It Works

Firstly think of the Wemos board as an Arduino that also happens to have WiFi. Secondly you should know that the WS2812B led strip we are using is an "ARGB/ Addressable RGB Led strip" this means that every LED is equiped with a tiny microchip and, as a result, we can control each led respectively. A lot of people here on Instructables have made amazing projects using this kind of led strip so make sure to check them out! To control the leds from our smartphone we'll be using the firmware from a great open-source platform called "WLED". These parts in combination with a simple switch, a rechargable battery and a charger will be fitted inside three 3D printed parts.

Now that you get how it works let's start making it!

Step 2: 3D Designing

I designed the parts in Fusion 360. Basically the "LampBase" is where the charger, the wemos board and the switch are. The WS2812B wraps around the "LedHolder" and secures in the two clips. Also, the cylinder is hollow and the battery fits exactly inside. There are no screws needed because I have integrated a screw and a nut in the design. Lastly the white "Diffuser" secures into the precise gap of the "LampBase".

Step 3: 3D Printing

You can find the files Here

All the parts should be printed at a 0.2mm layer height, 0.4mm walls and around 30% infill.

1. The "LampBase" can be printed in any material you like. I used PLA.
2. The "LedHolder" should be printed with 4 walls. I suggest using a material like PETG or ABS due to the fact that the LED strip can get hot at times. PLA will probably work well too though.
3. The "Diffuser" must be printed in White with Vase/Spiralize Outer Contour mode enabled. You will also need to increase the bottom layers to 10. If you wish you can add a color change in the bottom of the part from Cura. Go to Extensions>Post Processing>Modify G-Code>Add Script then select the "Pause at height" option. Then in the top right select "Layer Number" instead of "Height" and below that write "5". Click close and you are set to go! The printer will automatically pause when it finishes layer 5 and you'll be able to change the color to white!

Step 4: Flashing the Board

It's time to flash the firmware to our board.

1. Connect the Wemos D1 Mini to a computer using a USB cable
2. Download esphome-flasher on your computer.
3. Download the latest WLED Release (we are using the Lite version of the board so we'll be downloading the "...ESP8266_1M.bin" file, if you are using a non-lite version of the board go for the "...ESP8266.bin" file.
4. Open the esphome-flasher.
5. Click browse and select the WLED release you downloaded earlier.
6. Click Flash (The process will take around 3 minutes)

Don't disconnect the board from your computer yet.

Step 5: Setting Up the APP

1. Go over to Play/App Store and download the WLED App by Aircookie
2. Go to your WiFi settings and click on a device with the name "WLED-AP"", you may need to enter the password "wled1234
3. A page will open up and you'll need to write your Home Network's Name and Password
4. When you finish click "Save & Connect"
5. Now connect your phone to your network
6. Open the WLED App
7. Click the Plus (+) icon on the top right
8. Select "Discover lights" and once your lights are found click the tick icon.
9. Now you can click on the instance you just made and a menu with dozens of colors and effects will come up!

Troubleshooting

If the "Discover lights" function didn't work for you, don't worry, there is another method to connect to your RGB Lamp. Simply download Angry Ip Scanner and click "Start". Scanning will take a few seconds, then look for a device with the name "wled-WLED"or something similar. You can see a number written next to it, that's the IP Address. In my case it was 192.168.1.26 . Now go over to the WLED App and click on the plus icon again, and write down the IP address. It should be working now! You can also use the IP address to control the Lamp through Chrome, Safari etc,

Step 6: Quick Test

Before soldering and assembling the lamp we need to make sure that everything is working correctly.

Connect:

• 5V to 5V
• GND to GND
• D4 to Din

Lastly, connect the battery by connecting the positive (+) to 5V and the negative (-) to GND. Open the app on your phone and check to see if everything is working as it should by trying different colors and effects. In our case everythings is working well but before you go soldering everything together go to Settings > Led Preferences and change the Led Count to 60 (it was probably defaulted to 30) and also adjust the Maximum Current as you like. I decided to put it at 1A=1000mA for a good balance between brightness, battery life and heat produced.

Step 7: Circuit

It's finally time to start soldering and putting everything together!

EDIT: It would be better to connect the capacitor the 5V and GND of the led strip

Step 8: Installing the Switch

1. Solder a, preferably red, wire on the one pin of the switch.
2. Solder two more red wires on the other pin.
3. Push the switch into place.

Step 9: Soldering the Battery

Soldering Li-On batteries can be really dangerous, so please be careful.

1. Solder a red wire to the battery's positive side
2. Solder a black wire to the battery's negative side
3. Push the battery into place

Step 10: Soldering the TP4056

1. Connect the cathode of the Capacitor (the side with the white line) to the negative output of the TP4056 and the anode to the positive. (This capacitor is used to smooth out the output current of the charger module and it is not necessary for the circuit to work)
2. Connect two black wires to the negative output of the TP4056 as well.
3. Connect the single wire of the switch to the positive ouput.

EDIT: It would be better to connect the capacitor the 5V and GND of the led strip

Step 11: Installing the Led Strip

1. Wrap the led strip around the "LedHolder", make sure to also secure the strip into the two integrated clips of the holder.

Step 12: Connecting Battery to TP4056

1. Connect the battery's red wire to B+
2. Connect the battery's black wire to B-

Step 13: TP4056 Placement

1. Simply put the charger into place

Step 14: Wemos D1 Mini Connections

1. Connect one of the two red wires of the switch to the 5V of the microcontroller.
2. Connect one of the two black wires of the charger to the GND of the board.
3. Connect a new wire to D4 (it's orange in my case).

Step 15: Connecting LED Strip

1. Solder the other red wire to the strip's 5V
2. Solder the black wire to GND
3. Connect Din to D4 (orange wire)

I would also advise you to insulate the joints using heat shrink tubes.

Step 16: Attaching the LedHolder

1. Place the Wemos D1 mini into the "LampBase"
2. Screw the "LedHolder" into the "LampBase"

Step 17: Adding the Diffuser

1. Add the "Diffuser"
2. You can charge the battery using a USB C cable. In my experience so far the battery life is more than 3 hours and charging may take up to 2 hours. (While charging the LED of the module will glow red, once the battery is full it will turn blue.)

Step 18: Your RGB Lamp Is Ready!

Turn on your Lamp, connect to it through the App, select your favorite effect and Enjoy!!

I hope you liked this Instructable as much as I did making it! If you have any questions or suggestions let me know! Lastly consider subscibing to my YouTube Channel for more tutorials and cool builds and to support me throughout this journey. Have a nice day!

Comments

[DonnyG4]

Hi there am all most done making it but can u please tell me what vultures are you using like battery 🔋 are u using 1.2V or 3.V

[DonnyG4]

Hi there u said while it's charging the light go's red than full charge blue but when l turn mine on its red still changes with the cable still in but if l turn it off with the cable still in its blue something is not right 👉

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Hello there! That's a 3.7V 18650 Lithium Battery, you could also use a 1S Lipo. By the way I don't recommend soldering the battery like I did in that step, that was a mistake on my part.

[TomiH8]

Nice project. I tried to do it, but I can only control 30 LEDs. Why ? Can you help me? I tried to set it in the application as well, but it still resets it to 30 LEDs.. And as for the capacitor. Is it connected according to the scheme or according to those short videos?

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Thank you! Now that I am more well informed about the topic I would recommend placing the capacitor to the 5V and GND of the led strip. Did you press "Save" after changing the value, as shown in this clip (11:08)? https://youtu.be/_3DFLblpgec?t=668
Let me know how it goes!

[TomiH8]

Yes, I have everything done and set up in the application ... but now I have another problem here. When I turn the lamp off or on again, the WEMOS is as if stuck and cannot be connected and I have to manually put a reset button on the WEMOS. I also tried to set 850mAH from base to 1000mAH but still. I also had power from a notebook and an external power supply.

[Nikolaos Babetas]

That's weird. I would try reflashing WLED. Might also be a good idea to connect the led strip to an Arduino and run a FastLed demo to check whether the issue is with the lights or with the board (I think it has to do with the board). Good luck!

[valerossi46]

Thanks for this really cool and well documented project. I successfully made mine.
But I m a bit disappointed with the battery life, even with a low brigthness, it doesn't last more than 2h. So the problem could be my lion battery, but as it's my first project with this kind of battery I'm not sure. Could some makers can tell me how long last your batteries?
Thanks!!

[DonnyG4]

Hi there Valerossi46 can u please tell me how u download the RGB_Lamp.step the top because it doesn't come up l just only see the picture of all off them but not the last one need help 😉 please Thank you

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Really glad you enjoyed! Could you share a link of the battery you used? Also I would suggest limiting the current draw of the lamp by going to Config > LED Preferences > Maximum Current and set it to something like 1000mA. As my battery has a capacity of 3000mAh the lamp at max current draw would (ideally) last for 3 hours!

[valerossi46]

Hello!
I used a battery "Ultrafire" 10800mAh, that's why I expected a longest life... But i think it's a fake capacity. (https://www.cdiscount.com/bricolage/electricite/2-...
No matter, I will probably remove the battery and use the ligth with an usb plug.
Thanks anyway!

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Yeah I watched a YouTube video about these batteries and it turns out they are a huge scam. They had a capacity of only around 500mAh. USB power would work really well though! Good luck!

[DonnyG4]

Hi there how do l download 🙂 the RGB_Lamp.step because l don't see the pictures like the others 🤔 l only see the all off them but not the last one need help too make this work please

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Hello! The RGB_Lamp.step is a cad file you can import into a CAD program like Fusion 360 in order to make changes to the design, it's not a part that needs to be printed so don't worry about it! Good luck with your build!

[kmecham]

Very well done. I would suggest adding the 100uF capacitor to the fritzing diagram, step 7 and some explanation as to why it is included. I also agree with suggestion of using an alternate to soldering the batterys.

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Thank you for the support and also for your observation! I totally missed that, but I just updated the diagram and added the reason I used the capacitor on Step 10. Have a good day!

[reprz]

I also noted that the capacitor is placed on the battery connections in the diagram but it should actually be connected like you have in the "video".

[m.kamalgamil]

Hey Nikolaos, I have followed your instructions carefully and everything seemed fine when testing them however after soldering the LEDs won't work at all (not even in their default settings), only the charger and wemos would work but the LEDs won't.

Do you have any idea why this might have happened or how to fix it?

[Nikolaos Babetas]

Hello! Could you add some pictures of the connections? For starters try re-flashing the firmware. If it still doesn't work you'll know at least that it's a hardware related problem and you should go on to inspect the connections (it is even possible that the led strip copper traces may be damaged from bad soldering, this has happened to me in the past too), the board, the power. Let me know how it goes. Good luck and let me know if you need any help, I am always happy to help!

[a.hossamabdelaziz]

Great project Nikolaos, your work inspired me a lot. I am planning to make it with my friends, however, we need to adjust the dimensions of the base as we have similar components with different dimensions than the ones you've used for your project. So can you publish your original fusion parts so we can re-adjust them to fit our components?
Thanks in advance and stay shining!