Features

  • Full onboard control with OLED display and rotary encoder
  • Uses a SK6812 LED strip for white and RGB light
  • Color, white, and gradient modes for full control over lighting
  • Animation modes for light painting
  • Powered over USB or any other 5V source
  • BOM cost less than US$50 for a 24" long light

Hardware

Components used

  • Arduino Pro Mini or Pololu A-Star 328PB Micro
  • SK6812 RGBW LED strip, 1m length, 144 LED/m IP30
  • SSD1306 I2C OLED display breakout board, 128x32 pixels
  • EC11 series rotary encoder, push button switch, 15mm knurled shaft (EC11M)
  • Clear polycarbonate tube, 1" OD 3/4in ID, 24in length
  • M3 hex socket head cap screws, 4x 20mm and 2x 8mm; 6x M3 hex nuts
  • 3D printed parts

Software

U8g2 is used for controlling the display and FastLED is used for controlling the LED strips, with some hacks to make it work with RGBW LEDs.

The firmware is built using PlatformIO.

Source code, mechanical design files, and further build information are available at the GitHub repository.