"James2" wall illuminator sound activated floor standing lamp

“James2” Floor standing wall illuminating lamp

This is a design for a WLED powered wall illuminating lamp that is powered via an ESP32. It reacts to music, has cool effects, and is powered via USB-C!

Please note that the guide below is a first rough draft, and more will be added to it over the coming days. There should be enough here to allow you to assemble the lamp, but if you get confused or I missed something, let me know in the comments! I would rate this as a moderate difficulty project.

Glamour shots:

Design Goals:

• It is relatively easy to assemble, but absolutely no screws or joins are visible.
• It is powered via USB C.
• Glue is kept to a minimum for ease of repair
• Entire lamp is serviceable. Absolutely no superglue.
• Lamp uses standard off the shelf parts wherever possible for ease of assembly.
• Lamp is stylish, and is designed to look as much like a product as possible.

Parts List:

• 1m of WS2815 96 LEDS/m 12v LED strip (aliexpress - be careful to select the correct type!) - Feel free to swap this out for something different, but beware power limits and requirements for power injection. 
• 1m of V Shape LED Aluminum Channel (Amazon, but any V shape channel with dimensions 16mm x 16mm with space for a 10mm wide LED strip should work)
• 1x ESP-WROOM-32 Devboard with dimensions 52 * 29 * 15mm (aliexpress) - with pin headers soldered to it.
• 1x PD/QC/AFC fast charge decoy trigger support 5V 9V 12V 15V 20V fixed voltage output with dimensions (TODO insert dimensions) (aliexpress)
• 1x LM2596 DC to DC Buck Converter 3.0-40V to 1.5-35V Power Supply Step Down Module with dimensions (aliexpress)
• 1x Omnidirectional Microphone Module I2S Interface INMP441 MEMS High Precision Low Power Ultra small volume for ESP32 (aliexpress) - with pin headers soldered so that the pins are on the BACK of the board (ie, you connect the pins on the BACK of the board, so the microphone is facing DOWN)
• Jumper wires “dupont” style (various, female to female, female to male, etc)
• (Optional but nice: 2 pin JST connectors for powering both the microphone and ESP32, 3 pin JST connectors to connect to the Microphone - but you can also just use the jumper wires I described above
• 1x XT30 male and female connectors 
• Some 20 or 18 gauge wire, about 30cm or so
• 7x M2 heat set inserts (max depth of 8mm, I used 4mm, diameter of around 3mm)
• 5x M2 screws with length 8mm or thereabouts (a little longer is fine!)
• 2x M2 screws with length 4mm or therabouts (for the ESP32)
• A USB-C power supply capable of 12 volts 2 amps. Not all USB C power supplies can do this, notably macbook chargers cannot. I am using a Ugreen Nexode 65w supply, but others have worked too. A good supply will list all voltages and amperages it supports. 
• Some Rubber or Felt feet, if you do not plan on using the stand.

You will also need basic tools such as a soldering iron, solder, wire cutters, a multimeter (a basic one will do!), etc. I also recommend a glue gun, since that glue is relatively strong but is removable too.

Printed Parts + Notes: 

• (Required) Shell - This is the visible portion of the lamp. It does NOT require any supports to print. This is an aesthetic part so print it with plastic that looks good. 
• (Required) Bottom cover - The very bottom cover. Closes up the lamp and also mounts to the Electronics Package. Required in all scenarios. 
• (Required) Electronics Package - This is the place where all your electronics will be mounted. It is designed to fit exactly the parts I listed above, and to allow for relatively easy cable management.
• Stand related parts (optional):
  • (Optional) Stand Part 1 - This part screws onto the bottom of the Bottom Cover (screw goes through both parts and into the Shell) and attaches to the lamp. It is required to give the microphone hole at the bottom a bit of space. This is a structural part and needs to be printed strong. I recommend 4 walls, 50% infill.
  • (Optional) Stand Part 2 - This is the actual stand itself. This is a structural part and needs to be printed strong. I recommend 4 walls, 50% infill.

Full Assembly Steps:

1. Configure and set up your power circuitry.
   1. Configure your PD trigger board to output 12 volts. On mine, this involves setting the DIP switches 1 and 3 to their “on” position. Verify that it is outputting 12 volts when connected to a USB C supply. If it is NOT outputting 12v when you are sure you've configured it correctly, check that the supply you are using can actually output 12v. Macbook supplies will output 9v rather than 12, which is nonideal.

1.  Configure your Buck converter to output 3.3v. You can do this by feeding it 12 volts from your PD Trigger board, or elsewhere. Get as close to 3.3v as you can by adjusting the potentiometer screw by turning it anticlockwise. This is the voltage that will power both your ESP32 and your Microphone.

1. Your PD Trigger board will need to power two separate circuits, as well as providing 1 additional ground for the microphone. We will solder the other side of these wires later, but for now:
   1. The first circuit will be to the LED strip itself. Solder approx 30cm of your higher gauge wire to the output pads.
   2. The second circuit will be to the Buck converter. Solder some other wire. maybe around 20cm (gauge is less important here, I recommend 26 gauge, but it's really unimportant), to those output pads too.
   3. The final remaining wire should be a female Dupont connector with around 15cm of wire to any of the ground pads on the PD Trigger Board. This one will go to your microphone. 
   4. Importantly, do NOT solder the other ends of the wires yet. 
2. Your Buck Converter will need to power both your ESP32 and your microphone. Solder two sets of female dupont headers to the output pins of your buck converter. I recommend around 25cm for both. 
3. After you are done, trim as much excess from the bottom of both the PD and Buck converter boards as possible, and perhaps reflow (reheat with your soldering iron) the solder joints once you've done that just to make sure the connections are as good as possible. 
4. Once finished you should have:
   1. A PD Trigger board with two sets of wires coming from its output pads - one thicker gauge wire of length around 30cm, one thinner gauge wires of around length 20cm.
   2. A Buck converter with two sets of wires coming from its output pins - both around 20cm, both terminating in Dupont female connectors. Nothing should be attached to the input yet. 
5. Configure and set up your ESP32 with WLED
   1. Visit https://install.wled.me/ and follow the instructions for flashing WLED to your ESP32. You may need to install Serial drivers for your particular ESP32.
   2. Disconnect your ESP32
6. Assembling the electronics package - Note: All parts are designed to somewhat snugly fit inside of the 3d print, so you should not push them into place until you are done assembling that part. I will say when!
   1. Heat set inserts:
      1. Install two heat set inserts into the holes where the ESP32 will go. I recommend not pushing these in fully, as there will be a gap between the ESP32 and the 3d print.

1. Install a further two heat set inserts into the bottom, near the PD trigger board. There are two additional holes on the same side as the USB C port, but these are not used in this design.

1. Install 3 heat set inserts into the Shell piece, taking care to not marr the visible portions of the print while doing so.

1. The Microphone:
   1. The microphone should fit snugly into the slot for it on the bottom plate. Align the microphone with the hole on the 3d print, and run a piece of 1.75mm filament through the holes on either side of the channel to secure it in place. If you cannot get the filament through the holes, it might be because your solder joints are too big. Trim them down and reflow the joints if needed.

1. The esp32 initial install:
   1. Place the ESP32 over the locating pins, so that the headers are facing up, and the USB port is visible to you. 
   2. Install two m2 screws to secure the circuit. If you find the board is not secured or tilts up when you screw it in, you can use some washers between the board and the 3d print to create space. 

1. Power circuitry:
   1. Place the PD board firmly in its spot as tightly as you can, components facing up. 

1. Run the thicker wires all the way up through the cable routing channel all the way out the top. 
2. Optional but highly recommended: Squirt some hot glue towards the end of the PD board, where you soldered the wires. Wait for it to fully cool before proceeding.
3. Solder the male end of an XT30 connector to these thicker wires. Use heat shrink as you deem fit.
4. Now it is time to solder the thinner wires to your Buck converter coming from the PD board. Run them through the cable routing channel as required, and solder them to the input pins of your Buck converter. Do this OUTSIDE of the 3d print, or you risk melting it. 
5. Push the Buck converter into its hole. It should fit snugly. If it does not, sandpaper is your friend. 

1. Run one set of wires from the Buck converter to the ESP32 3v3 and GND pins, routing through the cable channel as required. The other two wires will go to the microphone, which we will handle later.
2. Screwing the base and the electronics package together
   1. Those heat set inserts you installed earlier line up nicely with the bottom piece you printed. You can now screw the electronics package into the base by slotting it into the hole provided and installing the screws. It should secure well.

1. Making the LED light bar:
   1. Solder 5-10cm or so of the thicker gauge wires to the +12v and GND pads of your LED strip. Solder the other end to the FEMALE xt30 connector. 
   2. Solder 5-10cm or so of wire that terminates in a MALE Dupont connector to the pin labelled Di. Bi can be left unconnected. Make sure to heat shrink around the LED strip and the wires to prevent it from shorting out on the metal channel later.
   3. Install the LED strip into your LED channel, ensuring to press down well across the whole LED strip to ensure it sticks well inside the channel.
   4. Install the diffuser into the LED Aluminum channel. 
2. Final electronics setup:
   1. Attach a single female to female dupont connector (approx 20cm is probably plenty) to D16 of your ESP32. Run it through the cable routing channel up out of the 3d print, alongside your thicker gauge wires. 
   2. Attach female to female dupont connectors (approx 30cm) to D14, D15, and D32 of your ESP32. Run these through your cable channel DOWN towards the bottom. These will be for the microphone later.
   3. Connect the wires to your microphone as described:
      1. D14 → SD
      2. D15 → WS
      3. D32 → SCK
      4. Buck converter positive → VCC
      5. Buck converter Ground → GND
      6. Spare ground from PD board → L/R (or just attach this pin to ground somehow.
3. Testing before we close it up:
   1. Connect your PD trigger board to a USB-C Power supply. 
   2. Connect to WLED 
      1. If you already connected it to your WiFi as part of the flashing process, you'll need the IP address your lamp connected to your wifi with, you can find this in your routers administration page or similar. 
      2. If you have NOT connected it to your WiFi or it couldn't connect to your WiFi, check for a Wifi Network called WLED-AP. Connect to that one with password “wled1234”.
   3. Go to LED preferences:
      1. Configure the following:
      2. Enable automatic brightness limiter: Ticked
      3. Maximum PSU Current: (This will be based on your USB supplies output, but 2000mA is probably safe!)
      4. Strip type to be WS281x
      5. mA/LED: 12mA (WS2815)
      6. Color Order: RGB
      7. Length: 96
      8. Data GPIO: 16
      9. Skip first LEDS: 1 (since that one is inside the print and is not visible!)
      10. Press Save at the bottom.
   4. Go to Usermods, and under AudioReactive:
      1. Enabled: ticked
      2. Add Palettes: ticked
      3. DigitalMic Type: Generic I2S
      4. Pin I2S SD: 14
      5. Pin I2S WS: 15
      6. Pin I2S SCK: 32
      7. Config: Squelch/Gain: Just set these to 10 and 60 for now, but make a mental note to adjust these later.
      8. AGC: Off for now, but experiment with this later.
   5. Unplug your USB trigger board.
   6. Connect the LED strip tower to the power and the signal wires coming out the top of your 3d print. 
   7. Reconnect the USB trigger board. Does the LED strip light up? If so, great!
   8. Reconnect to WLED, and experiment with the effects. Check the colours change correctly, and that audio reactive effects do SOMETHING. they do not need to be perfect yet. I recommend Gravcentric as a good starting point for testing.
   9. Assuming everything above worked as described, you can move on to final assembly!
4. Final assembly
   1. Screw the bottom and optionally Stand-Part1 into the Cover piece, making sure to line the USB C trigger board up with the hole in the cover. As you are doing this, you will need to route the XT30 connector and that data wire through the hole for the LED strip at the top of the cover piece. This is awkward but needle nose pliers, gravity, and patience will help you do this. 

1. Attach the assembled LED bar to the connectors. I recommend a little bit of electrical tape or heat shrink around the dupont connectors, as these come loose very easily. 
2. Push the wires and the LED bar into the hole. It should fit snugly.
3. You're done :)

FAQ:

1. My audio reactive effects are not working at all!
   1. You might have gotten a dud microphone. Happened to me. Triple check your wiring and soldering. 
2. My LED strip colours are not correct!
   1. Your strip probably requires different configuration to mine. Check the docs for the one you got!
3. My audio reactive effects are terrible/too sensitive/not sensitive enough
   1. Have a read through this: https://mm.kno.wled.ge/soundreactive/Sound-Settings/
4. Why is it called the James2
   1. Because I have an ol mate called James, and this lamp was originally designed for him. Thought it was funny to name it after him. 
   2. Because it is the second revision of the lamp. The first was never released. You wouldn't have wanted that travesty anyway.
5. Can I make it longer?
   1. 🥵 - No seriously, go ahead! the 1m meter choice was arbitrary. Experiment!
6. Can I make it brighter?
   1. Sure! Find a better LED strip, experiment! 
7. Your design suxxxx!!
   1. Yeah, I'm not a 3d designer by trade. There are a few areas I think could be done better, but this is what I did for now. Feel free to remix/post ideas in the comments!