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Making a glass block lamp ๐ŸŒˆ

ยท 2 min read
Mahot Descelliers

I have several decorative lamps in my home, but I've wanted to make one myself for a while.
I've had my eye on a glass block lamp for quite some time, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to make it happen. To take the visual concept up a notch, I decided to incorporate some fancy RGB electronics ๐ŸŒˆ.

Toolsโ€‹

  • 3D printer: Prusa Mini+
  • soldering station: Aixun T3B (it's good)
  • computer (with Google Chrome, to configure the WLED software)
  • precision screwdrivers
  • UV glue

Materialsโ€‹

For this project, I used the following materials:

  • Glass block: 19x19x8cm block one which I bought at my local hardware store, Leroy Merlin
  • ESP32 microcontroller: Adafruit ESP32 Feather V2
ESP32 microcontroller compatibility

WLED is currently not fully compatible with ESP32-S2, ESP32-S3 or ESP32-C3 microcontrollers, see Aircoookie/WLED#966, Aircoookie/WLED#2735, Aircoookie/WLED#1940. Use a regular ESP32 to be sure.

  • 3x RGBW NeoPixel sticks from Adafruit: RGBW NeoPixel Stick from Adafruit. I'd recommend using high density flexible strips instead, which are cheaper while offering nearly the same pixel density.
  • TSOP38238 IR receiver
  • IR remote
  • 10kฮฉ potentiometer for brightness setting, as recommended by the WLED documentation
  • 5V 3A USB-C power supply: I used one made for the Raspberry Pi 4, with a built-in switch
  • Black PLA (for the case assembly) and white PLA (for the diffuser)
  • Prototyping wire
  • M2 screws and heat-set inserts

The caseโ€‹

TODO

Electronicsโ€‹

TODO

Assemblyโ€‹

TODO

WLEDโ€‹

TODO

TODOโ€‹

  • keep writing this article
  • write a note about sourcing glass blocks
  • add project sources (stl, wled config, etc.). Maybe on GitHub ?
  • add related documentation links (remove them from the text ?)
  • add improvement ideas