Sunday, November 1, 2026

November 1st Clock Project ; Neopixels- Ed Moriarty- from Whats App



Project Members: Kassia and Stanley

Clock Project Materials

  1. 20ft Neon Rope Light (https://a.co/d/07Wv8LGq) x2

  2. Hicarer Quartz Clock Mechanism (https://a.co/d/0ayWk703) x2

  3. 14 INCH Circle Wood Panel (https://a.co/d/02dNcepE) x2

  4. 14 in Diameter 1/8" Acrylic Circle Sheet (https://a.co/d/0g4jJQRN) x2

  5. ESP32 Devkit C Development Boards (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089F6LRBS?plpRedirect=mhFallback&ref=clp_hp_h_pc) x2

    1. 16.4 FT 300LED Strip (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088FJF9XD?niid=nl_cl_lst_a_1_1&ref_=nl_cl_lst_a_1_1&nrid=F34K766AX534CASHDN1X&th=1) x2

  6. 5V batteries (still not too sure on what power source we want for the clocks [wall plug, power bank, lithium battery, etc.)

    Response by  Jonathan:

    Quartz clock mechanisms are powered by their own battery, typically an AA

    ESP32's can be powered by 5-9V on Vin, 5V on the 5V pin, or 3.3V on the 3.3V pin. Since Neopixels are happiest at 5V, I would recommend powering the whole system with 5V, using a USB cable or a 5V power adaptor. Since Neopixels can draw a lot of power, I would recommend a 5V 3A DC adaptor

NeoPixels powered by 5v ideally need a 5V data signal. If using a 3.3V microcontroller you must use a logic level shifter such as a 74AHCT125 or 74HCT245. See the “Logic Level Shifting” page for more details. If you are powering your NeoPixels with 3.7v directly from a LiPoly cell, a 3.3v data signal is OK.

 

       Listed Neon rope uses a 24V 24W power supply

Ed's MIT LED Project

  • We were hoping there was a previous compiled list of materials to make the project again. We talked with Ed a bit about this, but we were thinking to make the project more portable (and therefore smaller) to carry around and gift to schools, but I don't think we settled on that idea just yet.

Clock Questions:

  1. How do I program an ESP32 Board using Arduino in order to program LED lights to turn a certain color?

  2. How do we connect the LED light to the ESP32 Board to manually change color?

  3. Could we send a message along with a change in color from one clock to another?

  4. How can I permit communication both ways?

  5. How can we creatively design a clock design with numbers and utilize the circular acrylic sheets effectively in the overall appearance of the clock?

Ed's MIT LED Project Questions:

  1. How can we concise the model such that it can be portable or hand held?

  2. How can we use the model we have now to improve on the functionality of the LED Diodes and sensors (i.e. the communication between diode and sensors is really rough, likely due to the outline of the acrylic?)

  3. How could we personalize the model to each school as a gift? Detachable part of the model?

Jonathan's Project Questions:
  1. Why use an ESP32? Are you controlling this remotely?
  2. 2. What is the neon rope for?  the one listed uses its own 24V controller, and cannot be connected to a microcontroller.
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For the standard AILBTON 20FT Neon Rope Light, the short answer is no, it cannot be controlled directly using Adafruit NeoPixel / FastLED addressable software.

However, it can be controlled by a microcontroller using standard analog PWM drive circuitry.

Why It Doesn't Work with NeoPixel Software

  1. Analog RGB vs. Digital Addressable (NeoPixel/WS2811):

    • This specific AILBTON neon light uses the Lotus Lantern app ecosystem with simple DC 24V RGB drive.

    • It is an analog 4-wire LED strip (+24V, R, G, B) rather than a digital addressable strip. The entire 20-foot rope changes to one color at a time across the whole length; individual LEDs do not have integrated driver ICs (such as WS2811, WS2812B, or SK6812) to decode digital data pulses.

    • The Adafruit NeoPixel library sends high-speed single-wire NRZ timing signals (DATA_IN). Because this strip lacks digital decoder ICs, it cannot read or respond to a NeoPixel data line.

  2. Operating Voltage:

    • This strip operates at 24V DC. Direct logic outputs from a 3.3V or 5V microcontroller will not drive it.

How to Control It with a Microcontroller

While you cannot address individual segments or run NeoPixel chases, you can fully control the overall color, brightness, and fading transitions using a microcontroller (such as an ESP32 or Arduino) via PWM (Pulse Width Modulation):

Plaintext
Microcontroller (3.3V / 5V)
   PWM Pin R ----[ Gate ]--> Logic-Level N-Ch MOSFET ---> Strip R- (Ground switch)
   PWM Pin G ----[ Gate ]--> Logic-Level N-Ch MOSFET ---> Strip G- (Ground switch)
   PWM Pin B ----[ Gate ]--> Logic-Level N-Ch MOSFET ---> Strip B- (Ground switch)
   GND ---------- Common Ground with 24V Supply

24V 2A–3A Power Supply:
   +24V -------------------------------------------------> Strip +24V (Common Anode)
   GND  -------------------------------------------------> MOSFET Sources & MCU GND

  • Hardware Needed:

    • 3× Logic-level N-channel MOSFETs (e.g., IRLZ44N, AO3400) or a dedicated low-side MOSFET module/shield.

    • Common-ground reference between the MCU and the 24V supply.

  • Firmware:

    • Standard analogWrite() (on Arduino) or ledcWrite() (on ESP32) to generate PWM on the red, green, and blue gates.

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WS2811 Smart Addressable Individually Pixel Strip Light DC 12V 24V LED Neon Flexible Bar Club Multi-color LED Strips Lighting-- 

1. The "Individually Addressable" Quirk (12V / 24V Pixel Grouping)

In standard 5V strips (like WS2812B), each physical LED package contains its own IC and acts as one individual pixel. In higher voltage strips:

  • 12V WS2811: Typically controls 3 LEDs in series per 1 WS2811 IC. One "pixel" in code illuminates a 3-LED segment together.

  • 24V WS2811: Typically controls 6 LEDs in series per IC.

  • Software impact: If you have a strip with 300 physical LEDs run at 12V with 3 LEDs per IC, your code should define 100 pixels, not 300.

2. Microcontroller Wiring Architecture

To wire a 12V/24V WS2811 strip:

  1. Common Ground (GND): Connect the - / GND terminal of the external 12V/24V DC power supply to the strip's GND and to the microcontroller's GND pin. Without a shared ground reference, the data signal cannot be decoded.

  2. Data Line Protection: Connect your chosen GPIO pin to the strip’s DIN (Data In) wire through an inline 330 Ω – 470 Ω resistor close to the strip.

  3. Power Filtering: Place a 1000 µF capacitor (rated for at least 25V for a 12V setup, or 35V–50V for a 24V setup) across the + and - terminals where power enters the strip to smooth inrush spikes.

  4. Logic Level (3.3V vs 5V):

    • An Arduino Uno / Mega (5V logic) can drive the WS2811 DIN line directly.

If using a 3.3V microcontroller (ESP32, RP2040, etc.), WS2811 chips typically expect $V_{IH} \ge 0.7 \times V_{DD}$. Because internal IC regulation on 12V/24V strips commonly runs at 5V logic internally, 3.3V GPIO signals can occasionally produce flickering on long wire runs. If erratic flashing occurs, route the GPIO through a fast 3.3V-to-5V level shifter (e.g., 74AHCT125 or 74HCT245).
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Simple Code Example:

#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>

#define LED_PIN 6 // Your GPIO data pin
#define NUM_PIXELS 100 // Number of ICs / pixel groups (NOT individual LED diodes)

// WS2811 strips typically use NEO_GRB or NEO_BRG at 800 KHz (NEO_KHZ800)
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip(NUM_PIXELS, LED_PIN, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

void setup() {
strip.begin();
strip.show(); // Initialize all pixels to 'off'
strip.setBrightness(150); // Set brightness (0 to 255)
}

void loop() {
// Turn first pixel group red
strip.setPixelColor(0, strip.Color(255, 0, 0));
strip.show();
delay(500);
}

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