Smart Nanoleaf System
Audio-reactive modular lighting with custom firmware.
Problem
Commercial smart lighting is expensive and lacks customizable, open-source firmware for advanced effects.
Solution
Designed custom 3D-printed hex panels with capacitive touch and audio-reactive modes powered by an ESP32 core.
Approach
Developed a state-machine based firmware to handle complex lighting patterns, touch interrupts, and audio sampling simultaneously.
Outcome
- Created a fully modular system with custom interconnects.
- Implemented smooth audio visualization using FFT on the microcontroller.
- Achieved 60FPS fluid animation across multiple panels.
Case Study
Overview
Custom-designed hexagonal LED panels with audio-reactive firmware — a fully open-source alternative to commercial Nanoleaf panels at 10% of the cost.
Hardware Design
- Custom 3D-printed hexagonal panel bodies
- WS2812B addressable LEDs (individually controllable)
- Capacitive touch sensors on each panel edge
- Custom interconnect system for modular expansion
Firmware Architecture
The ESP32 firmware uses a state machine to manage:
- 12 distinct lighting modes (solid, pulse, rainbow, audio-reactive, etc.)
- Touch interrupt handling for mode switching
- FFT-based audio sampling for real-time spectrum visualization
- 60fps animation loop across all connected panels
Audio Visualization
The firmware samples audio at 44.1kHz, runs an FFT to extract frequency bands, and maps them to LED brightness values. The result is a smooth, real-time audio spectrum across the panel array.