1   Overview

PiLED has a graphical user interface (GUI) implemented in Tkinter for easy control of a WS2812/SK6812 RGB LED strip. Not only can you display a static set of colors, you can also chain together pre-defined LED patterns to create your own sequences.

Using PiLED to construct your own sequence

2   Motivation

I wanted to be able to easily customize my RGB LED strip, but with the projects available out there, creating sequences required a fair bit of coding. Furthermore, these projects also did not allow me to change the intensity of the RGB LED lights. To solve this, I built a GUI app for creating custom sequences and changing the intensity of the lights.


3   Design

3.1  Hardware

I only used the following hardware:

I connected them according to the diagram below:

Schematic diagram of circuit

3.2  Software

3.2.1 Instant Feedback

As seen in the gif above, the RGB LED strip immediately reflects the change when a color is added or removed. This instant feedback allows the user to visualize the pattern far more easily. You can also use the color picker to visually choose the color you want instead of fumbling for hex codes.

3.2.2 Predefined LED Patterns

There are 5 pre-defined LED patterns:

  1. Color Wipe
  2. Pulse
  3. Wave
  4. Rainbow Cycle
  5. Rainbow Chase

Try them out!

3.2.3 Construct Your Own

Choosing from your own LED patterns or the pre-defined LED patterns, patterns are added to a queue to form a custom sequence. This allows for customizability without any coding.

4   Results

Ooh colors!