Decorative Skull LED Lighting (WLED - ESP8266 - WS2812)

In this project, we will make a 3D printed decorative LED light inspired by the Calavera skull design. You can fully personalise it and control it over Wi-Fi using the WLED app. You will see how we make this colourful, artistic piece step by step.

The required hardware and components are as follows, details are given in the next steps.

1. 3D Skull Model
2. 3D Vertebrae Model
3. WS2812B LED Strip
4. Wemos D1 Mini ESP8266 Board
5. Custom PCB
6. Soldering Iron and Soldering Wire
7. 5 Volt 2 Amps Power Adapter
8. 3 Wire Extension Cable
9. Double-Sided tape (optional)

Firstly, let's look at the 3D parts. We used a 3D printed skull model and five vertebrae parts. These parts are printed with snow white PLA filament to give a clean look. The vertebrae are optional and can be adjusted to create a seamless aesthetic, neatly hiding the cables. All these models are shared for free, so you can easily print them yourself.

Next is the electronics. We use a WS2812B LED strip about 80 cm long with 50 LEDs. The brain of the project is the Wemos D1 Mini, an ESP8266-based board. We added a capacitor and a resistor to provide constant power. For easy assembly, I designed a custom PCB that I ordered from PCBWay. You can choose PCBWay for low cost and high quality PCBs. PCB files are shared for free. Additional components include terminal block connectors, female headers, and a 5-volt power adapter. Finally, a soldering iron and some solder wire are required to assemble everything.

Now let's solder the LED strip wire. We will connect a three-wire extension cable to the pin pads of the LED strip: one for power, one for ground and one for the data signal. I prepared this extension cable by cutting the headers off a four-wire USB cable. Be sure to double check your connections for correct alignment.

After the soldering process is completed, we proceed to insert the LED strip into the skull. Start by passing the extension cable through the hole under the jaw of the skull. Next, insert the LED strip along the inner edges and secure it with the adhesive side.

Time to assemble the PCB (If you do not have soldering experience, you can get assembled PCB service from PCBWay). Insert and solder the male headers to the Wemos D1 Mini. Now place and solder the female headers for the board to the PCB. Next, place and solder the terminal block connectors for the power input and LED connections. Finally place the resistor and capacitor, note the capacitor polarity, the positive pole is marked on the PCB. Complete the soldering and cut off the excess leads with wire cutters. Clean the PCB using an electronic cleaner and a brush. The circuit is now ready!

1. WS2812B Addressable LED Strip
2. WeMos D1 Mini ESP8266
3. 5V Power Supply
4. 1000uF Capacitor
5. 330Ω Resistor
6. 5.0-2Pin Terminal Connector
7. 5.0-3Pin Terminal Connector

Before mounting the board, we need to install the WLED software. Connect the Wemos D1 Mini to your computer using a USB cable. Visit the WLED installation page and click Install. In the pop-up window, select the port to which the device is connected. When the device connection is complete, click Install again in the window that opens. When the installation is complete, you must configure the network settings. Then the device will be ready. If you want, you can control the device on the computer with the Visit Device option, but in the project we will control the LEDs through the application.

Once the firmware is installed, it's time to make the circuit connections. Firstly, insert the LED and power adapter cables through the slots of the 3D printed circuit enclosure. Connect the LED and power wires to the terminal blocks of the PCB, paying attention to the alignment and polarity in this section. Finally, fix the PCB inside the enclosure.

Now let's move on to the last part! Plug in the power adapter and open the WLED app on your phone or computer. Use the ‘Discover Lights’ button to find your device. Then, configure the number of LEDs and GPIO pin (we use GPIO 12) in the settings section and save the settings. Our project is now ready, I turn off the ambient lighting to see the full colour effects. Here is how fascinating and wonderful the skull looks. In fact, the visual image looks better and softer than the one reflected in the camera. Experiment with different colours and patterns for a better visual experience.

Finally, I will use double-sided adhesive tape for wall mounting, there are three mounting points for the skull and they are a few millimetres longer than the thickness of the skull. For the vertebrae, I used the right and left sides as mounting points. The project is now ready to decorate a place! Thanks for reading and see you on the next project!