Flash WLED to ESP8266 Based Controllers

I am planning to do a few projects using fully addressable LEDs like the NeoPixel (WS2812B, WS2811, SK6812) and stumbled upon a brilliant project on Github known as WLED by Aircoookie.

This instructable will focus on giving you the knowledge to flash ESP8266 based micro-controllers with the WLED library. The main focus will be on the ESP-01 module or the NodeMCU module as I have tested the process on them, but a variety of modules should work. Aircoookie recommends the Wemos D1 mini from WLED version 0.10.0+.

We will be using the Tasmotizer flashing tool to flash our micro-controllers.

Once your micro-controller is flashed with WLED, you can integrate it into various popular projects and services like:

• Homebridge
• Home Assistant
• MQTT
• Blynk IoT - and many more!

Credit is given where credit is due. Thanks, Aircoookie for the amazing projects. Please refer to WLED for the official documentation and more. This instructable is simply my interpretation of the resources :)

The following supplies are required:

1. Micro-controller:
   • If you plan to flash an ESP-01 module: ESP-01 Module and Programmer
   • If you plan to flash a NodeMCU: NodeMCU module
   • A variety of other micro-controllers will also work including the Wemos D1 mini.
2. WLED Library
3. Tasmotizer
4. Computer
5. WiFi network

To flash your micro-controller with WLED, you will require a computer with a flashing tool. For this instructable we will be using a Windows machine with the Tasmotizer flashing tool, but you can achieve the same with Mac & Tasmotizer or other flashing tools like Esptool.

1. Download the latest version of Tasmotizer:
   • For Windows download and install the latest standalone .exe from Github.
   • For macOS refer to this guide.
2. After installing Tasmotizer the program can be opened and should look something like the attached photo.

Download the latest version of the WLED binary from the releases page.

Depending on your micro-controller you can select an appropriate binary file to download.

Since I will be focusing on the ESP8266 variants, I will select the "WLED_0.11.1_ESP8266_1M.bin" file.

Download the file and save it on your computer at a known location for later use.

As previously mentioned, I will be focusing on getting the ESP-01 module or a NodeMCU flashed with WLED in this instructable. In this step, we will be preparing the ESP-01 module. In the next step, the NodeMCU.

I've made an instructable for flashing an ESP-01 board using Tasmota and Tasmotizer. The instructable can be found at this link. The process of flashing the ESP-01 board using WLED is exactly the same, but we substitute Tasmota with WLED.

1. Replicate the "Step 2: Hardware Setup" step in my other instructable.
2. With the ESP-01 module in "flash mode" you are ready to open Tasmotizer and flash WLED.

In this step, we will be preparing a NodeMCU to be flashed with the WLED library.

Note if you experience any difficulty connecting your NodeMCU to Tasmotizer, consider installing the CH304G diver on your computer. I found a great tutorial on Sparkfun for installing the driver.

If you don't encounter any connection issues with connecting your NodeMCU to your computer, it is as simple as connecting your NodeMCU via micro-USB cable to your computer.

You are now ready to flash your NodeMCU with WLED.

In this step we, will be flashing one of the micro-controllers.

1. Choose a micro-controller to flash and make sure it is connected to your computer running Tasmotizer using one of the configuration methods in one of the previous steps.
2. Open Tasmotizer.
3. Make sure you select the port of your connected micro-controller. On Windows, you can find the port by navigating to "Device Manager" and looking for a CH340 device under "Ports"
4. In Tasmotizer under the "Select image" section, make sure "Bin file" is selected.
5. Click on "Open"
6. Select the appropriate .bin file for the micro-controller you are about to flash. For this example, I will be flashing the ESP-01 module with the WLED version 0.11.1 WLED_0.11.1_ESP8266_1M.bin file.
7. Click "Tasmotize" and wait for the process to finish.

The process of flashing a micro-controller should be very similar with minor changes depending on the configuration. For instance, you should be able to flash some of the following micro-controllers using this method:

• ESP-01
• NodeMCU
• Wemos D1 Mini
• Many more.

Now that your device is flashed, you can disconnect it and connect it to power. In the case that you used an ESP-01 module, remember to boot it in "normal mode" and not "Flash mode". In the next step, we will configure your micro-controller to connect to your home WiFi network.

You have now freshly flashed your selected micro-controller with WLED and want to connect it to your home WiFi network.

1. Power up your micro-controller
2. Move to your mobile phone, or any device that can connect to WiFi networks.
3. Search for a new WiFi network
   • WLED-AP should be listed as a WiFi network. Connect to it with the password: wled1234
4. When connected you should automatically be redirected to the WiFi configuration page
   • If it does not automatically connect, navigate to 4.3.2.1 in a browser.
   • Click on "WIFI SETTINGS"
   • Write down the unique address of your micro-controller (http://wled-xxxxxx.local) before you continue. You will use this address to navigate to your micro-controller after connecting it to your home network.
5. Enter your WiFi credentials (SSID and Network password)
6. Scroll down and click "Save & Connect"
7. You will be presented with a message "WiFi settings saved..."
8. Wait a few seconds.
9. Connect your computer back to your home network
10. Enter the address you wrote down for your micro-controller in (4).
11. You should now be presented with the WLED interface for your micro-controller.

You have now successfully flashed your micro-controller with WLED and can start to use it in various projects.

More information available on the project wiki.

There is also a mobile application available for Android and iOS.

As a teaser, I plan to create a few Instructables on projects I've created using WLED - For example, a colour plant stand as seen attached.