Nature-inspired Sound Sensor LED Wall Light

Bring the serenity of nature into your home with this stunning Nature-Inspired Sound Sensor LED Wall Light. Designed as both a calming decor piece and an interactive art installation, this project uses sound-responsive LEDs to create a dynamic yet tranquil glow—it brightens and accelerates in noisy environments, and dims and slows down in quiet spaces—bringing a sense of harmony to your living area.

Inspired by natural patterns and organic aesthetics, this light is perfect for meditation, focus, or simply enhancing the ambiance of your space.

In this project, I’ll guide you step by step to craft your own nature-inspired LED light using accessible tools and materials. Whether you’re an experienced maker or a curious beginner, this project promises to be both rewarding and fun!

Materials

1. Round Transparent Plexiglass Sheet (12-inch D x 1/8-inch T)
2. You need a total minimum of 2 acrylic sheets to build the light: one as a base layer (for acrylic paint) and one as the front pane with leaf veins (for laser cutter). For the front sheet, I strongly recommend purchasing a regular shaped plexiglass sheet (Eg: 12inch x 12inch square sheets) to both engrave AND cut the design out with the laser cutter, instead of starting with a round sheet for lower risks.
3. Bendable Plywood Strip (2 inches x 36 inches)
4. Substitutable with any bendable material you deem fit for the outer frame.
5. Sound Sensor
6. LED Strip
7. 5V Power Adapter
8. Arduino Nano ESP32
9. Solderful breadboard
10. Solder
11. Wire (red, black, blue)
12. White Fake Moss (optional decoration)

Tools

1. Hot Glue Gun
2. Laser Cutter
3. Soldering Iron
4. Acrylic Paint
5. Tape
6. Super Glue
7. Spray Adhesive (optional)

File

1. Leaf Vein Adobe Illustrator File for Laser Cutting (attached)

1. Download the File

Start by downloading the provided Illustrator file containing the leaf vein pattern. Customize the design if desired, but ensure the shapes stay clean and detailed for the engraving process.

2. Set Up the Laser Cutter

Check your laser cutter's bed size to make sure the acrylic sheet fits within the operating bed of your laser cutter. Adjust the file dimensions if needed.

Adjust Illustrator settings to verify the line weights and layer colors are correctly set for cutting and engraving. Consult your machine’s guide for details information.

*Test on Scrap Acrylic: If this is your first time, run a quick test on a scrap piece to refine power, speed, and frequency settings.

3. Run the Laser Cutter

Position the acrylic sheet on the laser cutter bed. Make sure it lies flat and GO!

Tips

1. Acrylic is "soft"! Use masking tape on the underside to protect the acrylic from abrasions against the laser bed.
2. Laser strength may vary across the bed—feel free to run yours multiple times for a clear engraving. Mine took about six passes.
3. Burn marks? No worries! Engraving creates a clean, matte finish perfect for the design.

Carefully take the bendable plywood strip (2 inches x 37.7 inches) and wrap it around the edge of the base acrylic sheet. Shape it by hand to ensure the plywood fits snugly, then use hot glue to secure them together. Word in small sections for precision.

IMPORTANT: We need to leave enough space for both the front layer and the ESP32 board in later steps! Position the base acrylic layer so that it sits 1/3 to 1/4 of the width into the plywood.

Now time to give your base layer a calming touch with a coat of soft blue acrylic paint.

Tips

1. Use a glossy acrylic medium for a smoother look, or spray a clear gloss coat after the paint dries fully.
2. Apply thin, even layers with a brush or roller to avoid streaks. This step can be infinitely repeated until you are satisfied with the result.

Time to set up the heart of your LED wall light.

Check out the following Tindercad file for circuit diagram and code (https://www.tinkercad.com/things/4aAViGX2SXa-copy-of-sound-responsive-led-circuit?sharecode=_vmrKaLEndobK0IHVTipv6XW1PmaxttfKLk8f5jpOXs). Note: The simulation uses a light sensor due to library limitations, but the wiring and code logic are identical.

Now get your boards, wires, and soldering iron ready to follow these steps :)

1. Solder the ESP32

Attach the ESP32 to the solderable breadboard, soldering wires to the appropriate pins.

2. Connect the Sound Sensor

Solder the sound sensor's analog output to the ESP32’s A0 pin and power connections (VCC and GND).

2. Connect the LED Strip

Solder the LED strip’s data input (DIN) to D2 (GPIO 5) on the ESP32. Don’t forget to connect its power (5V) and ground (GND).

Time to bring the electronics to life with some coding:

1. Set Up the Software

Download the Arduino IDE and install the Adafruit_NeoPixel library.

2. Load the Code

Copy and paste the provided code from Tinkercad into Arduino.

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/4aAViGX2SXa-copy-of-sound-responsive-led-circuit?sharecode=_vmrKaLEndobK0IHVTipv6XW1PmaxttfKLk8f5jpOXs

2. Test the Setup

Plug the ESP32 into your computer, connect the sound sensor and LED strip, and upload the code. Check the Serial Monitor for real-time sensor values and LED responses (DEBUGGING included in code).

Carefully trim the LED strip to fit the inner perimeter of your plywood frame, then glue the strip evenly along the edge with lights facing inward.

Align and attach the top layer with the rest of the light. Use mini clear acrylic spacers ideally to separate the base layer from the top layer and maintain space between the LED strip and the top layer. I used double-sided foam tape (in between the LED strip and the top layer) as an alternative.

Attach the sound sensor and ESP32 board to the back of the base layer using hot glue or tapes. Route and secure wires at the bottom front of the frame as much as possible for a clean finish. To decorate the frame, add texture and charm by spray-painting the frame and gluing fake white moss around its surface for a natural, organic aesthetic!

Plug the power supply into the ESP32's USB Type-C port :)

Mount your finished light securely on the wall, step back, and enjoy the calming, sound-responsive glow in its full glory!