WLED Moodlight

Add a splash of color to your workspace or living area with this simple cylindrical mood light! Powered by a D1 Mini (with USB-C) running WLED, it uses four short LED strips (each with five LEDs) to produce vibrant, customizable lighting effects. I’ve provided the (very simple) 3D models in both STL and STEP formats, so feel free to tweak the design or reconfigure it to your heart’s content. In this Instructable, I’ll walk you through each step of building your own dazzling mood light—from assembling the electronics to printing the enclosure—so you can quickly brighten up your space!

Parts used:

2x M2 16mm screw

2x M2 nuts

Some flexible wires 28AWG

4x LED strip cuts 5 LEDs each strip

1x Electrolytic capacitor 470uF 16V

1x D1 Mini ESP8266 with USB-C

Tools used:

3D Printer

Screwdriver

Wire cutter

Soldering Iron

Glue (hotglue can be used)

3D Printing the Enclosure

Download the provided STL or STEP files and load them into your preferred slicing software.

Adjust the settings (infill, layer height, supports) if necessary and print each part. I used white PLA with 15% infill, layer height 0.2mm. For the diffuser, which is just a solid cylinder, print it in vase mode.

Once printing is complete, set the parts aside for assembly later.

Flashing WLED onto the D1 Mini

There are two common methods to get WLED running on your D1 Mini:

Method 1: Web Flasher

1. Connect your D1 Mini via USB.
2. Navigate to the WLED Web Installer in a Chrome- or Edge-based browser. https://install.wled.me/
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to select your device and flash WLED directly.

Method 2: Manual Flash (.bin File)

1. Download the latest WLED binary (e.g., WLED_0.15.0_ESP8266.bin) from the WLED releases page.
2. Install and run ESPHome-Flasher.
3. Select your downloaded .bin file and the correct COM port for your D1 Mini.
4. Click Flash ESP and wait for the process to complete.

Once WLED is flashed, your D1 Mini is ready to power and control the LED strips in the upcoming steps.

Cut the LED Strips:

I’m using WS2812b LED strips 30 LEDs per meter.

Each of my four strips have 5 LEDs, which measures roughly 167mm in length per strip.

Use scissors to cut at the designated cut lines between LEDs.

Prepare the Wires:

For each strip, cut three short wire pieces (one for +5V, one for Ground, and one for Data).I used 30mm lengths to keep everything tidy and minimize excess wiring.

Solder the Wires:

Carefully solder each wire to the corresponding pad: 5V to 5V, Ground to GND, Data In to DI (or whatever label the strip provides). Pay attention to data direction! The arrow on each LED strip indicates the flow of data, so make sure you’re wiring from the controller output to the arrow’s input side.

Double-check your connections before moving on. Proper wiring now will save headaches later!

Solder the D1 Mini Connections

Attach the black wire to GND, the red wire to 5V, and the green wire to pin D1 (GPIO5). Use slightly longer wires than you think you’ll need; you can always trim the excess later.

Mount the D1 Mini

Apply a dab of glue to the back of the D1 Mini and secure it in place inside your printed enclosure (refer to the image if provided).

Make sure the board sits firmly and the USB port remains accessible.

Join the Printed Parts

Align the two 3D-printed pieces and thread the wires through the designated hole.

Secure the parts together with M2 screws and hex nuts. Tighten gently to avoid damaging the plastic.

Add the Electrolytic Capacitor

Before connecting the first LED strip, solder an electrolytic capacitor across the 5V and GND lines.

Double-check the capacitor’s polarity: negative to GND, positive to 5V.

Attach the LED Strips

Peel off the adhesive backing from each strip and stick them to the sides of the enclosure.

Ensure the wires are neat and the strips are positioned for optimal lighting.

With the D1 Mini secured and the strips in place, your mood light is nearly complete!

Power the D1 Mini

Plug in the D1 Mini via the USB-C port and wait a moment for it to boot up.

Connect to WLED-AP

On your smartphone (or computer), open the Wi-Fi settings and find the network called WLED-AP.

The default password is wled1234.

Once connected, you can either use the default access point setup or go to the Wi-Fi settings page in WLED to join your home network.

Open WLED Settings

After connecting, visit http://4.3.2.1 or http://wled.local (depending on your device/browser) to access WLED’s interface.

Tap Settings and select LED Preferences.

Configure LED Parameters

Under Number of LEDs, enter 20 (or the total LED count if you’re using more or fewer).

In Data Pin, set the value to 5 (GPIO5 on the D1 Mini).

Save these settings to apply them. The D1 Mini will reboot and if all the LEDs are orange, all is well.

Finally, place the diffuser (you can glue it in place, I chose not to) and explore the effects in WLED.