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How It Started: APA102 LED Controller

In 2016 we developed a Raspberry Pi powered home automation controller for a bespoke home cinema build project. We used it to control lights, a motorised blind and an addressable LED strip comprising of over 700 individually controllable LEDs. The design & development process was documented over on AV Forums.

The controller offers a single-room home automation solution with the ability to directly integrate with existing 2-way (3-way if you’re outside the UK) lighting circuits. With built-in changeover relays, a standard 2-way and even additional intermediate switches can be used to control the lights without replacing any light switches or running any additional cables.

Features

  • APA102 / WS2801 LED control
  • 2x changeover relay control
  • 2x mains AC input detection
  • Motorised blind / projector screen control
  • 2x TTL inputs for external buttons

Responsive Web GUI

Built on bootstrap 3; the GUI is fully responsive and adapts to any screen size / orientation.

The GUI includes controls for the changeover relay channels, motorised blind / projector screen, a full RGB color picker for the APA102 LEDs and a preset control to cycle built-in light modes / effects. There is also the ability to reboot the Raspberry Pi directly from the GUI, making development & testing easier for your application.

Build your Own!

The PCB design is open hardware and completely free to use. You can order the PCB directly from our sponsor: PCBWay, or build your own using the provided Gerber files.