SDG #357 RGB Meteor Shower LEDs Build using ESP32 and WLED

Commercial meteor shower light strings rarely survive a season, so this year’s Christmas project is a more robust version on custom hardware. Each unit uses two 450 mm PCBs joined to give 900 mm of effect, populated with 8 mm WS2812 LEDs that are soldered in and bent down into a cutout so that they are visible from all angles, with a small ESP32 control board at the top. The assembly slides into a 1 m acrylic tube closed by 3D printed parts: a sealed top cap with an integral hook and a cable exit, and a clear resin bottom cap with a vent hole so that condensation can drain.

The control board accepts 24 V down to about 9 V to tolerate voltage drop on long runs, with a buck converter supplying 5 V to the LEDs and a 3.3 V linear regulator for the ESP32 module. The modules cost around £1.70 each, far cheaper and quicker than the PIC and Charlieplexed version built fifteen years earlier. Assembly notes cover the better wetting from Solder King flux, bridging out the per LED series resistors rather than placing dozens of 0603 parts, and adding a forgotten electrolytic on the converter output. Waterproof connectors with 1 mm² cable link the units.

WLED runs on each ESP32 with a brightness limiter set to 850 mA to suit the converter, 30 LEDs per strip, and sync configured so that one master controller’s playlist drives all of them. Installed under the soffits on hooks, with a wire through the bottom loops to limit swaying and an outdoor access point for Wi-Fi coverage at the far end, the strips sync correctly and have held up through poor weather. DMX over Wi-Fi for effects spanning all strips is a possible next step.