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🟢 Kids' wake-up light
“How do I make a light that turns green when my kid is allowed to get up?”
A dim orange light at night, green in the morning when it's time to get up. The board gets the time over WiFi, so there's no clock to set, and ready-made firmware does all the work.
What to buy
| Part | Why this one | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| ESP32 board | Runs WLED and gets the time over WiFi. | $4–8 |
| WS2812 LED ring, 12–16 LEDs | Any colour, any brightness, one data wire. | $3–8 |
| 330 Ω resistor and a 470 µF capacitor | Resistor on the data wire, capacitor across the ring's power: both protect the LEDs. | $0.50 |
| USB power supply | you likely have one | |
| A frosted cover or small lampshade | Softens the light and keeps small fingers off the wires. | $0–10 |
Prices are rough ranges, not quotes. Check the current price and stock before you order.
What to install
No code: flash WLED from its web installer, in the browser. You control it from a phone app. In WLED's time settings, set your time zone and schedule two presets: dim orange at bedtime, green at wake-up time. Optionally, switch it off an hour later.
Build it in three steps
- Wire the ring. Power and ground from the board's 5V (USB) and GND pins; data through the resistor to a pin.
- Flash WLED and connect. Join it to your WiFi and try some colours from the app.
- Set the schedule. Time zone, bedtime preset, wake-up preset. Test with a time two minutes from now.
What catches people out
- Keep it dim. Each LED can draw about 60 mA at full white; 16 of them is too much for a small USB supply, and far too bright for a bedroom. Set WLED's brightness limit low.
- Warm colours at night. Use orange or red at night; blue and white light wake people up most.
- Child-safe. USB power only, no loose small parts, no reachable wires, and out of reach of small children.
- After a power cut the board needs WiFi to get the time again, since it has no clock battery.
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