Cloxel, WLED Pixel Clock

Cloxel is pixel clock that displays the time while running WLED effects in the background. It is composed of a LED matrix and an ESP32, to keep the soldering to a minimum. A Cloxel can be controlled by the WLED web interface as well as through the WLED app (iOS & Android). Background effects and time font are fully configurable as are all the colors of course.

This instructables project contains all STL files required to fully build the Cloxel as well as detailed instructions and how to solder and configure the software. All printable parts can be clicked together, no glue is required.

Cloxel also includes a 'hidden' feature, it can be used to send short messages that will appear very flashy on the LED matrix. Ideal for letting your kid know that it is time for dinner.

1. WS2812, 8x32 LED matrix
2. ESP32 (I used a WEMOS LOLIN32 v1.0.0). Others can be used as well.
3. Micro USB cable of your liking (when used for flashing the firmware, make sure it contains data wires as well) for powering the ESP32 and LEDs

The Cloxel consists of 6 (.3mf) files:

1. Cloxel_frontpanel_ledmask.3mf. This plate should be printed twice. It should be printed with 2 layers white PLA followed by the rest in black PLA. The white PLA functions as a diffuser for the LEDs. While the black ensures that there is no blooming between the individual pixels. Print the front plate on a glass plate to ensure that it is smooth (if you prefer that). The front side of the LED holes should be white. If you accidentally print a layer black, the pixels will not be very clear.
2. Cloxel_clip. Small clip to fasten the LED panel to the frontplate/mask. I usually use 6 clips. Color does not matter.
3. Cloxel_center. The center part that contains the ESP and holds everything together. Print this part with the Cloxel text facing upwards since that is the most visible part.
4. Cloxel_side_left and Cloxel_right_side. Both sides of the clock that will slide into the centre part. Print upright, like a large 'U' for best results.
5. Cloxel_backside_cover. Print two of these. Only for the backside. For best results, also print upright.

Print the other parts in colors of your liking.

The 8x32 LED panel comes with connectors. Solder one connector onto the ESP32 board. In the Cloxel, the power for the LEDs is drawn directly from the ESP32 board. The WLED eco-system has functionality to prevent drawing too much current, so this is safe. Solder the red line to the 5V and the white to GND. I attached the green line to the A14/13 pin, you can use another pin since the data pin can be configured later in the WLED interface.

I left the other connectors of the LED panel intact, but you can also remove them since they are not used.

Start by attaching the LED panel to the front panels using the 6 clips. Do not put clips near the center that will not fit within the center part. Don't worry about the orientation of the LED panel, that can be configured later in the WLED interface as well.

Put the ESP32 in the center part. Make sure to attach the power cable to the ESP32. When the ESP32 is not yet flashed, make sure to use a power cable that also supports data.

Shift/slide in both sides. The holes should be on the Bottom of the center piece.

Rotate the clock and click in both backsides. The backsides prevent the other parts from sliding out.

A release of the firmware compiled for the Lolin32 ESP32Dev can be found at my GitHub page, located here.

The WLED knowledge base has excellent pages on how to flash firmware, see: https://kno.wled.ge/basics/install-gui/. To upload firmware, the USB cable needs to be connected to your PC.

The WLED pages also contain more information on how to setup an IDE if you wish to compile the firmware yourself. My sources files can be found here https://github.com/Myriadbits/WLED/tree/Night-Mode. My aim is to have them, integrated into WLED itself, but we will see how that goes.

When the flashing succeeded, you can follow the WLED guides on how to configure the WiFi connections and do other settings. Some configuration notes:

1. LED & Hardware setup:
2. Enable automatic brightness limiter
3. Select WS281x as LED types
4. Color order GRB
5. Use data pin 13
6. 2D configuration/setup:
7. Use the Matrix generator
8. Select 2D Matrix
9. 1 Panel
10. 1st LED is either Bottom-Right or Top-Left (depends on how you put in the matrix)
11. Orientation: Vertical
12. Enable Serpentine
13. Dimensions are 32x8
14. Offset X and Y are both 0

All Cloxel specific settings can be found in the UserMods section in the settings.

1. Select segment Id 0 (zero)
2. The background fade determines how much the normal WLED 2d effect is faded, this is done to ensure the time-text is still readable
3. The other options: configure the Cloxel conform your wishes

Since the ESP does not have a real time clock on board, the correct time has to come from somewhere, that is why the ESP needs to collect the time from the internet using NTP.

In the WLED settings, choose 'Time & Macros' menu. Enable NTP and set the desired timezone.

In the WLED main screen, select a matrix effect of your choose. That matrix effect will now be show in the background of your Cloxel.

Have fun configuring and playing with the Cloxel!