Thunderstorm Clouds With Lightning and Sound

This project builds realistic “storm clouds” with depth for a ceiling or wall using chicken wire and polyfill, then adds two types of lightning:

1. Addressable LEDs inside the clouds for localized flashes/glows
2. DMX spotlight(s) to punch bright “lightning strikes” and wash effects

Finally, we sync it all to thunder/music using xLights (sequencing) and Falcon Player (FPP) (playback with audio).

What you get: a repeatable, kid-safe(ish) thunderstorm effect that you can trigger like a show.

Cloud build materials

1. White chicken wire (or lightweight wire mesh)
2. Polyfill/fluff (more than you think)
3. Spray adhesive (high-tack)
4. Ceiling hooks/anchors (rated for load)
5. Zip ties / floral wire
6. Optional: thin fabric backing to hide wiring and help diffusion

Addressable LED path (Baldrick8)

1. Baldrick8 controller (networked)
2. WS2811/WS2812-style pixels or strips (5V or 12V)
3. Matching power supply (5V or 12V) sized for your LED load
4. Inline fuses (recommended) and proper gauge wire
5. Optional: power injection wire/connectors

DMX path

1. DMX spotlight(s) (RGB / RGBW / white)
2. DMX cable (3-pin or 5-pin)
3. DMX interface connected to the FPP device (ex: ENTTEC DMX Open, etc.)
4. Power for fixtures (AC or DC depending on model)

Control / software

1. Raspberry Pi (or other) running Falcon Player (FPP)
2. Computer running xLights
3. Audio file(s): thunder, storm ambience, music

Tools

1. Wire cutters, pliers, staple gun (optional)
2. Drill/driver for anchors
3. Ladder / Step stool
4. Soldering gear (optional but useful)
5. Safety: eye protection, mask/respirator (spray adhesive + polyfill dust)

Decide:

1. How many clouds (start with 2–4)
2. Where lightning should appear (center cloud, corner strike, etc.)
3. Where wires will route (toward a corner or down a wall)
4. Where the controller/power supplies will live (closet, top shelf, cabinet)
5. Where DMX spot(s) will aim (through cloud vs bounced off ceiling)
6. Where cables will exit the cloud and run to the controller/power

Tip: Make one “hero cloud” with most of the effects, then add smaller “filler” clouds for balance.

These clouds were for a full room design so I use TinkerCad to plan out the room.

1. Cut chicken wire into manageable sheets.
2. Shape into puffy cloud forms (domes + lobes). The chicken wire bends in natural shapes, no un-natural sharp corners. Unless that is what you want then bend it!
3. Think: several rounded bumps, not one flat pancake or flat across the sky.
4. Add “structure ribs” by folding wire back on itself or adding extra strips inside.
5. Leave openings where lights will mount or where you want glow.
6. I used large tacks to hold the wire onto the wall. I also used zip ties to join them all together for better strength. At least that is what I think happens when they join together.

Because we of the chicken wire you can mount the LEDs flush with the wire and also make them fade into the background. This gives the cloud more color depth.

Rules that save headaches

1. Keep the data line path simple (one continuous run if you can)
2. Secure everything so nothing moves when the cloud “breathes”
3. Plan power injection if your run is long (brightness drop looks bad). Power injection is when your run is too long and your power supply does have enough current. Typically you can power up to 300 LEDs with a 10amp @5VDC power supply if you use lightin patterns. If you are trying full brightness at white then max at 100 LEDs. If your LEDs start to turn orange or red then it means you have a low current problem.

Testing checkpoint: Power the LEDs and run a basic rainbow test before adding fluff.

Other Safety Tips:

1. Use a fused power feed (seriously—polyfill + wiring deserves fuses)
2. Keep connectors accessible (you’ll want to service it later)
3. Strain-relief wires where they exit the cloud (zip tie loop to frame)

If you want more effect consider getting DMX controlled...things. DMX (DMX512) is basically the “USB of lighting” for pro fixtures. Foggers, moving heads, strobes, dimmer packs, LED pars, pixel controllers, relays—tons of gear works with DMX out of the box. That means you can mix brands and fixtures without reinventing control protocols. You can run DMX fixture-to-fixture in a chain. Need to add one more effect? Add another fixture in the line and set its address.

When DMX is especially worth it

1. You have fixtures scattered around a space (distance)
2. You want to use commercial lighting gear
3. You need high uptime (public-facing install)
4. You want fast setup + easy troubleshooting
5. You may expand later (add props/effects over time)

For lightning I used bright spotlights for extra punch!

Mount your DMX spotlight:

1. Above the clouds pointing down through them, or
2. Hidden behind clouds aimed at the ceiling/wall for bounce

Tip: Bounced light often looks more natural than “direct beam through fluff.”

1. Set the DMX start address on each fixture.
2. Connect DMX daisy-chain (controller → fixture 1 → fixture 2).
3. Confirm fixture channel mode (RGB / RGBW / Dimmer + RGB, etc.).
4. Each DMX light will have different channels per effects it supports, so if it isn't lighting correctly check this first.

1. Connect Baldrick8 to your network (Ethernet).
2. Find the IP (router DHCP list) or go to baldrickboard.local
3. In the Baldrick8 web UI, set:
4. Pixel type (WS2811/WS2812)
5. Pixel count per port
6. Color order if needed (RGB/GRB)
7. Start channel / universe mapping (depends on how you’re sending data)
8. Connect your LED strips to the Baldrick controller

Baldrick Channels:

Each pixel uses 3 channels (R, G, B).

Example (common):

1. 300 pixels on one port
2. 300 × 3 = 900 channels

Testing checkpoint: Use the built in test to ensure your LEDs are working BEFORE gluing on the fluff.

1. Spray adhesive on small fluff sections then stick on the mesh \ chicken wire.
2. Apply polyfill in layers:
3. first layer: thin, “grabby”
4. second layer: volume
5. final: soft feathering edges
6. Don't try to be too perfect, messiness works better for clouds

Pro tips

1. Don’t pack polyfill too dense where your brightest lightning needs to punch through.
2. Leave access flaps (hidden underside) if you think you’ll ever change wiring. I have a couple secret covered holes where I can reach behind the chicken wire if needed.

This is where you create the illusion. Lightning effect is mostly about:

1. short duration
2. sharp rise time
3. random timing
4. brief afterglow

Basic lightning recipe (works great)

1. Several bursts of 80–150 ms at high intensity
2. A short dip
3. Another burst
4. Optional: a softer decay for 300–600 ms

For addressable LEDs

1. Use bright white for strikes (or slightly blue-white)
2. Add subtle low-level “storm glow” between strikes

For DMX spotlight

1. Use dimmer channel for the strike intensity
2. Keep color mostly white (or a very light blue)

Setup:

In xLights > Controllers:

1. Add the Baldrick8 as an Ethernet controller:
2. Protocol: E1.31/sACN (common) or DDP (if you’re using it)
3. IP address: Baldrick8
4. Universe/channel ranges that match your port pixel counts
5. Add DMX output mapping (if you’re driving DMX from FPP via xLights export):
6. Ensure your DMX channels land in the correct universe/channel range

Additional Tips for Lightning:

1. Lower brightness slightly — lightning looks better with contrast
2. Increase “randomness” by varying gaps between strikes
3. Add thunder delay if you want realism (light before sound), or keep it synced for drama

FPP → Baldrick8 (pixels)

In FPP Output Setup:

1. Add an output for E1.31/sACN (or DDP)
2. Destination IP: Baldrick8
3. Channel ranges/universes must match what you set in xLights/Baldrick8

Checkpoint: Use FPP Display Testing to confirm:

1. pixels light
2. mapping is correct
3. colors aren’t swapped

FPP → DMX (fixtures)

In FPP Output Setup:

1. Enable DMX output (USB-DMX interface)
2. Map the correct universe/channel ranges
3. Test:
4. dimmer/master channel
5. RGB/white channels

1. Export your xLights sequence (FSEQ).
2. Put audio file + sequence file onto FPP.
3. Create an FPP playlist:
4. item 1: your thunderstorm audio
5. item 2: your sequence (or combined entry depending on your workflow)

1. Pixel flicker: grounding, long data line, weak PSU
2. Wrong colors: color order setting (RGB vs GRB)
3. DMX stuck on one color: wrong channel mode/start address, missing dimmer/master
4. Dim lightning: fluff too dense, not enough intensity contrast, poor fixture aim