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Tutorial: NeoPixel Floor Lamp with WLED and Capacitive Touch Control
Check out the latest guide from Erin St Blaine: build a modern spiral floor lamp out of a dowel and some Hot Wheels track. The lights are diffused with clear crystal gems. We love the way the plastic gems refract the light, making this lamp beautiful to view from all angles.
This lamp is controlled by a QT Py Pico ESP32 microcontroller running the free, open source WLED software. Learn to add touch control in WLED using the button functionality and .json presets that cycle through modes and turn the lamp on and off. WLED gives you so many options for control.
From the guide:
The lighting in your home can really change the energy and the mood. This modern floor lamp uses addressable NeoPixel LEDs, a QT Py Pico ESP32 with WiFi, and the free, open-source WLED software: a wonderful and easy way to create animations, schedule programs, and take control of the lighting in your house.
This lamp also uses the capacitive touch sensor pads on the QT Py. A copper foil decoration on the base allows me to turn the lamp on and off and change modes just by tapping it with my toe.
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
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Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: CircuitPython 2025 Wraps, Focus on Using Python, Open Source and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
From the guide: