While many of us relegate talking about the weather to people-pleasing small talk, knowing whether it is going to rain or snow today, tomorrow, and later in the week is something most of us take for granted. Detailed information is widely available. You may spend part of each day tuned into the weather channel, wading through loads of extraneous information before you finally get what you need, or focusing on a couple of icons that tell you what the day will bring from your phone.
What if you could just roll over in the morning though, squint through still half-asleep eyes, and know what weaththe weather held simply through the hue of the lamp at your bedside? Leave it to curious makers like Dushyant Ahuja to come up with something just like that. Upon perusing the annals of Thingiverse, the London designer’s attention was gotten by a wave lamp that inspired him to go one step further and include the weather forecast.
“I couldn’t simply leave it to be a bedside lamp. I had to make it wifi and show the weather,” explains Ahuja in his Instructable.
He uses a ESP8266 module with WS2812B LEDs for showing the forecast based on corresponding colors, with the light switching off at 10 PM and then back on in the morning at 6 AM.
If you are interested in making your own weather forecasting wave lamp, you will need the following:
Tools:
- 3D printer – one that can print at least 30-35cm
- USB-TTL module to program the ESP-12E
- Hot glue gun
- Soldering iron
Consumables:
- PLA – white for the lamp and another color for the base
- 30 WS2812B Addressable RGB LEDs
- ESP8266 – 12E
- 74HCT245N
- 5V power supply
- 5V-3.3V Power converter
- A few header pins and resistors
- Solder
Although this is quite a time-consuming piece to make, one of the attractive points is that it does not require any supports, although Ahuja did use a 5mm brim to see that the print adhered to the bed. See the Instructable for settings.
“…This is a huge print and takes a lot of time,” states Ahuja. “So, if you’re not comfortable leaving your printer overnight (or over several nights) this is not for you. Get it printed using 3D Hubs. Mine took over 30 hours.”
He created the stand with Tinkercad, and you can download the design here, using colored PLA for printing.
“Be warned though – the cavity I’ve created doesn’t have any supports and the inside gets a little messy, especially with the woodfill PLA that doesn’t bridge well,” says Ahuja.
The top is an optional piece. If you are interested in creating it, see more here.
“I created it in Tinkercad to hide the hole at the top of the lamp. It’s nothing great, but works,” says Ahuja.
Next, you will need to create the circuit. Ahuja had a couple of boards left over from previous projects, and used those for the lamp project.
“The circuit used for this lamp is extremely simple and if your WS2812Bs (some do, some don’t) work at 3.3V signal, it’s even simpler as you can then avoid the 74HCT245N.”
Follow the directions for programming and coding, and then all that is left is assembly. Ahuja states that this is a functional design, but he is still working on it, adding other new features such as a notification for missed phone calls, wake up light, and more. He is open to suggestions, and asks that you post images if you create your own lamp.
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[Sources: Hackaday; Instructables]
