replacement for a real "lava lamp" using a WS2812 "Neopixel" LED matrix
For my wife, I just finished a little project to replace a real lava lamp with s.th. less dangerous and dirty (just imagine the mess if a real lava lamp falls to the ground and breaks...).
After some experiments, the decision was made to use an Espruino microcontroller to drive a 16x16 matrix of WS2812 LEDs.
Just a small note: if you like this work and plan to use it, consider "starring" this repository (you will find the "Star" button on the top right of this page), so that I know which of my repositories to take most care of.
 Lavalamp in action |
 dto., from different angle |
- 1x Original Expruino
- 1x WS2812B 16x16 RGB LED matrix
- 1x short USB-A-to-Micro-USB adapter cable
- 1x USB-A extension cable (with an USB-A socket)
- 1x power supply 5V/1A
- 1x wind glass (e.g., 200mm tall, 100mm diameter, 2.6mm thick) or a similar translucent cylinder
- 1x frosted glass foil, self-adhesive
- 3x rubber bands, 80mm diameter
- a few mm of double-sided adhesive tape
- < 100g of filament to print 4 differents parts (see below)
- soldering tin
- heat shrink tubes
- normal glue (or hot glue)
- a small plastic bag (see foto below)
- Desktop computer (Windows, Linux or Mac OS) or Chromebook with a modern browser (e.g., Chrome) which supports the "Web Serial API"
- 3D printer
- soldering iron
- hot glue gun (only if hot glue is used)
- wire stripper
- side cutter
The software for this project runs on an Espruino, a small microcontroller which may be programmed in JavaScript. By now, there is a whole family of Espruino boards from which the Original Espruino has been chosen (because it was in the author's trove and has a Micro-USB socket) - but you may also use a different board as well (such as the Espruino Pico, which has a smaller size but is actually more performant than the "Original") if you modify the scripts (and the wiring) accordingly.
As soon as you got the Espruino board of your choice, you should work through the "Getting started" tutorial for this board (just use the board overview as a starting point, click on your board and you will be directed to the related instructions)
That tutorial will tell you
- which drivers to install in order to communicate with your board (if any)
- how to use the Espruino Web IDE and
- how to update the firmware (if that should be necessary)
For the following instructions it is assumed that you have the Web IDE running and your board is connected to your computer.
The following image illustrates the wiring (while the shown LED matrix only contains 8x8 LEDs, the principal wiring remains the same for larger matrices as well)
 principal Wiring |
Simply connect
- one of the Espruino pins labelled
Batto5Von the LED matrix (red wire), - one of the Espruino pins labelled
GNDtoGNDon the LED matrix (white wire) and - Espruino pin
B15toDINon the LED matrix (green wire)
Normally, Neopixel LED matrices come with a spare cable that ends in a plug on on side and has stripped wires on the other. Just solder the wires to the proper holes on the Espruino board and you will be able to connect and disconnect the LED matrix later as needed.
If you now connect the Espruino Micro-USB socket with a computer or a 5V power supply, it will power both the Espruino itself and the LED Matrix.
In order to test the (wiring and the) LED matrix, you may copy the contents of file LED-Function-Test.js into the editor area of the Espruino Web IDE and click "Send to Espruino".
If everything works as intended, the LED matrix should display an image similar to the one shown below (taken from another project):
 LED Matrix Function Test |
The actual program implements a "cellular automaton" which simulates a process similar to "thermal diffusion" - that is by no means physically correct, but looks good (which is all what counts in this context)
In order to install the program,
- copy the contents of file LavaLamp.js into the editor area of the Espruino Web IDE,
- choose
Flashas the upload target of the IDE and - click "Send to Espruino"
If everything works as intended, the animation should start after an initial delay of 1 second (which has been chosen in order to give Espruino board and Web IDE enough time for their internal communication after such an upload)
And since the code has been saved in flash memory, the animation should start automatically whenever the board is powered-on.
Lavalamp in action |
dto., from different angle |
Right now, the simulation runs with a refresh rate of approx. 1.5Hz, which seems a bit slow albeit still acceptable. Due to some bugs in the Espruino compiler, most parts of the program run without compilation - but as soon as those bugs have been fixed, the refresh rate should increase to approx. 4Hz and provide a really nice animation.
During programming and testing, Espruino and LED matrix are powered by the connected computer - but for the intended operation, a separate power supply is needed.
In this case, an old 5V/1A power adapter from the author's trove was chosen. The original power plug was then replaced by an USB-A socket taken from an old USB-A extension cable (that cable was cut in the middle and the half with the socket soldered to the wires from the power adapter)
 Power Supply with modified Plug |
Important: if you plan to do the same, make sure that you connect the red wire from the USB cable with 5V and the black one with GND - and not vice-versa, or you will almost certainly destroy your electronics. The remaining wires should be properly insulated from each other.
The mechanical part of this lava lamp is built around a cheap "wind glass". The one chosen here comes with a separate wooden base which is not needed and becomes part of the author's trove for further projects.
 Wind Glass |
 dto., with separate Base |
The glass cylinder itself has the following dimensions:
- height: approx. 200mm
- outer diameter: 100mm
- wall thickness: 2.6mm
The 3D-printable parts have been designed based on these values but may be easily modified to fit glass cylinders of different dimensions.
For that reason, all 3D models have been built using OpenJSCAD, a Web-based object modeller based on JavaScript definitions.
The lid forms the top cover of our lava lamp, its definition can be found in file Lava-Lamp-Lid-Model.jscad. Simply copy the file contents into the OpenJSCAD editor (modify the script constants as needed) and press Shift-Enter (the "Shift" key is important). OpenJSCAD will then create the following 3D model:
 Lava Lamp Lid Model |
Save this model in (binary) STL form (or download the prebuilt STL file from this repository) and load it into a 3D printer program of your choice (the author prints with a Flashforge Finder and therefore uses FlashPrint) where you "slice" it and finally send the result to a 3D printer.
 Lava Lamp Lid, bottom View |
 dto., top View |
Nota bene: if your slicer supports "ironing", consider using that feature in order to get a perfectly flat surface (for the print shown in the images, "ironing" was not enabled)
A similar model is used for the base of this lava lamp, it can be found in file Lava-Lamp-Base-Model.jscad. In contrast to the lid described before, the base contains a small channel for the power cable and a hole which is just large enough to push a Micro-USB plug through - that hole may (and should) later be filled with hot glue (or normal glue) in order to act as a kind of strain relief.
Again, copy the file contents into the OpenJSCAD editor (modify the script constants as needed) and press Shift-Enter (the "Shift" key is important). OpenJSCAD will then create the following 3D model:
 Lava Lamp Base Model (top View) |
 dto. (bottom View) |
Save this model in (binary) STL form (or download the prebuilt STL file from this repository) and print it like the lid mentioned above. The following image shows the result with an already mounted cable:
 Base with Cable |
LED matrix sheets are somewhat stiff but may be carefully bended without damaging them. In order to achieve a uniform curvature, two "rings" should be printed with slots into which the sheets may be inserted. Two or three rubber bands will then keep the LEDs in shape while still allowing to disassemble everything.
 LED-Matrix, mounted in Ring |
 two Rings keep the LED Matrix properly bended |
You will find the ring definition in file Lava-Lamp-Ring-Model.jscad. Copy its contents into the OpenJSCAD editor (modify the script constants as needed) and press Shift-Enter (the "Shift" key is important). OpenJSCAD will then create the following 3D model:
 Lava Lamp Ring Model |
Save this model in (binary) STL form (or download the prebuilt STL file from this repository) and print it as usual:
 Ring on Printbed |
 dto., separate |
To see at electronics is not always desirable. Therefore, a few sheets of (self-adhesive) foil looking like "frosted glass" have been used to cover the inside of the glass cylinder:
Windglass itself |
 dto., with frosted Glass Foil |
This foil also has the advantage to reduce the brightness of the LEDs (Neopixel LEDs are really luminous and may blind human eyes when directly looking at them)
In order to avoid accidental short cuts between the Espruino board and soldering points on the LED matrix, the board has been inserted into a small plastic bag - with an opening on one side where the power cable may be plugged in and the LED cable be brought out:
 Espruino, packaged, top View |
 dto., bottom View |
If you fix the LED sheet to the rings as shown below, Espruino board and cabling fit nicely into the interior:
dto., rear View with Espruino |
With some stripes of double-sided adhesive tape, the lower ring may now be fixed to the base - but make sure, that you fixed the power cable before!
You are now ready to put the glass cylinder over the base and push the lid on top:
 fully assembled Lava Lamp |
All that remains now is to power on the lamp and enjoy the animation.
Have fun!