WS2812 Addressable-LED Driver (ESP32)

What you'll build

Drive a strip of addressable RGB LEDs (WS2812 / NeoPixel) from an ESP32 using its hardware RMT peripheral for rock-solid timing. Along the way you'll solve the real-world catch: the ESP32's 3.3V logic is out of spec for 5V WS2812 data, so you'll level-shift with a 74AHCT125, run the strip at a lower voltage, or switch to SK6812, and give the LEDs their own dedicated 5V rail.

It sits on the ACT track: driving the physical world with motors, servos, and high-power lighting under precise control.

Tools for this build

Free calculators that do the math this board needs. Each is worked from a real OTD board, with the formula and a cited source.

• WS2812 / NeoPixel power supply calculator →Size a 5 V supply for an addressable LED string from pixel count, per-pixel draw, and headroom. Grounded in the WS2812B datasheet figure.
• PCB trace width calculator (IPC-2221) →Find the minimum trace width for a current at a chosen temperature rise (IPC-2221), for external or internal copper. Grounded in a real high-current board.

The build pipeline

No steps skipped, no black boxes. Each stage is gated on real proof of work: a clean ERC, valid gerbers, a passing bring-up. You finish having actually done the engineering, not just watched it.

1. 01REQUIREMENTS
2. 02BOM SOURCING
3. 03SCHEMATIC
4. 04LAYOUT
5. 05DRC + GERBER
6. 06ORDERING
7. 07ASSEMBLY
8. 08BRING-UP
9. 09REVISION

Builds on

• ESP32-S3 USB-C Breakout Board→

Questions

When does this course open?

It's in active production. Join the waitlist and we'll email you the moment it goes live, and the demand signal helps us decide what to build next.

Is it beginner-friendly?

This is a foundational L1 board, approachable if you can read a schematic. Every stage is explained from first principles, so you can follow along as long as you're comfortable reading a schematic.

What will I need to build it?

Reading the course is free with a free account. Building the board for real also needs its bill of materials (listed in the course) and a small PCB order from a fab house. The course walks you through both.

What will I actually learn?

You'll learn driving the physical world with motors, servos, and high-power lighting under precise control, plus the full board workflow: schematic capture, layout, DRC, gerber export, ordering, assembly, and bring-up.