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In fabricationACTL3

Multi-Channel Power-LED Lighting Array (ESP32)

Scale to a thermally-managed lighting array.

Track
ACT
Level
L3
Prerequisites
3
Status
Coming soon

▸ Register interest

This board is on the bench. Leave your email and you'll be first in when it ships, and your interest helps decide what we build next.

What you'll build

Scale a single power LED up to a multi-channel lighting array with addressable control, and confront the two problems that come with scale: thermal management (getting the heat out) and DC power distribution (getting current in, evenly). All low-voltage DC; any mains enters only through certified relay modules.

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.

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

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 an advanced L3 capstone, the deep end where the subsystems come together. 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?
The course overview will preview for free; the full course is a one-time purchase (no subscription). 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.

Part of the path from your first board to a brain-computer interface. See the full skill tree →