Hexagonal Nanoleaf - Hexaleaf

Description

**There is a bug that doesnt allow you to download all files. I manually added a .zip file with all files inside!** ***I designed my own version of the Hexagonal Nanoleafs.*** *Why is this version better than others?* **+ better light dispersion** The panels are homogenous illuminated **+ cover design** Do you want a clean cover or a little more extra? Let your creativity run free. **+ all kind of panel arrangements** If you want 5 or 50 panels, this design will suit your creativity **+ long time stability** LED Strips are held without adhesives that stops sticking after some time **+ easy connectable** Panels are slotted together without glue or extra pieces **+ No funky wires** wires are easily managed with cable shrouds **+ clean outside** No holes or extra connectors on the outside of your panel arrangement **- plan first, print second** Due to the connectors being different on every piece, you need to plan your arrangement first before you can start printing **- long print time** The panels are intricate and take longer to print than other designs **- Do not scale** The panels are designed with the thickness and spacing of your LED Strip in mind. Scaling will result in your LED Strip not fitting perfectly **- soldering** beginner level soldering skills required ***Instructions*** **Step 1: Planning** I supplied a lot of files enabling all kind of shapes and configurations for your very own Hexaleaf. Plan **how** you want **to arrange** them on the wall. Extravagant irregular shapes are possible! Make a **list** of what **number** and **kind** of Hexaleafs you need to print and what kind of LED Strips you want to use. I used **WS2812b** LED Strips with 60 LEDs/m. Every Hexaleaf takes 60 cm of Light Strip, so 18 or 36 LEDs depending on whether you use **30 or 60 LEDs/m**. Both work fine. Depending on whether you use **IP30** (non-waterproof) **or IP65** (waterproof) Strips there are different file versions due to the IP65 Strips being a bit thicker. All pieces will be a bit different due to the **connectors** being on **different sides**. This enables clean outside faces without unnecessary connectors and also all kinds of different arrangements. I used the following method to labeling them: ***m*** – male connector / connector on the outside (three bottom sides) ***f*** – female connector / connector on the inside (three top sides) ***0*** – no connector / outside face If you **draw** out how you want the finished pieces **to be arranged**, it should be easy to make a list of all the pieces you will need. The labels for the pieces I used in my arrangement can be seen in the **Arrangement picture**. Each LED draws up to 50 mA at full brightness. My Arrangement has 516 LEDs, therefore I am using an external 20 A Powersupply. The WS2812 LED Strips call for **extra power delivery** every 5 m. If you plan for large arrangements make sure to route extra power cables. I went a bit overboard and made extra connections about every 1 meter which is probably unnecessary but better be safe than sorry. Lastly what kind of **cover** do you want? I designed my own **tree cover** (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5025463) though I also left a file with **just the rim** if you don’t want anything special. I do recommend designing your own or checking out the **100Hex Project** for a bunch of inspirations (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2477471). **Step 2: Printing** The pieces are all connected by just **slotting them into each other**. To make sure they will fit perfectly I recommend printing two of the **Connector Testpieces**. They should twist perfectly into each other. I printed my pieces with a 0,4 mm nozzle at 0,2 mm layer height without any brim or raft. Every piece took about 6 hours to print and weighs about 50 g. **Mark** every piece to not lose track of already printed pieces and its position. I cut out all the **diffuser panels** from **paper**, but you can also use the supplied diffuser file to **print them**. **Step 3: Assembly** I **soldered** every LED Strip to some wire with pin connectors so I can finish all soldering before assembly. To fit the LED Strips into their position I recommend **bending** the strips every 3 / 6 LEDs (for IP65 Strips I recommend cutting away the insulation at the bends) and then slotting them into position without using their adhesive tape. **Connect** all the Hexaleaf pieces and route **extra power** cables. I glue stripped the Hexaleaf arrangement onto a piece of **cardboard** and made some holes in the cardboard to hang it on the wall. It should be fine without the cardboard, but you also eliminate some light bleed on the wall. **Step 4: Programming** I used a **ESP8266** (WEMOS D1 Mini) to control the LEDs. Using the **WLED Project** you have access to an easy control interface with **numerous presets** and a very well documented help guide. This allows you to control your Hexaleafs with an **App** or a **website** over **WiFi**. Using the start-up guide you can program the ESP8266 with a browser-based interface https://install.wled.me/ and do everything else using the App. https://kno.wled.ge/basics/getting-started/ The App allows you to create **segments** to group all LEDs in a Hexaleaf together so that you can color each one individually. ***Hope you like my design. I would love to see your creations!***

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