936: Realtime LED Wall With React + Websockets (I Let Strangers Control It)

Scott, Wes, and CJ dive into Wes’s Hackweek project: a real-time, web-controlled LED grid. They break down the hardware build, custom 3D-printed diffuser, ESP32 microcontroller, and Cloudflare durable objects powering live pixel art, GitHub activity displays, and interactive web drawings.

Show Notes

• 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
• 02:03 Wes’ Hackweek project: a web-controlled LED grid
• 03:52 The hardware: LED panels, soldering, and power
  • WS2812 LED panels
• 06:38 ESP32 microcontroller and WLED firmware explained
  • ESP32 Microcontroller
• 10:57 Power supply challenges and injection fixes
• 15:05 Debugging and testing a DIY LED matrix
• 15:56 Shorts, blown circuits, and melted wires
• 17:58 Designing and 3D-printing the diffuser for crisp pixels
• 21:29 The software: Cloudflare Durable Objects + Party Server
  • Cloudflare Durable Objects
  • Party.server
• 22:18 Real-time sync and state management across clients
  • Party Client
• 28:43 Connecting the server to the LED hardware
• 41:51 Open access fun: scripts, NSFW images, and moderation
  • Cloudflare tunnel
• 44:10 Live demos
• 45:34 Future plans: stats, rooms, and making it always-on

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