Open Hardware design for professional aquarium LED lighting systems.
The LEDBrick Plus is a modern, high-performance 8-channel LED driver designed for aquarium lighting applications. Built around the ESP32-S3 microcontroller and ESPHome firmware, it offers professional-grade control with smart home integration.
Professional 85×85mm PCB with ESP32-S3 microcontroller and 8-channel TPS922053 LED drivers
LEDBrick Plus assembled board showing component placement and professional finish
Install firmware directly in your browser: 👉 LEDBrick Plus Web Installer
No downloads or software required - uses WebSerial to flash firmware directly via USB.
- 8 Independent LED Channels with individual PWM and current control
- High Current Capability: Up to 2A per channel (scalable design)
- Wide Voltage Range: Supports up to 60V input
- ESP32-S3 Microcontroller: Dual-core with Wi-Fi connectivity
- Advanced PWM: 39kHz flicker-free operation (17 total PWM channels)
- Precision Current Control: TPS922053 LED driver chips with 0-2A regulation
- Environmental Monitoring: INA228 power monitoring, I2C temperature sensors
- Fan Control: 4-wire fan control with RPM monitoring
- Status Indication: WS2812 RGB LED with customizable effects
- Temperature Expansion: 1-Wire bus for DS18B20 temperature sensors
- Home Assistant Integration: Native API with automatic discovery
- Professional Form Factor: 85×85mm board designed for marine environments
- ESPHome Native: Full Home Assistant integration out of the box
- Web Interface: Built-in configuration and monitoring
- OTA Updates: Wireless firmware updates
- MQTT Compatible: Optional MQTT broker support
- RESTful API: HTTP API for custom integrations
The LEDBrick Plus includes a professional web interface for complete control and monitoring:
- Interactive Schedule Graph: Visual representation of all 8 channels with real-time updates
- PWM % and Current (mA) Views: Toggle between percentage and milliamp display modes
- Moonrise/Moonset Indicators: Astronomical event markers on the timeline
- Schedule Point Editor: Add, edit, and delete schedule points with precise timing
- Channel Legend: Color-coded channel identification with individual enable/disable
- Moon Phase Integration: Automatic moon phase calculation based on location
- PWM & Current Scaling: Scale channel output based on current moon phase
- Individual Channel Control: Manual override sliders for each channel
- Real-time Current Display: Live monitoring of actual current draw per channel
- Quick Presets: All Off, Dim (5%), and Bright (10%) quick access buttons
- JSON Format: Human-readable schedule configuration format
- Backup & Restore: Export current schedule and import saved configurations
- Clear Schedule: Quick reset option for starting fresh
- Astronomical Timing: Includes sunrise/sunset offsets and timing parameters
- PID Controller Configuration: Adjustable Kp, Ki, Kd parameters
- Temperature Thresholds: Configurable target, emergency, and recovery temperatures
- Fan Control Settings: Min/max PWM limits and update intervals
- Advanced Options: Emergency delay, sensor timeout, and filter parameters
- Fan Response Curve: Visual representation of temperature-to-PWM mapping
- 8 Configurable Channels: Name, color, and maximum current per channel
- Visual Color Selection: Color picker with hex code support
- Current Limiting: Hardware-enforced maximum current settings (0-2A)
- Save/Cancel Options: Apply changes or revert to previous settings
- Geographic Configuration: Latitude, longitude, and timezone settings
- Reef Location Presets: Quick selection of popular reef locations worldwide
- Astronomical Time Projection: Simulate lighting from remote reef locations
- Time Shift Options: Hour and minute offsets for schedule adjustment
- Individual Channel Control: Independent PWM brightness and current limiting
- Smart Current Limiting: Configurable per-channel maximum current with real-time enforcement
- Programmable Schedules: Sunrise/sunset simulation and custom lighting programs
- Temperature Monitoring: I2C sensor integration for thermal management
- Power Monitoring: Real-time current and voltage monitoring via INA228
Microcontroller: ESP32-S3 (Dual-core, 240MHz, Wi-Fi) LED Drivers: 8× TPS922053 constant current drivers PWM Frequency: 39kHz (MCPWM) + 16kHz (LEDC) Current Range: 0-2A per channel (1A default limit) Input Voltage: 12-60V DC Communication: Wi-Fi, USB-C, I2C expansion Dimensions: 85×85mm
For detailed forum discussion and community support, see: Reef2Reef LEDBrick Thread
The original LEDBrick design consists of two main components for DIY aquarium LED lighting.
The emitter board is a custom metal-core PCBA designed to hold 8 channels of LEDs from Cree (XP footprint), Osram (SSL and Square), Luxeon (UV and Rebel footprints).
An 8 channel 24VIN + 12VOUT Fan LED dimmer board powered by a Nordic nRF51 Bluetooth Low Energy microcontroller.
Firmware is available for both Keil and GCC compilers Design files and gerber files
For legacy documentation and original design details, see the ReefCentral thread.
# Install uv (Python package manager)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/theatrus/ledbrick.git
cd ledbrick/firmware
# Quick build (runs tests, builds web UI, compiles firmware)
make esphome
# Individual components
make test # Run all unit tests
make web # Build React web interface
make web-debug # Build non-minified web UI (for debugging)
make dev # Start development server (set LEDBRICK_IP=device-ip)
make preview # Serve minified build locally (debug minification)
make esphome-debug # Build firmware with non-minified web UI
make clean-all # Clean all build artifacts
make help # Show all available targets- 8-Channel PWM Control: Independent brightness and current limiting per channel
- Smart Current Limiting: Real-time enforcement of per-channel maximum current settings
- Astronomical Scheduling: Sunrise/sunset simulation with location-based timing
- Time Projection: Map remote reef locations to local timezone (e.g., Tahiti sunrise at 6AM Pacific)
- Moon Phase Simulation: Configurable moon phase effects with intensity scaling
- Manual Override: Direct channel control when scheduler is disabled
- React-based UI: Modern, responsive interface for all device settings
- Real-time Status: Live monitoring of channels, sensors, and system status
- Channel Configuration: Set names, colors, and maximum current per channel
- Schedule Management: Visual schedule editor with interpolation and presets
- Location Settings: Built-in reef location presets for accurate astronomical timing
- Sensor Monitoring: Display of power consumption, temperature, and fan status
- Schedule Chart Modes: Toggle between PWM % and Current (mA) display views
- Debug Support: Source maps and non-minified builds for troubleshooting
- Power Monitoring: INA228 current/voltage sensor with real-time display
- Temperature Sensors: DS18B20 1-wire sensors for thermal monitoring
- Fan Control: PWM speed control with RPM monitoring and on/off state
- Status Bar: Responsive layout showing all sensor data and channel status
- PID Controller: Professional-grade temperature regulation with anti-windup protection
- Multi-Sensor Support: Average multiple temperature sensors for accurate readings
- Emergency Thermal Protection: Automatic shutdown with configurable thresholds
- Fan Curve Management: Dynamic fan speed based on temperature with customizable curve
- Real-time Monitoring: Temperature status and PID performance metrics in web UI
- Anti-Oscillation Logic: Fan maintains minimum speed within 10°C below setpoint
- Home Assistant: Native ESPHome integration with automatic discovery
- RESTful API: Complete HTTP API for schedule management and control
- OTA Updates: Wireless firmware updates via ESPHome
- MQTT Support: Optional MQTT broker integration
# Run unit tests for core algorithms
make test # All tests
make test-astro # Astronomical calculator only
make test-scheduler # LED scheduler only
make test-clang # Cross-compiler validation
# Web development
LEDBRICK_IP=192.168.1.xxx make dev # Development server with device proxy
make web # Production build- Standalone Components: Core algorithms (astronomical calculator, LED scheduler) are pure C++ with comprehensive unit tests
- ESPHome Integration: Thin wrapper components that integrate with ESPHome ecosystem
- React Frontend: TypeScript/React web interface with responsive design
- Clean Separation: Core logic can be developed and tested independently of hardware
- Compilation Errors: Run
make clean-allthenmake esphomefor clean rebuild - Sensor Configuration: Ensure sensor IDs match ESPHome configuration exactly
- Web Interface Debugging: Use
LEDBRICK_IP=device-ip make devfor development server - API Testing: Access endpoints directly at
http://device-ip/api/statusetc.
- Continuous Integration: Automatic build testing on firmware changes
- Unit Test Validation: Standalone component testing with multiple compilers
- Web Publishing: Automated deployment of web installer to GitHub Pages
- Release Management: Tagged releases automatically build and publish firmware
Open Source Hardware - see individual component licenses for details.