About this Event
Light Up Your Holidays with Custom LED Magic!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — so why not make it shine even brighter?
Join us for a fun, hands-on, three-hour workshop where you’ll learn how to create your own smart, color-changing LED lights that can flash, fade, and dance in any pattern you like. Perfect for holiday decorations, art projects, or just adding some glow to your space year-round!
In this class, you’ll learn how to:
Program LED lights
Use simple software to create your own light patterns and colors
Control your lights from your computer or phone using a free program called WLED
What you’ll need:
An ESP32 board – This is a small, affordable controller that runs your lights.
- ESP32-WROOM32 – The best choice for most people (recommended!)
- ESP32-WROVER – Great if you want to run huge light displays (1,000+ LEDs)
- ESP32-S3 – Best if you want your lights to move with sound or music
- USB cable for the ESP32
WS2812B LED lights – You can get these as light strips, panels, or shapes.
- IP30 – For indoor use only
- IP65 – Weather-resistant, great for outdoor setups
Bring your creativity — and leave with the knowledge to make your lights sparkle, dance, and shine however you want this holiday season!
We have 6 Laptops for students to use. If you can bring your own laptop to work on that would help us allocate the ones we have for those who may need one.
Age 10+, under 18 must be accompanied by a guardian.
Your instructor Jim Garbe has over 14 years of expertise working with micro-controllers, is a passionate Linux enthusiast for more than 20 years, and has been programming in various languages for over 18 years. Jim’s curiosity about technology has always driven him to explore innovative solutions, such as his long-time fascination with mobile phones and their potential to serve as portable computers. He often found himself wondering, “How can my phone have more computing power than my desktop?” His journey into the world of Raspberry Pi began when his wife introduced him to this groundbreaking small computer board, giving her blessing for him to purchase one. His enthusiasm for technology and learning has made him a valuable resource for anyone looking to dive into the world of microcontrollers and programming.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Inventor Center, 118 Shelby Street, Kingsport, United States
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