Cloud Lamp – Make Contest Entry

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Cloud Lamp – Raspberry Pi Smart Lighting

The Cloud Lamp is a custom-built smart lighting system designed for MAKE’s Raspberry Pi Design Contest. It combines real-time LED status indicators, home automation integration, and remote control into a visually striking ceiling fixture.

I wanted a simple way to visualize information at a glance, whether it was home automation status, weather conditions, or notifications. A basic LED setup quickly grew into a fully programmable 60-LED display, with a web-based interface for control.

Features

  • 60-LED Circular Display – Real-time ambient visualization for home status, time, or effects
  • Raspberry Pi-Controlled – Enables dynamic lighting, automation, and remote interaction
  • Smart Home Integration – Controls ceiling bulbs via a relay and can interact with other devices
  • Web-Based Control – Adjustable modes via a simple HTTP API
  • Custom Metal & Wood Fabrication – Welded frame, hand-built shade, and precise LED placement

Design & Build

Hardware

I modified a commercial ceiling lamp, reinforcing it with a custom-fabricated steel frame to house the electronics. The LED platform was precision-cut to align 60 WS2801 addressable LEDs, ensuring even spacing. A Power Switch Tail relay allowed the main bulbs to be toggled remotely.

Electronics & Software

The Raspberry Pi controlled all LED effects and light toggling, with a lightweight Python web server enabling remote control.

  • Light control: http://[IP]:8080/?light=on/off
  • Mode switching: http://[IP]:8080/?mode=1 (e.g., color swirl, clock, notifications)

Modes included a color swirl animation, an analog clock, and planned integrations for weather and home automation. The flexibility of a full Linux system meant rapid development and expansion without hardware constraints.

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Reflections

This project was a deep dive into hardware fabrication, embedded programming, and interactive lighting. It required metalworking, electronics assembly, precision measurement, and software development—all under tight contest deadlines.

The biggest takeaway was seeing how a Raspberry Pi could bridge physical and digital interactions, making it a powerful alternative to microcontrollers in DIY automation projects.

This was a valuable experience in rapid prototyping, problem-solving, and integrating hardware with software.