[ LED STRIPS MIND CONTROL ]

Turns any generic IR-controlled LED Strip into ambient lighting syncing with the monitor's average color every ~100 milliseconds using a Microcontroller and an IR Transmitter module

How it works

PC takes a screenshot using mss and resizes it with Pillow (200x200 by default), then converts the image to a single RGB value using NumPy with 3 selectable methods: mean, median or dominant (default: mean).

The RGB value is sent over to a Raspberry Pi Pico W via Wi-Fi. The Pi calculates which of the LED Strip's preset colors is the closest match (or turns the strip OFF if image is near black), and blasts the corresponding IR frequencies to the LED Strip.

Controlling the LED Strip required the recording of the IR codes for each button on the remote, this is done with an IR Receiver module connected to the Raspberry Pi in this repo.

Two different LED Strips have been tested and the IR codes for them were recorded and mapped to RGB values (see IR_codes).

graph LR;
    PC-->Pi;
    Pi-->LED;

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Features

• Selectable RGB grabbing methods
• UDP (default) & HTTP (fallback) communication between PC and Pi
• Automatic IP Broadcast and discovery
• Customizable IR transmit values
• Smooth fade transitions between colors
• Brightness Control (4 levels, toggleable)
• LED States on the Raspberry Pi Pico W
  
  
  
  
  
  

Requirements

Hardware

• PC
• Raspberry Pi Pico W (doesn't matter if it's the second one) with pin headers soldered
• IR Transmitter Module (3.3V)
• IR Receiver Module (For learning your remote)
• Jumper Wires (For connecting the modules)
• Generic IR-controlled LED Strip (NEC-8 protocol in this repo, but easily replaceable)
• LED Strip Remote
  
  

Software

• Python 3.12+
• IDE for PC Client (VScode works)
• Thonny or mpremote
• MicroPython firmware for the Pico W
• Windows or Linux
• Python Packages:
  • colorama
  • pillow
  • numpy
  • mss
    
    
    

Setup

1. Flash MicroPython to your Pico W

Download the latest .uf2 from:
https://micropython.org/download/rp2-pico-w/

Then drag and drop onto the Pico's USB drive.

2. Upload IR Libraries and Pi Scripts

Using Thonny or mpremote, upload everything inside the repo's Pi/ folder to the Pico.

The Pico's root directory should now look like:

/  
├── lib  
├── ir_r.py  
├── ir_t.py  
├── led.py  
├── main.py  
├── server.py  
└── wifi.py

3. Configure Pico Wi-Fi

Using Thonny or mpremote, edit wifi.py and add your Wi-Fi name and password:

# CONFIG #
SSID = "ENTERSSIDHERE"  
PASSWORD = "ENTERPASSWORDHERE"  

Save the file.

The PC will automatically detect the Pico via UDP broadcast.

Important

The Pico has to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your PC

4. Wire the IR Receiver to the Pico

Recommended wiring:

Pin 36 (3V3 OUT) → VCC    
Pin 38 (GND) → GND  
Pin 34 (GP28) → DATA or IN  

Warning

You'll need to change IR_PIN in ir_r.py if you connect DATA to another GPIO pin

You can find the Pico W Pinout Diagram here.

5. Record your LED Remote's IR Codes

Using Thonny or mpremote, run the ir_r.py script and press the buttons on your LED remote pointing it at the receiver.

Note

If your strip doesn't use NEC-8, change NEC_8 in the commented lines in ir_r.py to the protocol your LED Strip uses

Record the captured codes and map them to your LED Strip's colors/commands. Also record the IR address as it is required for transmission (see IR_codes for a template of two tested LED remotes).

6. Edit ir_t.py according to your LED Strip

Using Thonny or mpremote, replace the existing IR codes/RGB values found in ir_t.py (under # IR CODES #) with the ones you recorded.

You may also tweak the values under # CONFIG # according to your preference and/or your LED Strip's capabilities and NEC address.

Important

If you wish to only send color updates to the LED Strip and don't want brightness control, do not delete the brightness IR codes as doing that will lead to an error, instead simply disable the brightness updates by setting DISABLE_BRIGHTNESS to True

Save the file.

7. Wire the IR Transmitter Module

Recommended wiring:

Pin 36 (3V3 OUT) → VCC  
Pin 38 (GND) → GND  
Pin 34 (GP28) → DATA or IN  

Warning

You'll need to change IR_PIN in ir_t.py (under # CONFIG #) if you connect DATA to another GPIO pin

You can find the Pico W Pinout Diagram here.

Make sure the transmitter points at the LED Strip's IR receiver.

8. Power the Pico

Connect USB. The Pico will boot and wait for incoming RGB values.

9. Install PC dependencies

Open a terminal and run:

Python -m pip install numpy pillow mss colorama

Alternatively, run:

pip install numpy pillow mss colorama

10. Run the PC client

Download everything inside the repo's PC/ folder.

Open the directory in your IDE and run main.py.

Note

Make sure to allow Python through your firewall so the PC client can communicate with the Pico over your network

The PC will detect the Pico on LAN and start sending RGB values.

The Pico will translate them into IR signals and control the LED Strip.

Credits

IR Libraries
colorama
NumPy
Pillow
mss