Hello everyone, I just wanted to share my recent project—a custom Advent calendar that I’ve been working on for the past few weeks. It’s been a fun challenge, and I thought I’d walk through the process in case anyone else is looking for inspiration or guidance!
The idea was to create something that adds a bit of magic to the festive season. I decided to go with an Advent calendar that lights up each window in sequence, starting from December 1st. Each day, the corresponding window lights up, and by the end of the month, all 24 windows are illuminated. It’s a simple concept, but the execution was quite involved.
I used an ESP8266 Feather board paired with a TLC-5947 PWM chip to control the 24 channels of LED lights. The ESP8266 handles the automation and scheduling, while the TLC-5947 provides the necessary current to power all the LEDs. The calendar itself is 3D printed, and I painted the internal sections white to reduce light bleed between the windows. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze, but it all fits!
One of the challenges was ensuring that the lights would turn on and off reliably each day. I set up an automation in Home Assistant that triggers the lights based on the number of days elapsed in December. It’s a bit of a hack, but it works perfectly. The lights cycle through each window, creating a subtle and festive glow.
I also had to think about power management. The ESP8266 is powered via USB, and I made sure to keep the wiring as tidy as possible to avoid any short circuits. It’s a bit of a maze inside, but I’m happy with how it turned out.
If I were to do this again, I’d probably make the calendar a bit larger to simplify the wiring. But as it stands, it’s a great conversation piece and a lovely way to countdown to Christmas. I hope this inspires someone else to try a similar project!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! 
