Control WLED & ESP32 – PixDrive for Makers

The situation

Beyond the built-in WLED effects

WLED is ideal to get started: flash the ESP32, connect a strip, pick an effect. But once you build your own matrix, want an effect that does not exist yet or need several controllers to play together, it gets tight.

PixDrive then takes over the rendering on your computer and sends the finished pixels to WLED over Art-Net or sACN. You write effects in Lua and see them on the LEDs right away. If the controller should later run on its own, you export the show to an SD card on the ESP32.

Features

Get more out of your WLED controller

WLED over Art-Net and sACN

WLED receives Art-Net and sACN (E1.31). PixDrive sends the pixel data in real time, so you see every change on the LEDs right away.

Your own effects in Lua

The script engine runs Lua 5.4. You create parameters as sliders and tweak them live; from 1,024 LEDs up, PixDrive spreads the work across up to eight cores.

Shows on the SD card

With the PixDrive firmware for WLED and an SD card board, your ESP32 plays shows as .wled files without a computer. Upload via drag & drop at http://<WLED-IP>/pixdrive; the usermod is open source.

Guide: WLED with SD card →

Automate with REST, OSC and MCP

Home Assistant, Node-RED or your own scripts control PixDrive via REST and OSC. Through the MCP server, an AI assistant such as Claude or Cursor can join in too.

Real-world example

Example: 32 × 16 matrix on an ESP32

Two 16 × 16 panels with WS2812B make a 512-pixel matrix on an ESP32 running WLED. In the “Multi RGB” DMX mode WLED packs 170 pixels into a universe, so the matrix uses sACN universes 1 to 4.

The fourth universe carries only two pixels. That costs no frame rate, but you still have to count it in WLED and PixDrive – otherwise the last two LEDs stay dark.

Open in the DMX calculator

Pixels: 512 RGB (32 × 16)
Universes: 4 (sACN 1–4)
Network load at 40 fps: below 1 Mbit/s
Max. frame rate on the data pin: approx. 63 fps
License: Full version (demo: 1 universe = 170 pixels)

Script engine

A matrix effect in eight lines of Lua

Your script defines a render() function that PixDrive calls for every frame. On matrices, pos_x(i) and pos_y(i) return each LED’s position from 0.0 to 1.0 – wiring, start corner and serpentine layout are already taken into account. With a microphone enabled, audio_bass, audio_mids, audio_highs and audio_beat are available too.

Rings that pump with the bass

function render()
    for i = 0, led_count - 1 do
        local x = pos_x(i) - 0.5
        local y = pos_y(i) - 0.5
        local hue = (sqrt(x * x + y * y) * 720.0 - time * 90.0) % 360.0
        set_led_hsv(i, hue, 1.0, audio_bass * 0.8 + 0.2)
    end
end

Guide: effects with Lua →

From practice

Tips that save you time

Put WLED in receive mode

In WLED under Config → Sync Interfaces, enable E1.31 or Art-Net reception, enter the start universe and choose “Multi RGB” as the DMX mode.

Move things with delta

Calculate motion with delta, the seconds since the last frame. Then your effect runs at the same speed whether at 30 or 60 frames per second.

Write effects with AI

The “LLM” button in the script editor copies the complete script API to the clipboard. Paste it into an AI chat, describe the effect and take over the code.

Fits into the demo

In the demo the script engine is fully usable, but scripts may be at most 20 lines long. The example above fits easily.

FAQ

Common questions

Answered briefly: PixDrive for makers & wled.

What do I need to play from an SD card?

The PixDrive firmware for WLED with the SD card usermod and an SD card board, for example the Zedfy ZW-SD on the C012 controller. For live control over Art-Net or sACN, regular WLED is enough.

Is the free demo enough for a small WLED project?

To get started, yes: one device, one universe (up to 170 RGB pixels), live effects and Lua scripts up to 20 lines. Live output has short blackouts in the demo; the sequencer, export and longer scripts come with the full version.

Can I connect PixDrive to Home Assistant?

Yes, via the REST API. Home Assistant, Node-RED or a shell script start looks and shows, control playback and set the brightness. External control is part of the full version.

More use cases

Try it with your own LEDs

The demo runs with no time limit and no registration. Test live effects, LED layout and the script engine with one device and one universe.

Download free See pricing

macOS 12+ · Windows 10 / 11 · No account required

PixDrive for makers & WLED projects