StarOne - a twinkle twinkle little star!

StarOne - a twinkle twinkle little star!

After creating the PrismLume and GeodeSick RGB sphere, I decided to challenge myself:
learn some 3D CAD and design a similar device—this time in the shape of a star. I named this project Star One, after the music project by Arjen Lucassen.

This model is a simple, foldable 5-point star designed to take full advantage of textured build plates for beautiful surface finishes.
Each point is printed flat on the bed so the first layer texture becomes the visible outer surface—ideal for satin, textured, carbon fiber, holographic, and other specialty sheets. Inside the points there is an option to mount 125 WS2812b LED's which can be controled by a small ESP8266 microcontroller.

The included STL files are pre-oriented for printing and assemble into a star with a 20 cm radius.

If you just want a StarOne with no LED's, there is a simpel model available here: 

⚠ WARNING

This is not a simple “print and go” project!
You’ll need basic soldering skills and the ability to think things through.

That said, it’s absolutely doable. If you’re up for a challenge and want to improve your soldering skills or learn more about LED electronics, this project is for you.
Just be aware—there are plenty of opportunities to mess things up, so proceed carefully!

Required Electronic Parts

• 125 × WS2812B LEDs (10 mm PCB, individually addressable)

• 6 × pairs of 3-pin JST-SM connectors (or equivalent)

• 1 × ESP8266 D1 Mini (or equivalent microcontroller)

• Bare copper wire, 0.5 mm diameter (makes assembly much easier)

• Electrical wire, 0.14 mm² or AWG 26 (use three colors for clarity)

• 5 V power supply (I use a 3 A version and limit WLED to 2.5 A)

All parts can be easily sourced from common suppliers like AliExpress, Amazon, or eBay.
The LEDs and power supply are the most expensive component, but I was able to build the entire project for under €40.

Useful Tools

• 3D printer (of course!)

• Soldering iron and solder

• Pliers

• Small clamps

• Wire cutters/strippers

• Hobby or X-Acto knife

• CA glue and accelerant

3D Printed Parts

I lost track of the exact amount of PLA used (there were plenty of prototypes!), but around 250 g should be enough.
For reference, I printed mine in Signal White rPLA from FormFutura.

Print instructions:

See instructions PDF.

Assembly:

See instructions PDF.