Dushyant Ahuja created a wave lamp which shows weather and alerts, but, be warned, this project requires soldering, 3D printing, programming, and electronics knowledge. 

One of the best aspects of the extensive maker community is that you’re never short for DIY project ideas. For instance, Dushyant Ahuja was recently exploring the hundreds of projects on Thingiverse when he came across a wave lamp by Markellov.

With a few tweaks and modifications, Ahuja worked on this design to create his own version of the lamp which is still wavy but also updates you on the weather and potentially soon other notifications, too.

Ahuja explains that the lamp is very well designed and doesn’t require any supports to print. However, it does need to be printed on its side.

The result is a beautiful 3D print which can show you when it’s raining outside. To give you these storm updates from the comfort of your own bed, the wavy lamp sits on top of a base which holds LED strips.

Ahuja adds that in order for the lamp to perform this trick, he connected the lamp to WiFi using an ESP8266 module with WS2812B LEDs. Better yet, to ensure he gets to sleep and wakes up more naturally, Ahuja set the lights to switch off at 10 pm and on at 6 am.

3D Printing Requirements for the WiFi Wave Lamp

To begin creating the lamp yourself, you’ll need a printer which can print at least 30 to 35cm. Ahuja also warns that this print takes a long time of around 30 hours. He says: “if you’re not comfortable leaving your printer overnight (or over several nights) this is not for you.”

Be warned, you’ll also require programming and electronic knowledge as well as gluing and soldering skills. But, Ahuja runs through the process step-by-step so you have a guide to follow. You can find Ahuja’s list of products required to create the lamp, along with these very detailed steps on Instructables.

Ahuja adds that his future plans include incorporating an MQTT so that the lamp can be linked to OpenHAB. He’s also planning on adding a notification feature for missed calls or messages and a wake-up light.

However, in his sign off, he asks for suggestions and for pictures of any attempts to create the lamp from his instructions. May the printing, soldering, and programming commence!