Rotate the knobs to explore
Patternflow
An open-source LED synthesizer. Play light with your fingertips.
Four knobs. The pattern answers as you turn them.
Every Patternflow plays every pattern we make.
Build your own.
About US$100 and an hour of hands-on work.
~$100All parts3D printing ~$30 · panel ~$20 · ESP32-S3 ~$15 · PCB & rest ~$35
~1 hrHands-on30 min soldering, 30 min assembly. Big through-hole joints — a first time is fine.
~10–12 hrPrintingPrinter time, not yours. Nearer 12 at finer layer heights.
~2 wkShippingOrder the parts first — the wait is the longest part.
Four steps — hover to preview on the device
01
Print the case
3D print the current PLA enclosure.02
Solder the PCB
Hand-solder the custom Patternflow PCB.03
Assemble
Encoders, matrix, power wiring, and case fit.04
Flash and power on
Browser flash the release firmware, then insert the ESP32-S3.Start hereBuild Guide v3.0.0 ↗PLA case, hand-soldered PCB, browser flash. Start to finish in one document.
Breadboard, laser-cut, or an older v2 board? Every route is in the assembly map.
Make and flash patterns.
Write it here, watch it on the device, flash it from the browser.
01 / 42Originon the device
Loading...
Paste AI-generated code here, or edit the preset. The preview updates as you type.
Where it goes next01
Pattern Lab ↗
The full studio — batch generation, color ramps, and ESP32 C++ compile.
02Community ↗
Share what you make, fork what everyone else made.
The build server compiles your pattern into firmware in the browser. The Arduino IDE is only for new firmware features or a different matrix size.
Got the hardware?Do this once
Browser flashing works in desktop Chrome or Edge.
Plug the ESP32-S3 in over USB. Brings 34 presets and sets up Wi-Fi. After that your own patterns go over the air.
Chrome / Edge onlyInside the work.
9 pins on the globe so far. Here is every one of them.
Start with what you have, ask when you get stuck, and pass help on when you can.
On the map — the ledger for the globe
BuildCollaboration
Tap a marker on the map to see that build.
NickOne of the earliest people in the Discord, here since May. The build was finished in July and then reworked into this final version — it now runs in a DJ booth, above the turntables.
SimonePDA"I am an old time maker, and LED matrices always had a sweet spot on me. Now they are cheap to buy and cool for many projects. This one stands out because it is both huge and interactive. Generative Art using AI to code is another cool recent development and this design is made explicitly to include patterns designed and coded using even simple chatbots. Last but not least important is fully Open Sourced and very well documented, that is the true meaning of open sourcing a project."
EnerjoyA black-edition Patternflow — and, remarkably, the maker's first-ever soldering job. It turned out beautifully.
AzmanoCollaborationMOTIFLOW — a browser-based live visual instrument developed in collaboration with Azmano, using patterns adapted from Patternflow. Movement, sound, color, symmetry, and MIDI control turn the digital image into something that can be played.
dayThe first port to a new platform — Patternflow reworked for a Raspberry Pi and a 64×32 LED matrix, in an enclosure adapted from another open-source design.
shooterShared through Discord with a clever twist — an LED diffuser layered from paper and acrylic that gives the panel a really fun, soft glow.
NathThe first case of someone sharing their own Patternflow build through Discord.- Seunghun LEEA gift sent to the first collaborator, and the second physical build. One of five 001 units from the first PCB order.
Seunghun LEEThe very first edition. One of five 001 units from the first PCB order.
01 / 02
Made one? Share it in Discord and I'll add your pin. A ring instead of a dot marks a collaboration.
Day-to-day helpDiscord ↗Build questions, finished builds, custom patterns.In motionInstagram ↗Send a clean video and it usually goes up as a collab post.Anything elseContactExhibitions, commissions, and collaboration.
Story
- Patternflow: Origin began as my first work as a new media artist, built around 3D-printed forms and the seed of what became Patternflow.
- The Origin pattern was tested on a physical LED matrix with four knobs.
- Instagram and the Arduino subreddit responded strongly, so Patternflow turned into an open-source project. The first PCB was made with PCBWay sponsorship.
- Patternflow reached 100 GitHub stars, and the first collaborator joined. A precise BOM cost calculation went in ahead of small-run sales.
- The Crowd Supply pre-launch page went live, backed by countless refinements toward mass production. Instagram also passed 1,000 followers.
- Shipped v3.0.0 — snap-fit enclosure, browser firmware compilation, and Web Serial flashing. The Community opened, Crowd Supply passed 150 subscribers, and USB-C power went back on hold.
- Taking the Crowd Supply campaign to launch, and putting a real foundation under the Community.
- Keep the price as low as it can sustainably go, send Patternflow further out into the world, collaborate with more artists, and earn academic recognition.
- Grow Patternflow into a self-sustaining community and ecosystem, then move on to the next project.