Patternflow

An open-source LED synthesizer. Play light with your fingertips.

Four knobs. The pattern answers as you turn them.

Patternflow physical device

Every Patternflow plays every pattern we make.

Around 40 people have made one so far.

Get OneBuild it — GitHub

Crowd Supply · ships worldwide

Built on it
Firmware & web code — MIT License.
Hardware, designs & patterns — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Community patterns are licensed by their authors.
Terms & Privacy

Patternflow is a trademark of SeungHun Lee.
The Patternflow series: LED Synthesizer (2026) · Origin (2026)

Build your own.

Around US$100–200 and an hour of hands-on work.

$100–200All partsAt best: 3D printing ~$30 · panel ~$20 · ESP32-S3 ~$13 · PCB & rest ~$35. Shipping, minimum order quantities and a reprint or two take it up from there.
~1 hrHands-on30 min soldering, 30 min assembly. Big through-hole joints — a first time is fine.
~10 hrPrintingPrinter time, not yours, for the official case on a 256 mm bed.
~2 wkShippingOrder the parts first — the wait is the longest part.
The case — four ways to make it

Every case here holds the same v3 board, soldered, wired and flashed the same way; what changes is the body around it. The official case is printed, and it is the one the build guide walks through. The three community remixes have each been built by their authors: another printed case, one laser-cut from acrylic or MDF sheet, and a printed one that holds the panel the long way across, on stands for a desk. Pick one and the 3D view shows the device in it.

Photos from the build guide.

The official printed case

Official

The case the build guide walks through and the 3D model on this page shows: a frame for the panel and a bay for the board and the power bank, with a snap-fit back panel and two wall-mount holes. On a 256 mm bed it prints in halves you glue right after printing; on a 330 mm bed it is one piece.

By
Patternflow, the project’s own design
Material
White PLA for the body, black PLA for the knobs, as a separate print.
Fits
v3.9 and v3.0 boards, and the panel linked in the BOM. For another panel there is an adjustable version, in for_other_panels/.
Make
About 10 hours on a 256 mm bed (Bambu P1S, X1C or A1 class), then the knobs. One piece, no gluing, on a ~330 mm bed.
Also needs
6–12 M4 screws, about 10 mm, for the panel; CA glue for the halves.
Verified
Print and assembly verified: the assembly video is built from these files.
License
CC BY-SA 4.0

Check your panel firstThe adjustable version in for_other_panels/ is not universal: if your panel’s holes sit far from the BOM panel’s, it may still not fit. Check its mounting part against your panel before the full print. How to check ↗

The build guide covers it end to end: printing in section 4, assembly in section 6.

One-click print profilesMakerWorld ↗Every file, by bed sizehardware/case/ ↗Bambu Studio project, four platespatternflow_v3.3mf ↗For a panel other than the BOM’sfor_other_panels/ ↗
Four steps — hover to preview on the device
01
Print the case
Print the body in white PLA and the knobs in black. About 10 hours of printer time.
02
Solder the PCB
Hand-solder the v3.9 board. Every part is through-hole.
03
Assemble
Encoders, matrix, power wiring, and case fit.
04
Flash and power on
Flash the ESP32-S3 from the browser, seat it, then power up through the screw terminal.
Start hereThe build guide, in 3D →Parts, soldering, case, wiring, first light. Every step on a Patternflow you can turn.
Read it insteadBUILD_GUIDE ↗Order the PCBPCBWay ↗Print the caseMakerWorld ↗Gerbers, BOM, STLshardware/ ↗Before you buy the panelCompatibility ↗

No custom PCB, or an older v2 board? Every route is in the assembly map.

Open the assembly mapBreadboard guidev2 board guide

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.

02

Community ↗

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.

For a first flash, before you press it: the ESP32-S3 out of the board, a data cable in its left USB-C port. Hold BOOT, tap RST, let go of BOOT, then press Flash Patternflow. You get Origin, and the Basics pack adds 33 more in one click.

The Wi-Fi step usually doesn’t appear after the install, and that’s expected: press RST, press Flash Patternflow again, pick the port and choose Connect to Wi-Fi. The guide shows every screen on a board you can turn (written version ↗).

Chrome / Edge only

Inside the work.

Builds, projects, and places where Patternflow comes to life.

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.

Pick a marker or a title to explore.

Around the world18 entries · 12 countries

Made something with Patternflow, or used it somewhere? Send a link or a photo and I'll add it here.