AttentioLight-1
Your personal multi-use RGB light solution in an elegant enclosure.
Show your availability for others, receive status indications, or simply enjoy a variety of light effects. With a handful of modes and animated effects. Open-source hardware and firmware.
Features
Desktop App Control
Manage your light from a native Linux & Windows app — presets, live monitoring, and firmware updates
CLI Control
Script and automate over USB & BLE with the Rust-based Attentio CLI for power users
Standalone Application
Works independently without external devices. Just plug in an USB-C cable and go!
7 Modes
Standalone modes: Solid Color, Brightness, Blinking, Pulsation, Effects, Traffic Light, and Night Light
13 Animated Effects
Standalone effects: Rainbow, Color Cycle, Breathing, Candle, Fire, Lava Lamp, Day/Night, Ocean, Northern Lights, Thunder Storm, Police, Health Pulse, Memory
Diffused Lighting
Soft and even light distribution through 3D-printed diffuser top
Enclosure Design
Modular 3D-printed enclosure with easy swapping of different diffuser top sizes
Status Indicator
Show your availability in real-life with the easy Traffic Light mode (Green/Yellow/Red)
One-Button Control
Elegant and intuitive control with a single button for all standalone functions
USB-C Powered
Power and serial communication via modern USB-C connector. Debug output available over USB serial port
USB Firmware Updates
Update firmware over USB using DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) protocol with bootloader. No special programmer needed
Bootloader Integration
Special designed bootloader with CRC32 integrity check, version management, and seamless firmware upgrade support
Persistent Data Storage
Settings saved to internal flash with CRC32 integrity checking
Low Power Mode
Power off with low power mode, keeping previous activities intact
WiFi & BLE Ready
ESP32-C3 module onboard for future wireless connectivity and smart integrations
Open Source
Hardware (KiCad), firmware (ChibiOS), and enclosure (OnShape) designs all publicly available
How It Works
Operate your AttentioLight in two ways — standalone with a single button, or remotely from your computer over USB-C or Bluetooth using the Attentio CLI or Desktop app.
Standalone
Control everything directly on the device with a single button — no app or external device needed. Just plug in USB-C power and go.
- •7 modes cycled with one button
- •Short, long, and extended press actions
- •Settings saved on-device between sessions
Remote
Connect over USB-C or Bluetooth Low Energy and control your device from a computer using the Attentio CLI or Desktop app.
- •Set any color (RGB/HSV) and brightness
- •Save and recall color presets
- •Power, low-power, and settings management
- •Firmware updates and live serial monitoring
Standalone Operation
Button Controls
Short Press
Cycle through options in the current mode (color, speed, brightness, effects, etc.)
Long Press
Switch to next mode (white flash indicates threshold reached at 2s)
Extended Press
Power off the device (indicated with the power-down animation)
Wake Up (when OFF)
Long press to wake device from sleep (indicated with the power-up animation)
Mode Sequence
Modes cycle via long press (wraps after last mode):
LED Feedback
- White flash — Ready to switch mode
- Rainbow power-up — Power up animation
- Amber power-down — Power down animation
Mode Details
Solid Color
Display a single static color. Short press cycles through 12 available colors.
Brightness
Adjust the global brightness level. Short press cycles through brightness levels.
Blinking
Blink the current color on and off. Short press cycles through different blink speeds.
Pulsation
Smoothly fade brightness up and down. Short press cycles through different pulse speeds.
Effects
Animated lighting effects. Short press cycles through 13 different effects.
Traffic Light
Quick availability indicator. Short press cycles through green, yellow, and red.
Night Light
Warm, dim light for nighttime use. Short press adjusts the warm white intensity.
Software
Companion apps to manage and control your AttentioLight from a computer — over USB-C or Bluetooth Low Energy
Attentio Desktop
A native desktop app for Linux & Windows — built with Flutter + Rust, connecting over USB & BLE
LED Control
Set colors with RGB & HSV pickers and fine-tune brightness in real time.
Color Presets
Save and recall your favorite colors — presets persist between sessions.
Serial Monitor
Real-time two-pane protocol & serial view for live diagnostics.
Firmware Updates
Flash new firmware over USB using the DFU protocol — no programmer needed.
Appearance & Settings
Customize theme and accent color, and enable autostart on login.
System Tray
Minimize to tray and keep quick access without cluttering your desktop.
More from the app
Attentio CLI
A fast command-line tool built in Rust — control and script your devices over USB & BLE
Capabilities
- • Device discovery & listing over USB and Bluetooth Low Energy
- • LED control — set RGB/HSV colors and adjust brightness
- • Power management — wake from or enter low-power mode
- • Settings management — list, get, set, and save/load to JSON
- • Firmware updates via DFU and bootloader mode entry
- • Interactive two-pane monitor dashboard with auto-reconnect
Hardware Design
PCB designed in KiCad featuring STM32C071RB MCU and ESP32-C3 wireless module
Enclosure Design
Enclosure designed with OnShape and 3D-printed in three parts: translucent diffuser top, solid base, and user button
Design Features
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Compact Dimensions
57 x 57 x 41 mm (W x L x H), 58 mm (L) w/ button
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Diffuser Top
Translucent top piece for soft and even light distribution
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Base
Simplistic and elegant housing for the internal components
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User Button
Intuitive button integrated in front of the enclosure
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Threaded Insert Slots
For mechanical ruggedness, ensuring durable user button and USB-C connector
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Snap-Fit Assembly
Tool-free assembly with snap-fit joints for the base and diffuser top
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Reset Button Access
Pinhole on the back for reset button
Firmware Architecture
Real-time firmware built with ChibiOS/RT on the STM32C071 host and ESP-IDF + FreeRTOS on the ESP32-C3 wireless module, bridged by a UART link. USB DFU bootloader integration for the host.
The Wireless Module (ESP32-C3) bridges the STM32 host to wireless control over a 921600 baud UART link. It runs a NimBLE BLE peripheral advertising as AttentioLight-1 with Just-Works pairing, LE Secure Connections, and bonding persisted in NVS — so a phone or host can drive the device with the same Attentio Protocol used over USB.
Production
Everything you need to build your own AttentioLight from PCB fabrication to final assembly
PCB Manufacturing
Designed for manual and production pick-and-place assembly
- • 50x50mm (W x L)
- • 4-layer PCB, 1.6mm thickness
- • LeadFree HASL surface finish
- • Solder paste applicable with stencil
- • Hotplate reflow soldering
3D-Printing
Recommended print settings for the enclosure:
PETG Translucent / PC Transparent
PLA
0.4mm
0.16mm
None
Assembly Instructions
Follow these steps to assemble your AttentioLight:
- 1 Solder SMD and through-hole components to the PCBs (or order pre-assembled)
- 2 Assemble the PCBs by connecting the LED Module PCB to the Mainboard PCB
- 3 In the enclosure base, insert the threaded inserts with a soldering iron or heat tool
- 4 On the enclosure user button, snap-off the support pin and place the button from the inside of the enclosure base in the button hole, and with the snapped-off side facing down
- 5 Place the assembled PCBs together in the enclosure base, and use screws to attach the PCBs to the base
- 6 Power-up the device by inserting a USB-C cable on the back side of the enclosure base, from a computer
- 7 Connect a debug probe (e.g. ST-Link) to SWD connector, flash the bootloader firmware onto the device, and disconnect the debug probe
- 8 Snap-on the diffuser top to the enclosure base
- 9 With the USB-C cable connected to a computer, flash application firmware over USB w/ USB DFU (integrated in bootloader)
For more details about flashing the firmware, visit the firmware repository.
Photo Gallery
Pictures from development and production
Get in Touch
Interested in working together or have questions about the project?
Whether you're interested in collaboration, need consultation on embedded systems, firmware, or hardware design, or simply have questions about the project — I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out and let's start a conversation.