Sorry if there are formatting errors and such I am on mobile.

Basics

You should really consider a better HUB/products if you want this level of automation. You are going to want an offline hub such as Vera or Homeseer (what I use). Homeseer I know will interface with the echo Vera should. Hubs like wink/SmartThings end up not working when...

1. Your router doesn't work
   
2. Your ISP's connection drops
   
3. Hub's service provider (AWS most likely) goes down
   
4. Hub cloud service doesn't work or needs maintenance
   
5. Random outages/problems
   
   Similarly, you should NOT get a nest (or EcoBee). I have a nest and while I love the design it is fickle. I would instead recommend a z-wave thermostat. With a z-wave thermostat you can do almost everything nest can (no auto scheduling). Already Purchased
   
    
   
   You should seriously consider a different HUB
   
   

   Dimmers and Wall Switches
   

   
   Here is a good place to start. Lutron dimmers are fantastics although they can be a bit pricy (I don't think you mentioned a budget...). Other options include the GE 12724 for dimming if you want to go z-wave over Lutron. And, the GE 12722 for regular on/off. Or Homeseer is releasing new switches soon that look fantastic (Also z-wave)!
   
   Here's some more info. 1 2 3 4
   
   

   Garage Opener
   

   
   Chamberlain is great!
   
   

   Security
   

   
   If you cannot change/return your system that fine but I would recommend a DSC power series system as they almost universally integrate with automation systems Homeseer has a plugin as does Vera.
   
   

   Audio
   

   
   Sonos is fine. It can be controlled via Homeseer/Vera (Think announcements). Or you can get an Echo Dot and connect it to the sonos connect via an audio cable. GET a WHA controller (Check the Outdoor speaker section for recommendations)
   
   

   Front Door Cam/Doorbell
   

   
   Either Doorbird a doorbell and camera (expensive) or a normal doorbell with an IP camera with motion record. The integrated solution is better but of course more expensive. If you end up with IP cameras you should consider Hikvison they seem to make the best cameras for the money.
   
   

   Outdoor Light
   

   Just install the smart switch of your choice.
   
   

   Fan's
   

   Not sure sorry. :-( GE has a fan controlling switch but I doubt it would work as you mention remotes...
   
   

   Under Cabinet Lighting
   

   Hue lightstips, Aeon lightstrips or a WIFI / Z-wave LED controller with regular strips. (Will edit later with links)
   
   

   Outdoor Speakers
   

   The Daytons are fine you could also go with Yamaha NS-AW150. For integration you could connect them to the MONOPRICE 6 Zone Controller and AMP. You could also connect the Sonos CONNECT to the monopice and have outdoor audio + sonos audio and send audio to any other zones you have!
   
   
   
    
   
   PM me or comment if you need any more info :-)
   
    
   
   *Will edit and add more info when I get to a keyboard.

Turning the TV on/off is always a fun one, even better because it only needs an IR LED.
You can probably put together your own beginners kit after browsing amazon and proto-pic, rather than buying a pre-made one.
It will be cheaper, and have all kinds of cool stuff the kits don't e.g. This ultrasound distance measurer which only costs £1.10
Or an LCD Display for £1.70.

It will take longer to work out, but you'll understand it better and it's much cheaper. Depends how much you value time vs. money.

Or you can pick up something like the Sainsmart kit's on amazon that are basically just big bundles of components much cheaper than official kits.
They don't come with tutorials, but you can find everything you need online and the basic getting started tutorials are on the arduino website. After that googling the component or asking around here is pretty much all you need.

Got to go now but message me if you want advice on anything and have fun, it's a great hobby :D

Ahhh, well since you give me a great link to the molding side of it, maybe I can help you on the controller side.

Fibaro RGBW Micro Controller Z-wave, Works with RGB/RGBW LED Strips

Now, I know what you'll think, because I thought it too - $70 for a dinky Z-Wave LED light controller? WTF?!

But it's actually so much more. Besides DC in (BTW, it takes 12 or 24volts, too) & Ground there's "IN1", "IN2", "IN3", "IN4", "R", "G", "B", "W". And the manual is odd too. You connect the LEDs up, then you have to wire switches into it too, etc etc - I haven't totally figured it out, but it's kinda neat. Also you can get it running on SmartThings. I've just migrated from ST to Home Assistant with a Aeotec Z-Wave stick and a deConz Zigbee stick.

The 4 "IN"s can be used for multiple sensors - which I might have to give a shot.

Anyway, what I've done is hookup 2 light strips to the controller - one is RGB, the other cold white (It's what I have at hand, and I like the color reproduction etc etc, haven't played with many RGBW lights). I typically use a white LED strip with 60 LEDs/meter, and then the RGB is 120 LEDs/meter.

You can control almost an unlimited number of strips with the one Fibaro controller - the secret is to add in RGB LED Amplifiers when the colors start going wonky. Honestly, they're cheap enough I do it between every set of LEDs I intend to connect together.

In testing, I found I like the look for the RGB LEDs closer to the wall, and then the White strip.

So there you go - hope I didn't confuse you there, trying to bang this out and get back to running ethernet throughout the house. Let me know if you have any questions.

I have about 4 different locations with these LED strip lighting. I use Cat 6 cable to do the runs. For example many of my LED strips are RGBW so you need 5 wires to make them work. Well cat 6 or even 5 as you know has 8 wires nice solid core stuff that is easy to solder. I've even contemplated using a patch panel as a DC distribution point and using RJ connector but have not done that yet since I'm pretty much done adding LEDs. BTW old desktop power supplies make great 12 volt power sources. As a controllers I use this with my Veralite system.

I'd run some 12 volt tot he kitchen for sure for under cabinet lights. Stair ways are also a nice touch

Search for Max7219 on amazon, want it quick https://www.amazon.com/ZYAMY-MAX7219-Interface-Single-Chip-Finished/dp/B07775NFS1, cheaper slower. Buy the number of panels you need, chain them together, and drive them from something like a blue pill. This site talks about chaining them together. https://howtomechatronics.com/tutorials/arduino/8x8-led-matrix-max7219-tutorial-scrolling-text-android-control-via-bluetooth/

The blue pill https://www.amazon.com/initeq-STM32F103C8T6-Minimum-Development-Programmer/dp/B079B95L9Y is pretty cheap and works well, easily able to pick them up for $2-3 if you are willing to wait. I do recommend the stlink programmer to get the arduino environment on them to make it easy for yourself, https://github.com/stm32duino/wiki/wiki.

Add buttons, and you are good to go. Really have a hard time getting simpler than that. With a little work it would be easy to build something like this as a scoreboard too.

EDIT: forgot the site link for chaining, added

Ah, I've never worked with paper lanterns but I imagine they would be kind of a hassle for sure. That'd be a really cool idea just as outdoor lighting though! get a strip of "bullet lights" and run it along some space. hang the lanterns off the string of lights so the lights end up inside the lanterns. That'd be awesome looking at night! Hell, you could remove the lightning from my storm cloud and just run that across them, too.


For smaller clouds I've bought what look like tiny clear ketchup containers ( like this https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1wCL0JFXXXXawXFXXq6xXFXXXm/New-50pcs-x50-ml-Tip-cover-bottle-Soft-squeezable-bottle-Small-sample-bottles-Empty-bottles-Empty.jpg ) and shoved the microcontroller and a pre-made 8 neopixel strip ( https://www.amazon.com/Adafruit-NeoPixel-Arduino-Integrated-Drivers/dp/B00IEDH26K/ ) into it, then glued fluff around that. You could bang a cloud out in a half hour like that ( plus whatever time you put into the holder. )

Here's what I mean when I says "bullet lights" https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bullet+neopixels&ref=nb_sb_noss

Forgive the 100% newbness, but I'm thinking of doing this as my first electronics project (I'm a software engineer by day).

I created a slightly different parts list through adafruit.com here: ESP8266 BTC ticker parts.

The main differences are:

• Instead of the FTDI Basic Breakout, I'm hoping to use the FTDI Serial TTL-232 USB Cable
  
• I swapped the Monochrome 0.96" 128x64 OLED for the Monochrome 128x32 I2C OLED
  
• I couldn't find 330 ohm resistors, wondering if 220 ohm or 470 ohm would suffice?
  
  Do you think I could work through the tutorial with my altered parts lists? Also, how to power this device on its own? Should I purchase a battery as well?
  
  Thanks for any help in advance!

I went with this one. You can get them on AliExpress a little cheaper if you're willing to wait.


I'm using a fresnel lens to shorten the focal length to a something like 3", then a clear piece of acrylic as a prism to bounce the light into my eye.


I usually use actual microdisplays, but I've been wanting to make something for a friend. So, I started trying to figure out how to save money. I can get a cheap 18650 battery/charger for like $3 from China, then run it into a pi-zero, so another $10, and use this as a display. I think I can pull the whole thing off for around $30.

I use one of these for the LED's behind my TV.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1N68FW/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495035763&sr=sr-1&keywords=fibaro
connects to smart things, can be auotmated.
I haven't had the greatest success though in controlling it via voice (i use echo).
For some reason when i try to rename the device in smart things, it no longer connects.
However having it part of a 'routine' works very well.
Turn on/off at certain times or as part of a macro like "good night" or what not.

It’s finally done (For now)!

I’ve been working on a Minty Pi since I heard about the Minty Pi project from Helder and Wermy. Because I missed the cutoff for the preordering system and there was no way for me to get one any time soon I decided to make my own.

As you might have guessed, yes, this isn’t my first attempt at making a small portable Retropie machine. Let’s just say, version 1 was a complete failure (but taught me things), and version 2 taught me the importance of space efficiency.

This is now version 3. It’s fully playable with anything for 4 face buttons and two shoulders. It has a 2000mah batter good for 3-4 hours of gameplay.

Here’s my parts list—

($13.99)Hiletgo 2.8 lcd screen - pain in the ass to work with but this website helped a lot.

($4.99)Adafruit PiGrrl 2.0 Gamepad - works ok for now.

($19.99)Adafruit Powerboost 1000C - probably overkill but it runs everything without a hitch

($14.99)3.7v 2000mAh Li-ion battery - works ok

($10.00)Raspberry pi Zero W - wish there was an audio out port

($2.50)10 6mm tactile switches - they work for now. Gaming past an hour kinda hurts.

($1.50)2 12mm tactile switches - nice feel for the usefulness

($1.00)SPDT slide switch - definitely helps to turn off the system

($2.97)Altoids tin - any flavor is nice

($Various)22ga copper wire
28ga rainbow wire
Electrical tape
Hot glue

The biggest pain in the butt was to get the screen up to enough refresh rate that I had very few issues with lag. I used this website to get the screen up and running (lots of testing) then tweaked the screen size (320x240) and the screen speed (12000000) till I could run SNES and Gameboy without many issues.

Edit: Added prices

There's a whole world of stuff, it really depends on what kind of thing he finds exciting.

Here are two ideas of things I think are really cool and would make a fun birthday presents for an Arduino fan.

Little OLED display

https://www.amazon.com/Heltec-Automation-HTDS-WI96-0-96inch-comminication/dp/B0742BJPNF/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1543406669&sr=8-29&keywords=oled+display

Basically an Arduino with built in WiFi ( and a lot more features )

https://www.amazon.com/HiLetgo-ESP-WROOM-32-Development-Microcontroller-Integrated/dp/B0718T232Z/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1543406789&sr=1-3&keywords=esp32

If you don't mind going the DIY route, you could probably come in under $100 for parts for the strips:

• LED Strips - https://www.amazon.com/SUPERNIGHT-16-4ft-300leds-Waterproof-Flexible/dp/B00KYKEUXO/
  
• Power Supply - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073QTNF9F/
  
• Wifi controller - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DY56N8U/
  
• Extension cable - https://www.amazon.com/LEDENET-Extension-Cable-Color-ribbon/dp/B00J4HI746/
  
• Snap-on Connectors - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CNYZ0NW/
  
• Channel for mounting - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LL2SLME/
  
  Instead of the flat channel, you might be better off with angled channel for mounting the strips above the cabinets, since they'll throw more light on the wall, which is what you'll actually see - https://www.amazon.com/LEDwholesalers-Aluminum-Mounting-Installations-1901-V/dp/B00PJSSD7K/
  
  There's a ZWave RGBW controller but it's more expensive than the wifi one and can take some more configuration: https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW/
  
  If you get the snap-on connectors, I recommend putting a small amount of solder on all of the pads where you'll be connecting them on the strips, so that they make a good connection.
  
  As for the puck lights, you could probably get something like this and wire the distributor to the wifi/ZWave controller, instead of plugging it into the controller it comes with: https://www.amazon.com/Changing-Christmas-Furniture-Ambiance-Lighting/dp/B01N2I47VH/ref=sr_1_2

You're asking a lot here. If it was simply Bluetooth/Aux, I'd suggest that you gut the head unit, stuff one of these in there, and solder leads from the forward/back/play/pause switches on the amplifier to the 1 2 3 4 5 presets on the head unit.

You could try running the speaker outputs from the amp board, through the volume pot of the head-unit faceplate and then from there to the separate amplifier, which should give you analog audio control from the original volume knob. Presumably the external amplifier would have connectors for a sub.

This would give you Aux-in and BT sources, volume control, and control of your BT source from the faceplate, but not AM/FM radio or an EQ. There are third-party DSPs that you can use to tweak the audio, which I can't tell you much about because I'm not a car audio guy.

My inclination is to tell you to lower your expectations and just design it around BT and Aux, but that's not what DIYers want to hear. You might be able to incorporate all of this stuff by learning all about Arduino, and linking together a bunch of modules, and writing your own software. If you did that you could even fit a new OLED display into the faceplate and program yourself a totally custom readout! None of this hardware is expensive-- most Arduino modules are available shipped from China for a few dollars apiece, but you're going to have to learn a LOT if you're not already familiar with programming and basic electronic principles.

Good luck!

Here are some cheap 7 segment displays. The wiring is pretty simple, just connect one of the pins on the 7 segment display to ground. The pin is usually marked with a white dot. Then connect an IO pin to each of the other pins and setting the arduino pin high will turn the corresponding segment of the display to light up. You will probably need a Mega for all the pins. Then create functions in the code which set certain pins high and others low to form letters. Then use the delay(1000); command to time things. It sounds complicated in words but its actually an easy thing to do hands on. Once you get the wiring done, if you tell me the pins, I might even be able to write all the code for you, then you could just copy it into your Arduino. Hope this helped!

I've done some cli stuff in the past, but I'm pretty rusty on it.

The display is this one the same store sells a P4 one that has reviews of people getting it to work with the adafruit hat. The rest of my setup is a pi zero w 1.1 with a soldered header (possible failure here, although I'm pretty confident in my soldering), adafruit rgb matrix bonnet, and usb hub


I'll probably start from scratch with an adafruit tutorial to at least get the display working. Some of my problems could be from my raspbian installation. The first issue I ran into was with the micro sd card I was using, so I initially installed raspbian full from NOOBS.

I'll feel better once I get the panel to display anything at all.

I'd buy a 10-slot USB hub for $10, and save even more. That drops the price per student down about 9 more dollars.

Pay $2 per SD Card Thats another $5 off. There are 2gb distros available for RPi; this is just for typing lessons.

Assume Model A, so $10 more off.

Disregard case, acquire creativity: cigarette packs, decks of cards, shoot: I kept mine in a motherboard ESD bag under the couch for 2 weeks. Thats another $9 off.

$3.60 for a fold up keyboard Thats another $6

Switch to a way lower resolution $6.40 LCD and save another $12.

Now I'm at $45 :) If I lived in Bangladesh and wanted to teach typing for $50, that's how I'd do it.

My only concern with all of this would be stable voltage levels...I've seen what the power lines look like in Bangladesh.

Thank you! This will be a huge help!
I found this one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CZL6QIQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PG6JDbFR0CHDB

However that board on the back of it adds too much length, if the board was the same size as the screen it would work perfectly. I'm having a rough time with this lol I've been searching for a solution for a while now. I've explored using the original screen but can't find any info on how to connect it to a Pi.

I'm using cheap LED strips off of Amazon.

I have one strip controlled by a Fibaro RGBW controller.

The others are controlled by Raspberry Pis, with custom scripts to handle fades, strobes, etc.

They are very bright when it's dark out. We could see them very clearly from about 2/10ths of a mile away. I have one setting that looks like strobes from a police car. I haven't tested that one outside yet though. The plan is to use it if someone comes around licking door handles.

The picture I posted is from the blue being set at 100%.

Oh, and a video of police mode inside.

Salut le FL ! J'aurais besoin d'un peu d'aide, c'est pour une idée de cadeau.En gros l'idée serait de trouver l'équivalent d'un lecteur MP3, mais dans un format plus grand, et fixe. Avec une capacité de stockage assez importante ou extensible par carte SD/Disque Dur. je sais qu'une tablette tactile peux faire ça, mais ce serait vraiment pour utiliser uniquement comme lecteur de musique, qui resteras toujours dans cette pièce. Je sais pas si c'est super clair...

EDIT : En gros ça : https://www.amazon.fr/Logitech-Squeezebox-Lecteur-sans-fil-num%C3%A9riques/dp/B002N203SW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481277863&sr=8-1&keywords=Squeezebox+Touch

Mais qui ne coûte pas un reins...

EDIT 2 : Bon vu le peu d'offres existantes et les tarifs prohibitifs de celles ci, je pense me tourner vers l'achat d'une tablette tactile qui fera office de lecteur. Vous avez des tuyaux pour un tablette tactile avec mémoire extensible jusqu’à mini 100 go, assez performante pour gérer la lecture et la navigation dans 80 go de musique, de préférence sous android ?

This is pretty much the best option for LED strips. You can set up 4 different sets from this one z-wave device.
https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW

I did have some code for it, but I can't seem to find the file where I saved it. It was fairly simple though. I will keep looking, but you might write a new one before I end up finding it.

For the odometer, I think I am going to have a second arduino (the Leonardo) powering two of these 4x20 screens and doing all the communication to my vehicle's computer.

So I will need the Leo to be able to query the odometer (trip and total) data from the Uno. Is that something you are up to coding for? (I would feel like paying you extra for this integration. Honestly, I wouldn't mind outsourcing this whole thing just so I can get it finished fast. This is great)

I agree with everyone else, any speakers you want and connect it to the dot. what kind of light strip do you have? Or are you looking for one? Amazon has the Sylvania one on sale right now.

https://smile.amazon.com/SYLVANIA-ZigBee-Starter-SmartThings-Assistant/dp/B00R1PB80I?sa-no-redirect=1

Great thing is you can buy a cheap Chinese Led strip to extend it for cheap, just make sure it's a 5 pin strip.

If you are looking for a zwave controller I would go with the Fibraro micro controller:

https://smile.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW?sa-no-redirect=1

Of course you would then need a hub. I personally use smartthings but if you are more technically inclined and want everything to stay local you can use it with HASS, you'll just need to pick up a zwave/zigbee stick.

I use this. Super loud and great for multitasking. However, the alarm only lasts for 1 minute before turning itself off.

edit: Generic version from amazon.

Thank you so much! This is very useful information. My plan was to use one of the following 2 z-wave controllers, but whether I can use 1 or if I"ll need more will depend on the actual power requirements of these strips.
Fibaro
Qubino

I'm going to email the seller to see if they can clarify the power information.

edit: The seller responded and they said 85 watts is correct. Ultimately doesn't matter since I overlooked the fact that they are not outdoor rated! Any recommendation for quality affordable strip lights? I'm looking at something like this now.
LEDENET RGBW

I don't know of any "smart" controller that can handle more than one run of RGBW(W). The Fibaro can handle two separate runs of white (for a max of four strips without a booster), controlled through the color channels. So, having three runs would be three controllers. Although that would allow the three runs to be controlled independently, it would be with the price tag of three controllers (and the effort of setting them up). And those controllers would still need power, so it's the same thing in terms of wiring.

If there's a controller that can support multiple strips as separate "devices", I'd be very interested.

2 boards one 320 driver or 4 an 2....

4 boards one 600 driver, shop around for better prices. I've been buyin the “A” series drivers as they all put out more then the “B” series

https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/products/qb288-v1-slate-2-single-combo
.
Check this out at Amazon.com
[PowerNex] Mean Well HLG-320H-C2800A 114V 2800mA 319.2W Single Output Switching LED Power Supply with PFC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVTRN6S/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_2kcCCb26MN94K
.
Check this out at Amazon.com
[PowerNex] Mean Well HLG-600H-54A 54V 11.2A 604.8W Single Output Switching LED Power Supply with PFC https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019RNT1L4/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_FocCCb1TFPY0M

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW/ref=sr_1_1

---

Never forget to smile again | ^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

I used the OLED screen from amazon - Link to Product
But a lcd monitor should be even easier to hookup imo. You can same-day ship things from Amazon depending on where you live.

Can you upload a picture of your wiring? I'll take a look

I spent a little time looking into lighting one room in my house solely with LED strips last year. I was primarily looking at cheap, 5-meter strips on Amazon, and thinking of controlling them with something like Fibaro's Zwave controller. Some things might have changed in the last year, but probably not much:

LED strips (generally) aren't as efficient as LED bulbs. It's hard to pin down numbers on this, and I may be wrong, but that's the impression I got after a lot of reading.

Low-voltage DC wiring over long distances has significant problems: Voltage drop and current limits are a function of the length and diameter of the wire, respectively. A 3 volt drop is insignificant for 120V AC power, but is 25% of 12V system. Power (watts, which will correspond to lumens) is a function of voltage and current. If you reduce the voltage by a factor of 10 (120 to 12) you lose 90% of the power you can shove through a given wire. You can compensate by using thicker diameter wire (expensive) or running higher voltage DC power (24 or even 48 volt).

You already touched on the price and length issue: With LED strips, you generally determine the length of the strip by the length of the wall or ceiling you want to run the strip along (even if a meter of LED strip provides enough light for the room, you don't want a single meter of LED strip in the center of the ceiling - that would just look weird).

I do have some LED strips in my house - they're fantastic for above and below cabinets, and I also have a couple strips above my workbench - it's almost impossible to cast a shadow on my workbench now.


Edit: I forgot to mention Wife-Approval-Factor - my wife absolutely refused to have "exposed" LED strips anywhere in the main living areas. And she has a point - they're not the most aesthetically-pleasing light sources. That limits you to indirect lighting (which you already specified) and means fewer lumens go to lighting the whole room, and you have to figure out tasteful way to hide the strips.


Anyway, that's my ramble on LED strips. Hopefully some part of it was useful.

Good luck with your new house!

You could look at something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503774345&sr=8-1&keywords=zwave+led
or
i have several of these in the office they work well
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MGTVORQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice, this should help me out quite a bit. I plan to pick up a Rpi along with a DHT11 temperature/humidity sensor soon enough so this should help me out quite a bit. I have a question though if anyone can shed some light on it, is this display! a good part to pick up with the Rpi? I plan on making it show the temp from the sensor every hour or so among other things.

This is a Sky Quality Meter used for measuring the light pollution and skyglow at your location. It outputs values in uW/cm^2 for the infrared
and visible specturm in addition to your limiting magnitude in Mag/arcsec^2.


It should be mentioned that these are all Amazon Prime links with two day shipping. If you can wait longer then, you can certainly get these components for far cheaper.

Rocker switch
http://smile.amazon.com/10Pcs-Round-Button-Rocker-Switch/dp/B00AKVBEN6
10 PCS @ $2.47 = $.25

Pushbutton
http://smile.amazon.com/Momentary-Tactile-Push-Button-Switch/dp/B00974ZGPE
10 PCS @ $5.59 = $.56

TSL2591 (High range light meter)
http://smile.amazon.com/Adafruit-TSL2591-Dynamic-Digital-ADA1980/dp/B00XW2OFWW
$11.44

MSP420 Stim32 I2C 128x64 OLED display
http://smile.amazon.com/SMAKN%C2%AE-Serial-128x64-Display-Arduino/dp/B010V0I8DY
$10.80

Arduino Pro Mini 16Mhz
http://smile.amazon.com/Enhancement-ATMEGA328P-Compatible-Arduino-TE362/dp/B015MGHLNA
5 PCS @ $15.99 = $3.20

5V Voltage Regulator
http://smile.amazon.com/Addicore-Positive-Regulator-L7805CV-Antistatic/dp/B00H7KTRO6
5 PCS @ $5.95 = $1.19

Grand total $27.44

You will also need an enclosure and a battery box or some other way of connecting power to the voltage regulator. I 3D-printed my enclosure but, I'm sure you can get
them cheap. As for a battery box, I use this:
http://smile.amazon.com/WAYLLSHINE-Battery-Spring-Plastic-Holder/dp/B019XT18IQ
6 PCS @ $6.98 = $1.16

I have no idea how to price the electrical tape you're going to need in order to cover the miniature star that is the power LED on the Pro Mini.

I suppose you could just desolder it. I'm not that brave. I used a 1/2 piece of black tape and blanketed the LED. Hopefully, not that much light will leak.

Thanks!

It’s a little color oled. This one specifically:

Fixed link:
HiLetgo 0.95" Inch 7 Pin Colorful... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711RKXB5?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I just bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW

Really pleased with it so far.

I don't know anything about the LIFX, but if you have (or plan on getting) a zwave controller, I'd go with the Fibaro LED Controller. With that, you could easily use any led strip you wanted.

I use a Fibaro RGBW microcontroller to control mine (under cabinets). It can be added to a simple momentary switch in the wall as well so you get the benefit of controlling it via a wall switch, and/or through your home automation system (it's a z-wave device so it works with both devices you named). The micro controller is a bit more expensive, but then you can spend a lot less on the actual RGBW strips.

https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479334032&sr=8-1&keywords=zwave+rgbw

How about an EL panel like this

Qubino makes one, as well as Fibaro

i recently made a timmer using an arduino and some 7-segment displays

i used these display(s)

added the tml637 library for arduino, and your code is as simple as it can be! of course this example is for a single 4char display (max 9999), you would need second display and split the number across the two displays, im also using "int" which has a max value much lower than 99million, but meh semantics

include <TM1637.h>

#define CLK 2<br />
#define DIO 3<br />
<br />
TM1637 tm1637(CLK,DIO);<br />
int ticker = 0;<br />
<br />
void setup() {<br />
    // put your setup code here, to run once:<br />
    tm1637.init();<br />
    tm1637.set(BRIGHT_DARKEST);<br />
    }<br />
<br />
void loop() {<br />
    tm1637.point(true); //enable the Colin<br />
    while(1){<br />
        ticketr++;<br />
        updateDisp(ticker);<br />
    }<br />
}<br />
<br />
//splt the whole number into digits<br />
void updateDisp(int t){<br />
    int m = t / 60; //minuts<br />
    int s = t % 60; //seconds<br />
    <br />
    int m0 = m / 10; minute first digit<br />
    int m1 = m % 10; minute second digit<br />
    <br />
    int s0 = (s / 10); second first digit<br />
    int s1 = (s % 10); second second digit<br />
    int8_t disp[] = {m0, m1, s0, s1};<br />
<br />
//write to display<br />
tm1637.display(disp); <br />
}<br />

//edit apparently reddit breaks code formatting? also downvotes...?

Do you have any documentation on how to program your LED.

Here is the part for the lazy

Why just not go for OLED displays ?

Specifically, for North Americans.

https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW

Check this guy out.
https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW

https://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW

What voltage do they need. 12 volt maybe 24 volt.

MY guess is you could hack in one of these

Firago..Fibrago? Has a Zwave controller for RGB(W?)

Edit: Fibaro!

I think he may be referring to this one... Fibaro RGBW Controller

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1N68FW/

http://www.amazon.com/Fibaro-Micro-Controller-Z-wave-Strips/dp/B00P1N68FW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452027496&sr=8-1&keywords=led+zwave+controller

LEDs were from https://www.ledworldlighting.com. Any controller would work, but the Z-wave I used is the Fibaro. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00P1N68FW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451773341&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=fibaro+rgbw&dpPl=1&dpID=41tT0RMfMlL&ref=plSrch.

Sorry for the long links I'm on mobile.

Other Z-Wave LED strip controllers include Fibaro Qubino RGBGenie.

I didn't realize the Hue line included LED strips. I apologize for any confusion.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0761LV1SD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can find them other places a little cheaper, but delivery is usually drop shipped from China so it takes longer.

PS: Do you have a link for the Fibaro dimmers? I'm looking but don't seem to see them, only a black box - no switch.

Hallelujah - I'm stoked on that RGBW light controller. Wish it was cheaper than that but that controller + 32 feet of light strip is still cheaper than 6ft of Phillips FOH strip.

Edit: I ordered a RGBW controller - I'll update when I receive/install it. (Wed 19th)

Edit 2: I don't like that your charge more for Amazon :( I understand it costs you more but I still don't like it.