There is a bug that doesnt allow you to download all files. I manually added a .zip file with all files inside!

I designed my own version of the Hexagonal Nanoleafs.

For people who look for an easier project without the soldering, please check out my No Soldering Version. https://thingiverse.com/thing:5207176

Why is this version better than others?

+ better light dispersion The panels are homogenous illuminated
+ cover design Do you want a clean cover or a little more extra? Let your creativity run free.
+ all kind of panel arrangements If you want 5 or 50 panels, this design will suit your creativity
+ long time stability LED Strips are held without adhesives that stops sticking after some time
+ easy connectable Panels are slotted together without glue or extra pieces
+ No funky wires wires are easily managed with cable shrouds
+ clean outside No holes or extra connectors on the outside of your panel arrangement
- plan first, print second Due to the connectors being different on every piece, you need to plan your arrangement first before you can start printing
- long print time The panels are intricate and take longer to print than other designs
- Do not scale The panels are designed with the thickness and spacing of your LED Strip in mind. Scaling will result in your LED Strip not fitting perfectly
- soldering beginner level soldering skills required

Instructions
Step 1: Planning

I supplied a lot of files enabling all kind of shapes and configurations for your very own Hexaleaf. Plan how you want to arrange them on the wall. Extravagant irregular shapes are possible!

Make a list of what number and kind of Hexaleafs you need to print and what kind of LED Strips you want to use.
I used WS2812b LED Strips with 60 LEDs/m.
Every Hexaleaf takes 60 cm of Light Strip, so 18 or 36 LEDs depending on whether you use 30 or 60 LEDs/m. Both work fine.
Depending on whether you use IP30 (non-waterproof) or IP65 (waterproof) Strips there are different file versions due to the IP65 Strips being a bit thicker.

All pieces will be a bit different due to the connectors being on different sides. This enables clean outside faces without unnecessary connectors and also all kinds of different arrangements. I used the following method to labeling them:

m – male connector / connector on the outside (three bottom sides)
f – female connector / connector on the inside (three top sides)
0 – no connector / outside face

If you draw out how you want the finished pieces to be arranged, it should be easy to make a list of all the pieces you will need. The labels for the pieces I used in my arrangement can be seen in the Arrangement picture.

Each LED draws up to 50 mA at full brightness. My Arrangement has 516 LEDs, therefore I am using an external 20 A Powersupply.

The WS2812 LED Strips call for extra power delivery every 5 m.
If you plan for large arrangements make sure to route extra power cables. I went a bit overboard and made extra connections about every 1 meter which is probably unnecessary but better be safe than sorry.

Lastly what kind of cover do you want? I designed my own tree cover (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5025463) though I also left a file with just the rim if you don’t want anything special. I do recommend designing your own or checking out the 100Hex Project for a bunch of inspirations (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2477471).

Step 2: Printing

The pieces are all connected by just slotting them into each other. To make sure they will fit perfectly I recommend printing two of the Connector Testpieces. They should twist perfectly into each other. If you are using CURA, you can adjust the tolerances with the property "Horizontal Expansion" that can be found under "Walls".

I printed my pieces with a 0,4 mm nozzle at 0,2 mm layer height without any brim or raft. Every piece took about 6 hours to print and weighs about 50 g.

Mark every piece to not lose track of already printed pieces and its position.

I cut out all the diffuser panels from paper, but you can also use the supplied diffuser file to print them.

Step 3: Assembly

I soldered every LED Strip to some wire with pin connectors so I can finish all soldering before assembly.

To fit the LED Strips into their position I recommend bending the strips every 3 / 6 LEDs (for IP65 Strips I recommend cutting away the insulation at the bends) and then slotting them into position without using their adhesive tape.

Connect all the Hexaleaf pieces and route extra power cables.

I glue stripped the Hexaleaf arrangement onto a piece of cardboard and made some holes in the cardboard to hang it on the wall. It should be fine without the cardboard, but you also eliminate some light bleed on the wall.

Step 4: Programming

I used a ESP8266 (WEMOS D1 Mini) to control the LEDs.
Using the WLED Project you have access to an easy control interface with numerous presets and a very well documented help guide.
This allows you to control your Hexaleafs with an App or a website over WiFi. Using the start-up guide you can program the ESP8266 with a browser-based interface https://install.wled.me/ and do everything else using the App.

https://kno.wled.ge/basics/getting-started/

The App allows you to create segments to group all LEDs in a Hexaleaf together so that you can color each one individually.

Hope you like my design. I would love to see your creations!