I'm not sure if this belongs in DIY since it's an electronics project but it is a lighting project so I'll give it a shot.I made an LED lighting system using a Raspberry Pi running Home Assistant as an MQTT broker, and ESP 12E development boards as MQTT clients. Each ESP controls one LED strip or one set of LED strips for different parts of the bedroom (so for example, one client would be the "bed" client which would run the LEDs under the bed). So far, I've only finished the software and wiring phases, but I have two issues (one hardware and one software issue) that I need to address and can't figure out a proper solution:Hardware - I'm using these WS2812B LED strips, and I need various couplers for them. I'm having trouble finding 3-pin couplers, all I can find is 2 and 4 pin ones. Do you guys know of any seller that might carry some? Ideally, I'd like them to "clips" such as these, but I'm okay with anything at this point. If possible, I also would like to get some 90-degree ones and T/X shaped ones, but I'm not holding my breath on those.Software - I'm making this system for my SO and I'll be moving away for rotations (med student) soon, so I want to make the system as hands-off as possible for her sake since I won't be around to fix it. Having the RPi serving as the MQTT broker adds an extra layer where things can go wrong, so is there a better solution? Is there a good Android MQTT broker? The few I've tried are either only clients or they're more for testing purposes and you have to manually enter in the MQTT message. I'm looking for something where I can setup an interface with buttons, drop-downs, and sliders. I can put in the messages manually initially, but I don't want to have her dealing with that.I appreciate your help. Please let me know if this question would better go into a different sub! via /r/DIY http://ift.tt/2oVXSwC
