So I had installed some LED strip lights underneath the cabinets of my kitchen so they would shine down on the countertops. The problem is that you have to constantly plug and unplug the lights when they aren't in use and the outlet is a little hard to reach.
I was thinking about attaching a mini Arduino or a mini Arduino Pro with a wifi shield like an ESP8266 but it seems like there's a lot of wiring involved and I would like to be able to hide those away with ease. I was hoping you guys could help me out with finding a combination of a small Arduino and a WiFi accessory so wiring was kept to a minimum.
I also ran into the problem of powering the whole thing. Ideally, I'd like everything to run by the power that comes from the wall, so that includes the Arduino and the LED strip which uses a 12V 3A adapter but I have no idea how to wire everything together.
Thanks for giving this a read, I'm looking forward to your suggestions
An ESP8266 board like the NodeMCU could probably do the job by itself. The ESP modules are way more than just WiFi modules. They are stand alone Processors that are faster and more capable than many Arduino boards. The ESP modules can be programmed using the Arduino IDE and the ESP-Arduino core.
I wouldn't use a microcontroller at all. There are a TON of various full featured IR or RF remotes with in-line receivers for all kinds of LED lights.
Show the exact LED strip you have if you want help finding the right remote pair.
Even if you want to use an Arduino to make a custom control panel (transmitter), you can easily keep the receiver on the LED strip and work with the IR or RF frequency used.
I would use an esp-01 module, a regulator module based on ams1117 and a logic-level MOSFET such as stp16nf06l. Also get a usb programmer module for the esp. No other Arduino required because the esp can be programmed using Arduino IDE. Should be easy to construct the circuit using small piece of Tri-pad or similar board and some screw terminals. Mount the esp-01 module using female headers because you will probably need to remove it to re-program as the project develops.
