YOU CAN TURN IKEA'S LED WALL LAMP INTO A DISPLAY YOU PROGRAM
One board swap turns a wall lamp with fixed patterns into a screen you write code for.
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- ●●●○○
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- an evening
- license
- MIT
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- repo ACTIVE877 stars
●●●○○ · an evening · MIT · 877 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
This project is for someone who already owns the OBEGRANSAD lamp or does not mind buying one just to gut it. The swap itself is straightforward: open the riveted back, remove the original microcontroller from the lowest LED plate, wire an ESP32 (or another supported board) to the plate's six connectors, flash the firmware, and the lamp becomes a programmable 16×16 grid. The firmware is mature — maintained since late 2022, active this month, and the feature set is complete: web interface, clock, games, scrolling text, weather, Home Assistant, and an HTTP API. The main trap is that opening the lamp is permanent: IKEA uses rivets that you pry or drill out. If you already have the lamp sitting on a shelf doing nothing, this is a clean weekend upgrade. If you are buying the lamp just for this, make sure you actually want a 16×16 display on your wall, because that is all it will ever be once you are done.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Firmware is MIT licensed and permits commercial use.
- —A pin table for each supported board and photos of the opened lamp are in the README; there is no separate component list.
- —No PCB files — the microcontroller is soldered directly to the lamp's LED panel.
- —The IKEA OBEGRÄNSAD lamp is not included; you buy it separately and check the current price at your local IKEA.
- —Repository has been actively maintained for over three years, last commit this month.
- —Web interface, HTTP API, DDP streaming and Home Assistant integration (via HACS or the HTTP API) are all included in the firmware.
Parts to buy
3 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
Make Magazin: swapping the IKEA lamp's CPU (German)
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Check IKEA availability in your region(IKEA stock varies by country; make sure the lamp is available to you first.)
- 2.Read the wiring documentation (The repository has a diagram showing which pins on the LED panel connect to which pins on the microcontroller.)
- 3.Order the microcontroller and any missing tools(ESP32 or Arduino; the repository lists compatible boards.)
- 4.Flash the firmware before you open the lamp(Confirm the board works and the web interface loads before you commit to the solder work.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- IKEA stock varies by country; confirm you can actually buy the OBEGRÄNSAD lamp before ordering the microcontroller.
- Always unplug the lamp before opening it or soldering to the LED plate, and double-check every connection against the README pin table before powering it up again.
- The LED panel uses a specific header pinout; solder to the wrong pins and nothing will light up, or worse, you will short the power rail.
- If you have never soldered to a header before, practice on scrap first — the panel is not replaceable if you rip a trace.
- The lamp's diffuser makes the 16×16 grid look softer but also reduces sharpness; if you need crisp pixels, this is not the hardware for it.
- Web interface and Home Assistant integration require the ESP32 or a compatible board with Wi-Fi; the Arduino version loses those features.
Can I use this with the lamp still doing its original job?
No. The original board is removed entirely and replaced with your own microcontroller. Once you do this, the lamp is a display and nothing else.
Does the firmware work without Wi-Fi?
Partly. On non-ESP Arduino boards the README says WiFi, OTA and the web server have to be removed, so you lose the web interface, Home Assistant and the API. Offline plugins such as the games and animations can still be switched with the button; network-based ones like the weather need Wi-Fi.
What happens if IKEA changes the lamp's internals?
The project is tied to the current OBEGRANSAD hardware. If IKEA ships a new version with a different panel or pinout, the wiring will not match and you will need to reverse-engineer it yourself.
Can I run this off a battery?
The repository does not document battery power, and the lamp's enclosure is designed for mains. You would need to calculate the current draw, add a battery pack, and modify the enclosure — none of which is covered in the build.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The firmware has been maintained since late 2022 — clocks, games like Tetris and Snake, live drawing, scrolling messages and Home Assistant support. What would you actually use a 16×16 wall display for?
Philip Stapelfeldt
Philip Stapelfeldt, a software developer from Germany, built this firmware to turn an IKEA lamp into a display he could actually program. The project has been maintained for over three years and was still receiving updates this month.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the README has a pin table for a range of boards (ESP32 recommended, plus ESP32-C3, ESP8266 and others), photos of the opened lamp and step-by-step notes, but no PCB files — you wire a dev board to the six connectors on the lowest LED plate and remove the lamp's original microcontroller. Opening the lamp means prying or drilling out IKEA's rivets, so decide up front whether you mind a permanent change. The firmware is feature-rich and actively maintained, with commits as recent as October 2026: a web GUI, an HTTP API, OTA updates, DDP streaming and Home Assistant support through a HACS integration or the HTTP API. Non-ESP Arduino boards lose the WiFi, OTA and web features, so an ESP32 is the sensible choice. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.