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2 layers127 × 57.1 mmGlowtie, the printed circuit board in 3D

The light-up bowtie you control over Wifi

Size
127 × 57.1 mm
Copper layers
2
Thickness
1.6 mm
Parts
56
Nets
43
Pads
195
Tracks, vias
487, 25
Pours
4
Routed
Yes
KiCad
KiCad 4
Created
2 Feb 2019
Updated
11 Jan 2026

Overview

Glowtie is an open-source printed circuit board by sphawes, from the sphawes/glowtie repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 127 × 57.1 mm with 56 parts on 43 nets, routed with 487 tracks and 25 vias.

It is built around the ESP-12F, MCP1826S-3302E/DB and MCP73831, with the WS2812B among its other parts. Its parts include 16 diodes, 13 resistors, 10 connectors, 5 ICs and 2 inductors. It belongs with the radio and wireless boards and the ESP8266 boards of this library.

Main components

4

README

README.md

Connecting to your Glowtie

Android

  1. Turn on your Glowtie. There’s a power switch next to the micro usb jack. You should see a gold burst animation; this means the Wifi network has started.
  2. On your Android phone, turn off your mobile data. This is so that your phone doesn’t try to reach the actual internet instead of the Glowtie.
  3. Open your Wifi settings and look for a network named in the format “AdjectiveClothing”. For example, it could be “FancyPants” or “CoolCoat”. This is the Serial Name of your Glowtie. Connect to the network.
  4. You may get a notification that the network you connected to does not have internet access, no worries! Just choose the option to stay connected if you are provided with one.
  5. Now open a new tab in Google Chrome and enter the following in the address field: http://192.168.4.1
  6. You should see the Glowtie control page! In your Chrome settings, choose to “Add to Home screen” to make it easier to get to in the future.

iPhone

  1. Turn on your Glowtie. You should see a gold burst animation; this means the Wifi network has started.
  2. On your iPhone, navigate to Settings -> Cellular and toggle Cellular Data off. This is so that your phone doesn’t try to reach the actual internet instead of the Glowtie.
  3. Open your Wifi settings and look for a network named in the format “AdjectiveClothing”. For example, it could be “FancyPants” or “CoolCoat”. This is the Serial Name of your Glowtie. Connect to the network.
  4. You may get a notification that the network you connected to does not have internet access, no worries! Just choose the option to stay connected if you are provided with one.
  5. Now open a new tab in Safari or Google Chrome and enter the following in the address field: http://192.168.4.1
  6. You should see the Glowtie control page! In your Chrome settings, choose to “Add to Home screen” to make it easier to get to in the future. In Safari, tap the share button and select “Add to Home Screen” to do the same.

Usage

When you load the Glowtie website, you’ll see three sliders. These represent the red, green, and blue values of the lights. When you adjust them, the title background will adjust to show you what color you’re set to.

Once you pick a color, there’s a few options for animations. Tap the button next to the animation you want, then hit the “UPDATE” button. Your Glowtie will change to whatever you selected!

The Glowtie has a built-in memory function, so once you choose a color and animation it’ll remember your choice after you turn it off. This way, you don’t need to connect to it every time you turn it on if you have it set to your favorite pattern.

Charging

When the Glowtie has low battery, the center LED will turn red. Use a Micro USB cable to recharge your Glowtie. Make sure your Glowtie is turned off, then plug the Micro USB cable into the port next to the power switch. When you plug the other end into a USB port for power, you should see the top light on your Glowtie illuminate. When it’s done charging, the bottom light will illuminate.

Cover

Your Glowtie optionally has a diffusion cover. The cover is held on with a friction fit. Laser cut or print diffusion.dxf in a white or clear material, 1/16" thick. Print bumper.stl in a color of your choice, and super glue the diffusion inside the bumper. The bumper can now be friction fit onto the Glowtie.

HACK!

The Glowtie is totally open-source. All PCB design files, firmware, and physical parts are hosted on the Github page. There’s a dedicated programming header on the left side so you can add your own animations, or make it do anything you want! Just solder on a few pins and reprogram the ESP8266 over UART.

Parts

56
QtyValueFootprintReferences
13WS2812BLEDs:LED_WS2812B-PLCC4LED1, LED2, LED3, LED4, LED5, LED6, LED7, LED8, LED9, LED10, LED11, LED12, LED13
8CCapacitors_SMD:C_06031uF1, 1uF3, 10uF1, 10uF2, 10uF3, 10uF4, 10uF5, 10uF6
610KResistors_SMD:R_0603R1, R3, R4, R5, R9, R10
42KResistors_SMD:R_0603R2, R6, R7, R8
3RResistors_SMD:R_0603R470, R470_1, R470_2
2Ferrite_Bead_SmallCapacitors_SMD:C_0603L1, L2
1BOOT2Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mmJ5
1ESP-12FESP8266:ESP-12E_SMDU3
1GND_BATT1Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Square-SMD-Pad_BigJ6
1GND_BATT2Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Square-SMD-Pad_BigJ7
1LC709203FLC709203FQH-01TWG:SON65P400X300X80-9NU5
1LED(GREEN)LEDs:LED_0603D2
1LED(RED)LEDs:LED_0603D3
1LED(YELLOW)LEDs:LED_0603D1
1MAX9814Housings_DFN_QFN:DFN-14-1EP_3x3mm_Pitch0.4mmU4
1MCP1826S-3302ETO_SOT_Packages_SMD:SOT-223U2
1MCP73831TO_SOT_Packages_SMD:SOT-23-5U1
1Microphonestephen:CMC-6013_ELECTRET_MICMK1
1POGO_3V3Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mmJ10
1POGO_GNDPin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mmJ11
1POGO_RXPin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mmJ2
1POGO_TXPin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mmJ4
1SW_DPST_x2Buttons_Switches_SMD:SW_SPDT_PCM12SW1
1USB_OTGConnectors_USB:USB_Micro-B_Molex-105017-0001J1
1VBATT1Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Round-SMD-Pad_BigJ8
1VBATT2Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Round-SMD-Pad_BigJ9

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Questions

How big is the Glowtie PCB?

It measures 127 × 57.1 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.

What parts does the Glowtie use?

56 parts, built around the ESP-12F, MCP1826S-3302E/DB, MCP73831 and WS2812B. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.

Where can I download the Glowtie KiCad files?

From the sphawes/glowtie repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is pcb/V0.3/glowtie.kicad_pcb and its schematic pcb/V1.0/glowtie.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.

Can I use the Glowtie design in my own project?

Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask sphawes before reusing the design.