

Glowtie
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
4ESP-12F
SMD,24x16mm-40℃~+85℃ -96dBm 15dBm 2.4GHz 3.3V 375mA 55mA PCB UART WIFI4 SMD,24x16mm WiFi Modules ROHSDOITWiFi ModulesMCP1826S-3302E/DB
SOT-223-3-40℃~+125℃ 1 1A 220uA 3.3V 400mV@(1A) 60dB@(100Hz) 6V Fixed Positive Under Voltage Lockout、Over Current Protection、Over Temperature Protection、Short Circuit Protection SOT-223-3 Voltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) Regulators ROHSMicrochip TechnologyVoltage Regulators - Linear, Low Drop Out (LDO) RegulatorsMCP73831
UncategorisedMicrochip TechnologyWS2812B
5mm X 5mm Surface Mount RGB LED with Intelligent ControlWorldsemiUncategorised
README
README.md
Connecting to your Glowtie
Android
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Now open a new tab in Google Chrome and enter the following in the address field: http://192.168.4.1
- 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
- Turn on your Glowtie. You should see a gold burst animation; this means the Wifi network has started.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Now open a new tab in Safari or Google Chrome and enter the following in the address field: http://192.168.4.1
- 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| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | WS2812B | LEDs:LED_WS2812B-PLCC4 | LED1, LED2, LED3, LED4, LED5, LED6, LED7, LED8, LED9, LED10, LED11, LED12, LED13 |
| 8 | C | Capacitors_SMD:C_0603 | 1uF1, 1uF3, 10uF1, 10uF2, 10uF3, 10uF4, 10uF5, 10uF6 |
| 6 | 10K | Resistors_SMD:R_0603 | R1, R3, R4, R5, R9, R10 |
| 4 | 2K | Resistors_SMD:R_0603 | R2, R6, R7, R8 |
| 3 | R | Resistors_SMD:R_0603 | R470, R470_1, R470_2 |
| 2 | Ferrite_Bead_Small | Capacitors_SMD:C_0603 | L1, L2 |
| 1 | BOOT2 | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mm | J5 |
| 1 | ESP-12F | ESP8266:ESP-12E_SMD | U3 |
| 1 | GND_BATT1 | Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Square-SMD-Pad_Big | J6 |
| 1 | GND_BATT2 | Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Square-SMD-Pad_Big | J7 |
| 1 | LC709203F | LC709203FQH-01TWG:SON65P400X300X80-9N | U5 |
| 1 | LED(GREEN) | LEDs:LED_0603 | D2 |
| 1 | LED(RED) | LEDs:LED_0603 | D3 |
| 1 | LED(YELLOW) | LEDs:LED_0603 | D1 |
| 1 | MAX9814 | Housings_DFN_QFN:DFN-14-1EP_3x3mm_Pitch0.4mm | U4 |
| 1 | MCP1826S-3302E | TO_SOT_Packages_SMD:SOT-223 | U2 |
| 1 | MCP73831 | TO_SOT_Packages_SMD:SOT-23-5 | U1 |
| 1 | Microphone | stephen:CMC-6013_ELECTRET_MIC | MK1 |
| 1 | POGO_3V3 | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mm | J10 |
| 1 | POGO_GND | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mm | J11 |
| 1 | POGO_RX | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mm | J2 |
| 1 | POGO_TX | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x01_Pitch2.54mm | J4 |
| 1 | SW_DPST_x2 | Buttons_Switches_SMD:SW_SPDT_PCM12 | SW1 |
| 1 | USB_OTG | Connectors_USB:USB_Micro-B_Molex-105017-0001 | J1 |
| 1 | VBATT1 | Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Round-SMD-Pad_Big | J8 |
| 1 | VBATT2 | Measurement_Points:Measurement_Point_Round-SMD-Pad_Big | J9 |
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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.