Patternflow

# Patternflow v3.0.0 — the hybrid-power generation

> **Historical (2026-07).** Long-form notes for one release, kept as written. Release notes since 3.2 live on [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/releases); `CHANGELOG.md` at the root is the complete record.

The biggest hardware revision since launch. The v3.0 board and enclosure were rebuilt around one goal: **anyone should be able to solder and assemble this.**

**Building one? Start here → [BUILD_GUIDE.md](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/blob/v3.0.0/BUILD_GUIDE.md)** — the PCB soldering is covered by a [full video walkthrough](https://youtu.be/NZCjMBCsDAc).

## Highlights

### The board: two power inputs, zero SMD
- **Screw-terminal power** — strip a USB cable, clamp two wires into the 2-pin terminal on the back of the board. No soldering iron needed for the power input.
  > ⏸️ **Update (2026-07):** the board also carries a USB-C footprint (`USB1`), but **that input is on hold** — a USB-C-powered board ran fine for 20–30+ minutes and then smoked at a connector pin, destroying the receptacle and power path ([#221](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/221)). Leave `USB1`/`R1`/`R2` unpopulated and power the board through `J4` for now. See [BUILD_GUIDE §2](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/blob/main/BUILD_GUIDE.md#2-power-input--use-the-screw-terminal).
- **No SMD passives at all** — every part you solder is through-hole. The whole board is beginner-solderable.
- Fabricated, assembled, and verified on the screw-terminal input.

### The enclosure: snap-fit, printable on a 256 mm bed
- Folders named by **printer bed size**: `bed_256mm/encloser.stl` (one STL, ~10 h on a P1S) or `bed_330mm/` one-piece for large-format printers. Knobs print separately in black — white body, black knobs.
- **Bambu printers: one click** — the case is on [MakerWorld](https://makerworld.com/ko/models/3072492-patternflow-open-source-led-synthesizer-case#profileId-3459015) with tuned print profiles; the same 4-plate project is attached below as `patternflow_v3.3mf`.
- **Snap-fit back panel**, **two wall-mount holes**, and recesses for the LED panel's alignment bumps — **the nipper-trimming step that's been with us since v1.0 is gone** ([#19](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/19)).
- Using a different LED panel than the recommended one? `bed_256mm/for_other_panels/` has an adjustable-mount variant ([#169](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/issues/169)).

### The BOM: every part by part number
- [`hardware/bom/bom_v3.0.csv`](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/blob/v3.0.0/hardware/bom/bom_v3.0.csv) — machine-readable, every part specified by MPN, sourcing notes included. Order from Mouser/DigiKey/LCSC or find the same parts anywhere.

### The guide: watch, don't decipher
- [BUILD_GUIDE.md](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/blob/v3.0.0/BUILD_GUIDE.md) rewritten for v3.0 — **two full video walkthroughs** ([PCB soldering](https://youtu.be/NZCjMBCsDAc) and [assembly to first power-on](https://youtu.be/J9C9bZgkNKs)), photo-documented printing/bonding steps, a collapsible netlist-derived pin reference, and a dedicated OSC/Ableton build path.
- PCB ordering routed through the [PCBWay shared project](https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/Patternflow_An_LED_synthesizer_776d796c.html) (no Gerber upload needed) — any fab works with the attached zip too.

### Firmware
- **One image for every board generation** — v2.x and v3.0 share an identical pin map, so the [browser flasher](https://patternflow.work) just works on both. No board selection to get wrong.
- **Bigger preset library, sturdier engine** — thirteen new presets from the June–July daily batch, three fresh custom-slot patterns, and a new PSRAM-first allocator (`PFMem`) so a fully loaded pattern image can't starve the Wi-Fi/DMA DRAM budget.

## Breaking changes

- **v2.x boards and v3.0 cases are not interchangeable** (and vice versa) — different board size, different port positions.
- Already own a v2.x build? Everything you need stays bundled at the [v2.1.0 release](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/releases/tag/v2.1.0), and the v2 guide lives on as [`BUILD_GUIDE_v2.md`](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/blob/v3.0.0/BUILD_GUIDE_v2.md). Bonus for v2 owners: `hardware/case/legacy_v2/encloser_v2.1.stl` is a newly verified snap-fit case for the v2.1 board — no gluing, no trimming.

## Assets

- `patternflow_v3_case_stl_pack.zip` — all v3 case STLs (256 mm kit, 330 mm one-piece, adjustable-mount variant, knob plates)
- `patternflow_v3.3mf` — Bambu Studio project (4 pre-arranged plates with print settings; same as the [MakerWorld listing](https://makerworld.com/ko/models/3072492-patternflow-open-source-led-synthesizer-case#profileId-3459015))
- `patternflow_v3.0_gerber.zip` — the verified board
- `patternflow_v3_firmware.zip` — prebuilt ESP32-S3 binaries (the browser-flasher image) with esptool offsets in the included README
- `patternflow_case.blend` — Blender source for every printed part (stored in Git LFS; attached here so *Download ZIP* users get the real file)

Full details in the [CHANGELOG](https://github.com/engmung/Patternflow/blob/v3.0.0/CHANGELOG.md).

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Firmware & web: MIT · Hardware & designs: CC-BY-SA 4.0