This series documents my 5-year journey of learning, designing, and refining a high-performance Ambilight controller. From the initial spark in 2020 to the final hardware implementation, this project covers the full spectrum of high-speed signal processing and FPGA logic.

The Spark

In March 2020, I saw a feature on Philips Ambilight technology. The immersive experience of light bleeding from the screen was captivating. As a hardware engineer and a licensed Amateur Radio operator (BI4WMS), my first instinct was: “How can I build a better, more responsive version of this?”

Most DIY solutions relied on software screen-grabbing or HDMI-to-USB conversion, which introduced noticeable latency. I wanted something real-time and hardware-native.

Discovering the FPGA Solution

In April 2020, I found a brilliant open-source architecture that used an FPGA to process video signals. The concept was elegant:

1. An ADI (Analog Devices) video processor handles the interface.
2. Raw Digital Video Data is fed directly into the FPGA.
3. The FPGA processes the pixel data in real-time and drives 8 independent LED channels.

With the capability to drive up to 4,096 LEDs (512 per channel) with zero frame lag, this was the "Gold Standard" I was looking for. The original creator had laid the groundwork back in 2012—a true pioneer in the field.

Verification & Hardware Design

My professional philosophy is: Software first, Hardware second. Before ordering any components, I spent two weeks setting up the FPGA toolchain to ensure I could successfully compile the firmware from the open-source repository.

Once the "software environment hell" was conquered, I turned my attention to the hardware. The author had just released a V3 standalone design in KiCad. I took this opportunity to review the layout, generated the Gerbers, and moved to production.

The "Perfect Fit" Build

The soldering was completed ten days later. For the enclosure, I took a sustainable approach: I repurposed an old digital TV set-top box. The custom PCB fit perfectly inside the chassis, giving it a clean, commercial-grade look.

I shared my progress with the original author, confirming that his V3 design worked flawlessly in a real-world environment. He was particularly impressed by the "upcycled" TV box enclosure.

One of my first successful tests was a Michael Jackson music video—the synchronization between the music, the high-speed dance moves, and the ambient lighting was flawless.