Tiny FX W - Wireless LED Effects Controller – Board Only

SKU: PIM728 Brand: Pimoroni

Add smart light and sound effects to models and dioramas with this small-but-mighty RP2040-powered programmable controller board - now with wireless...

Special Price $38.04 AUD, inc GST

Regular Price $52.19 AUD, inc GST

$34.58 AUD, exc GST

Special pricing ends 26 June 2025

* this special may end earlier than shown

Available with a lead time
Expect dispatch between Apr 07 and Apr 14

Add smart light and sound effects to models and dioramas with this small-but-mighty RP2040-powered programmable controller board - now with wireless connectivity!

Tiny FX W is an effects controller for the LED dots and strips that can be found in third-party LEGO®-compatible lighting kits. These LEDs are connected up by thin, flexible wires that can easily be concealed around/behind/within your model. Typically they're powered direct from an alkaline battery pack or USB, so the LEDs are lit all the time - and we wanted our illuminated creations to have more smarts!

Adding a Tiny FX W means you can do fun stuff like:

adjust the brightness of the LEDs
simulate movement with dynamic lighting effects
turn the lights on and off in response to environmental triggers/sensor readings or data from the internet
pulse them atmospherically for spooky ambiance
flicker them on and off to make cool fire effects
accompany your light effects with appropriate sound effects (zhwhom)

Tiny FX W can drive six channels of two-pin mono LEDs and one channel of four-pin RGB LEDs*, and it has indicator LEDs so you can see what each channel is doing. It's got an onboard amp and connector to attach a tiny speaker, a Qw/ST connector so you can add Qwiic or STEMMA QT breakouts and an additional sensor connector for hooking up hardware like buttons, potentiometers or PIR sensors. It also comes equipped with a RM2

Tiny FX W is perfect for adding custom light and sound effects to your favourite construction kit models, dioramas, papercrafts, dolls houses, book nooks and shadowboxes. If you don't already have a lighting kit that you want to upgrade**, we stock a range of LED dots and strips, cables and expanders as well as battery packs and power cables.

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this product.

Features

Powered by RP2040 (Dual Arm Cortex M0+ running at up to 133Mhz with 264kB of SRAM)
4MB of QSPI flash supporting XiP
Raspberry Pi RM2 module provides 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity
6x 2 pin JST-SUR connectors for attaching mono LEDs, with white LED indicators
1x 4 pin JST-SUR connector for attaching RGB LEDs, with RGB LED indicator
USB-C connector for power and programming (1A max)
Reset and BOOT buttons (the BOOT button can also be used as a user button)
2 pin JST-SUR power input connector (1A max)
3.2W I2S mono amplifier with 2 pin (Picoblade-compatible) connector for attaching speaker
Qw/ST (Qwiic/STEMMA QT) connector for attaching breakouts
3 pin JST-SH connector for attaching digital or analog sensors
Fully-assembled (no soldering required)
MicroPython firmware and library
LEDs and other components are sold separately

Starter Kit Includes

You can buy a Tiny FX W on its own, or bundled with a convenient selection of LEDs, a speaker and cables to help you start lighting stuff up ASAP - you'll just need to supply your own AAA batteries. The Tiny FX W Starter Kit also includes our shiny new PIR Stick so you can trigger effects based on motion. The kit includes:

Tiny FX W
Adhesive Backed Mini Speaker 8O (1W)
6x LED dots (cool white)
5x RGB LEDs (plus expansion board and cable)
3xAAA battery holder (batteries not included)
USB-A to USB-C cable
?PIR Stick
? 3 pin JST-SH cable (for connecting PIR Stick)
...all packed up neatly in a reusable Pirate-brand Loot Box.

Software

Tiny FX W comes pre-loaded with pirate-brand MicroPython and our shiny new PicoFX library which makes it easy to run multiple simultaneous light and sound effects - Pimoroni has provided a bunch of examples to show you what it can do. If you'd rather roll your own software, I2S audio and toggling LEDs should be possible with most Raspberry Pi Pico W ecosystems.

PicoFX library
Tiny FX reference

If you'd like to program Tiny FX W from an Android phone then you could try the DroidScript app, available on Google Play. You'll need a USB-C cable and a recent version of MicroPython firmware installed on the board.

Pinout and Schematic

Download a printable PDF version
Schematic

Connecting Breakouts

If your breakout has a Qw/ST connector on board, you can plug it straight in with a JST-SH to J

This product is listed in:

Breakouts & Modules>LED Drivers

Product Comments

Start the conversation

Exact shipping can be calculated on the view cart page (no login required).

Products that weigh more than 0.5 KG may cost more than what's shown (for example, test equipment, machines, >500mL liquids, etc).

We deliver Australia-wide with these options (depends on the final destination - you can get a quote on the view cart page):

$3+ for Stamped Mail (typically 10+ business days, not tracked, only available on selected small items)
$7+ for Standard Post (typically 6+ business days, tracked)
$11+ for Express Post (typically 2+ business days, tracked)
Pickup - Free! Only available to customers who live in the Newcastle region (must order online and only pickup after we email to notify you the order is ready). Orders placed after 2PM may not be ready until the following business day.

Non-metro addresses in WA, NT, SA & TAS can take 2+ days in addition to the above information.

Some batteries (such as LiPo) can't be shipped by Air. During checkout, Express Post and International Methods will not be an option if you have that type of battery in your shopping cart.

International Orders - the following rates are for New Zealand and will vary for other countries:

$12+ for Pack and Track (3+ days, tracked)
$16+ for Express International (2-5 days, tracked)

If you order lots of gear, the postage amount will increase based on the weight of your order.

Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):

Unit 18, 132 Garden Grove Parade
Adamstown
NSW, 2289
Australia

Take a look at our customer service page if you have other questions such as "do we do purchase orders" (yes!) or "are prices GST inclusive" (yes they are!). We're here to help - get in touch with us to talk shop.

Have a product question? We're here to help!