I’m going to control some WS2812B via RPi4 PWM. Is there a way I could interpret the data signal if I were to split it before it reached the LED strip and send one branch of the data line to a GPIO pin of an ESP?
The WS2812B data protocol is not PWM. It is a digital data stream.
Save yourself considerable frustration and use this https://kno.wled.ge/ flashed to an ESP module of your choice.
It integrates as a light (or lights if you have segments defined) extremely well with Home Assistant.
@tom_l you always have great solutions.
After spending more time than most probably would looking at options, I’ve opted for MLSC, which has an API that features GET and POST, so I think I can make it work quite well with Home Assistant. I’ve never worked with APIs but the commands are all listed in the web UI once installed. Take a look at this demo. I think MLSC is really something special. It’s built off of Scott Lawson’s work and it’s very user friendly.
Back to my original question: the reason I ask is because I wonder whether I could take the MLSC output from my Pi and feed it into an ESP so I could sync the WS2812B activity with some other LEDs (LIFX bulbs, RGBWW strip, etc.) but I presume that, even if it were possible, it might take more know-how than I possess. On the topic of LIFX bulbs, I’m going to give a couple a shot. I know you @tom_l have had good success despite what others have said. It’s an unrelated topic, but thanks for peppering these threads with valuable info.