Can even light bulbs be programmed these days? Updating the firmware on the TY-A60-18W-220V

Today I’ll be showing you the build and modification of a Tuya RGBCW remote-controlled LED lamp, model TY-A60-18W-220V C3009, which I bought for just under 10 zlotys in a special offer with free delivery. The device shown normally works with the Tuya app and can be controlled via the internet, but here I’ll try to replace the firmware inside with my own solution, so that this light can be connected to Home Assistant and customised as desired, without having to worry about the manufacturer’s cloud service.

The box didn’t survive the journey very well, but the lamp is intact. The pack includes a brief guide on how to pair it with the SmartLife app (a Tuya clone). The device is put into pairing mode by switching it off and on three times. The Bluetooth information suggests that this is not an ESP8266-based product – which does not support Bluetooth – but perhaps something based on Beken.

We remove the dome to expose the LEDs. There are separate coloured (RGB) LEDs, and separate warm and cool white LEDs.

Unfortunately, this board needs to be removed, which will compromise the cooling system slightly. I struggled a bit to pry it loose.

Inside is the CB2L module, i.e. the BK7231N with PWM pins exposed, designed for lighting (L – lamps/lighting). Unfortunately, to update the firmware, you need to desolder this module. This is because the UART pads are on its underside. I used a hot-air gun for this.

Pin number	Symbol	I/O type	Function
1	P8	I/O	Hardware PWM support
2	P7	I/O	Supports hardware PWM
3	P6	I/O	Supports hardware PWM
4	P26	I/O	Hardware PWM support
5	P24	I/O	Supports hardware PWM
6	GND	P	Power supply reference ground
7	3V3	P	3V3 power supply

Here’s what the module looks like from the back – I’ve also white-painted the relevant pads straight away:

I’m flashing the firmware using our Elektrodowy flasher, which supports multiple platforms:
https://github.com/openshwprojects/BK7231GUIFlashTool
We’re flashing the OBK:
https://github.com/openshwprojects/OpenBK7231T_App
A copy of the original firmware:
https://github.com/openshwprojects/FlashDumps/commit/4dcc3d4e7fcfb3b82c81c472281c305926d1a80b
Extracted Tuya configuration:

Verbal description:

The warm white pin was missing, but I found it manually. The Beken has a limited number of PWM pins, and the CB2L further restricts the choice:

After a quick configuration, the light works via the web interface hosted on the Wi-Fi module itself by OBK, but you need to assemble it first. There’s no way to solder the Wi-Fi module back onto the board without removing it, so you need to unscrew the thread:

Whilst I was at it, I also had to tidy up after myself, as I’d moved a few SMD components whilst removing the module:

In the end, I managed to sort everything out, so you can have another look at the lamp’s construction:

Here we have the YT5202B separately, which is probably the power supply for the LED, and the BP2525 separately, which powers the Wi-Fi module. It’s quite a complex design; gone are the days when LEDs just had a capacitor and a resistor. The BP2525 is a non-isolated step-down converter; I’d guess the YT is a constant-current controller.

The Wi-Fi module soldered into place:

Final presentation:

The lamp can now be paired with the smart home system:


Finally, you can also check out the related thread, where I looked into how hot such a lamp gets and whether this can be reduced to any extent:
How hot Does the Wi-Fi-controlled Tuya LED lamp get hot? Firmware update and extending its lifespan
This recommended thread is particularly interesting because it features a device based on a controller with a two-wire bus, SM2135, and a WB8P Wi-Fi module (BK7231T), whereas this thread featured the CB2L and a control method based on five PWM pins. You can compare the two solutions.

This is how you can modify an LED lamp. I managed to assemble the device, and following this modification, it now works with Home Assistant, 100% locally, and is also fully configurable. You can do much more with it than with the factory software – it’s even possible to control it via the DDP protocol, allowing you to create any colour animations you like. Personally, I think it was worth the effort.
PS: You can now also set up local automations using the light switch, which no longer cuts off the power supply but simply sends a signal to the lamp via Wi-Fi to change its state. One way to implement this is via the Tasmota Device Groups protocol shown earlier .