Hi Trace,
you’re welcome, but really the most work is building the Enterprise and adding all these features. The laser is just one of the items 
…
AliExpress does indeed offer questionable items. But … I’ve had quite a lot of luck with them, getting a lot of things really cheap. I’ve purchased a cheap i7 based PC (runs dedicated as my pfSense firewall), wireless doorbell, quite a few LED strips and LED lamps, even a really cheap Bluetooth headset, several ODB devices for cars, etc.
But you’re right; some stuff is a fake knock-off …
As for sound; the challenge may be to get the MP3 to match the LEDs walking up to the aiming point. The challenge is that the shortest loop will be when the “aim” is in the middle, and the longest loop is when the “aim” is at the end or the beginning of the strip. So with 60 LEDs (as an example): The shortest loop is 30 LEDs, the longest is 60 LEDs … but maybe I’m overthinking it now haha. Or maybe we should make the loop always the maximum … but that could mean that a “charge” will take a bit before it shows a moving LED.
Time is indeed an issue. Right now I do IT consulting, so i do have gaps of time when I feel like it. But it doesn’t matter if I have one afternoon or a whole week … it’s gone before I know it 
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Thanks for the compliment on coding … I like coding (for the fun of it).
The issue is that I’m temporary staying in a house that is just too small for all my stuff. So I have to store my stuff every time I’m done with something.
Each time when I want to do a LED effect though, I’ll have to dig up all the parts (LED strip, breadboard, power supply, Arduino, wires, switched etc). So this takes a lot of time.
Now I created a fixed setup, on that piece of wood, with all the components fixed on it, even the LED strip. So now I can store it as one item, and grab it and be ready right away when I need it.
It’s simple, but saves a lot of time … (see attached image)
As for the forum; I don’t like this one (bbPress) one bit, but it natively is build specifically for WordPress.
But the alternatives are just not good when it comes to integration. I’ve started yet another search for a replacement … but no luck so far.