This is a placeholder topic for “1M RGB LED Strip - WS2812B 144 Per Meter - White Strip - Weatherproof” comments.
This is a roll of addressable (WS2812B) RGB LEDs. Each LED has a built-in controller chip which allows you to daisy-chain the LEDs and control them individually - all from a single GPIO!
Read moreGood morning.
I’m not very familiar with this so in a few words, I’m making a table light out of stone and it will need a total of 2.5 meters ( roughly, a tiny bit less than that) of a strip with a connection in the middle so 2 parts of 1.25 meters of led strips.
I have decided to go with this 1M RGB LED Strip - WS2812B 144 Per Meter - White Strip - Weatherproof so obviously it will need couple connections to make up a 1.25 m strip plus connect those 2 strips together.
What I want to know is what led driver will I need and also rgb controller and power supply?
Is there a full kit I could buy ?
Thank you in advance
There is no separate driver, just the controller and the power supply. For that strip you will need about a 15A supply to handle the maximum possible load of fully bright white. That’s a lot of light: are you sure you want that much?
You haven’t indicated what sort of control you want.
For direct control from a MCU almost any module would work. There is an example here:
How to use WS2812B RGB LEDs with Arduino (youtube.com)
Note that the example is driving a very small strip.
For control from a PC or phone over a local network you could use a WiFi-enabled MCU, such as a RP2040 or a Pico.
For control from a dedicated control module you can use something like this
(Note that the description applies to the remote - I don’t know what the controller for that remote is).
Thank you for your help.
Is it going to be like an artificial sun in the house?
If that’s an overkill should I go with 60 pixels per meter?
It’s not going to be from a PC so I’m guessing a dedicated control unit with a remote.
Normally I get a full kit of led strip lights but they tend to be mediocre at best with brightness and colours so I want something better.
Edit:
I just had a thought, can you individually address the pixels with that dedicated controller you linked or I need something like the raspberry to do so?
Maybe I’ll get one of them cut it in 4 strips so I’ll get my 2 strips of 1.25 meters but what will I need as a power supply for that?
Controller will be the same as the one you linked I assume.
This is not my type of work so I’m definitely a noobie with these things.
The dedicated controller provides a number of options. It includes selecting a colour for the whole strip and adjusting the brightness of the whole strip. It also has a number of automatic modes which I would guess includes things like Random, Waterfall, Icicle, Chaser etc, but what they are I have no idea. It appears that there are 358 different modes. The modes can be adjusted for speed, and perhaps for colour as well (which might explain the high number available).
The power supply you need depends on the type of strip and the length. The 15A I mentioned is based on 2.5M at ~5A/M, allowing some overhead. That assumes that at some point you would want to run all LEDs at full white. Depending on your use case it might not be necessary to allow for the maximum brightness.
Ok I got it.
I think I’ll go with the 5 meter strip of 60 pixels /m so I’ll have 2 less connections to do.
I’ll get that dedicated controller you linked and try to find a suitable power supply for it, which should be minimum 5.25A if I’m not wrong.
Note that the link describes the transmitter part of the controller only - before ordering it you should confirm that the receiver portion is available. Here’s an example of a complete unit.
WS2812B LED Controller
The controller controls the LEDs and is indifferent to the number of LEDs in the string. The power supply to power the LEDs will be additional.
Hi @Dionysios270428. Welcome to the Forums!!!
Jeff’s covered most of what would be needed for this setup. You are correct in that you’d need a power supply around 5.25A to power a 2.5m strip according to the recommended current draw.
The LED’s can draw up to 60mA each from the information I could find.
You may need to use either multiple over the length of the strip or one big power supply at one end to be able to power them at full power.
The one power supply can be injected at more than one place along the length to overcome voltage drop within the strip. I think mostly connecting the power at both ends will suffice but there is nothing wrong with a centre connection as well. Or for that matter connecting at the centre is pretty much the same as connecting at both ends.
DO NOT use 2 power supplies. It is highly unlikely they will both be EXACTLY the same and you will have conflicts with unknown consequences.
Cheers Bob
Add on:
If injecting power into the LED strip at multiple points don’t forger the power negative wire. This is all part of the power circuit and contributes to the circuit voltage drop.
Hi @Dionysios270428 ,
To clean up this post a bit, it seems like the complete list of recommended parts is currently:
This LED strip with 60 LED’s per meter to reduce the current needed.
This controller to address the LED’s through preset colours and patterns. (You could use a microcontroller like an Arduino instead if you wanted custom pattern options)
Something like this Plugpack for powering the strip. (Ideally at over 5.25A)
Ideally you would use something that could provide the full 5.25A that your system says it needs. Using something of like the Plugpack I linked would work but would limit the overall brightness of the strip to about 80% of its expected capacity. I’m including this anyway because this seems like the “cleanest” solution in terms of minimising wiring clutter.
Otherwise the “best” solution for power would be one large (supplying over 5.25A) power source applying power either in the middle or at the end of the LED light strip.
Hi Samuel
A linear supply might do that but I am not sure how a switch mode supply would behave if you exceeded its current limitations. I have the feeling it would “die” rather rapidly and self protect under these conditions so you would get much less than 80% brightness. I don’t really know for sure as I have not really tries this. I tend to over cook this sort of thing and would use something larger than 5.25A. Even go to 10A. That way all the bits are stressed to a minimum.
Cheers Bob
Does that controller include the IR receiver? The description is not clear. The title indicates it is a control system and the description mentions a power jack but the images do not include the receiver and there is no parts list.
The controller does come with the remote and the receiver/LED controller.
We might look at getting what’s included added to the description. 
Hi Jeff
You are pretty right there.The description seems to centre on the bit you hold in your hand. The non compliance panel on the left is interesting. I thought it was unlawful to sell non compliant bits.
And yes. A “Whats in the box” list would be a good starting point. Or just maybe no one here knows just what is included.
Cheers Bob
“Or just maybe no one here knows just what is included.”
I’ll take that back. Mine and Aaron’s replies collided. I posted before I saw it.
Thank you - I had assumed the receiver would be much bigger. You could also consider making that third image the default.
Thanks everyone for your input and your help, much appreciated.
I will get that 5m roll of 60pixels/m, the dedicated controller and a much larger power supply just to be safe.
I’ll post some pictures once the project is ready.
Thank you again everyone.
Is there a reason that you recommend not using two supplies? The only consequence I can think of would be that the brightness might differ between the strings, but if they are not close together it would be unnoticeable, and if they are the same length then even that would be unlikely.
Hi Jeff
The only way to use 2 supplies is if the strings were not connected together. The data and ground connections have to be carried through to enable the chips to be addressed as normal. If the supplies are powering their own section of LEDs and are not connected this would be OK but you would have to be careful.
Two supplies in parallel would need to be connected via diodes to prevent one interfering with the other. Then they would have to be EXACTLY the same voltage or one supply could end up supplying (or trying to) most of the current.
Far easier methinks to use an adequate supply to power all the LEDs and insert power at multiple points in the string. Both + and - wires have to be connected to these points or the whole reason is defeated.
Cheers Bob
One supply is easier perhaps, but I see no other reason to discourage using two supplies.
Obviously the grounds have to be connected, and presumably it is intended to control the two segments as a single string so the data out from one string goes to the data in of the next. About 50 LEDs is the maximum that should be wired off one power connection and separating the strips makes it easy to provide the recommended bypass capacitors at each power connection point. But I can’t see the difference between wiring the same supply into multiple segments or separate supplies to each. It’s a common practice. It would look something like this (for a 24V setup):
Hi Jeff
As long as it is wired like this that is fine.
Up to the individual preference. 2 supplies or i larger one. The choice is yours.
Advantages of single supply: one larger supply is probably more economical $$$ wise than 2 and with 1 supply there is no need to cut the positive rail. It is the same supply so you can just connect it at the ends, in the middle or more if needed. The choice is yours.
Can say no more
Cheers Bob
Also only 1 240VAC mains connection needed.
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