I’m looking to make an infinite mirror using around 30-40 addressable LEDs and an ESP32 board. Does anyone have suggestions on what sort of board I should use? I would like to power through the USB port if possible as it would simplify the design and make sure I don’t overdraw from my power supply which could cause failure in other areas of the system I am attaching this to. I saw that the thing plus C had a 2A power draw at 5V but the board has a lot of features that I feel I won’t use. Is there anything similar that’s a little cheaper that could still provide the 5V 2A I’m looking for? Also if anyone has suggestions for the LED strip as well that would be amazing, thanks!
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Hi Jungu,
Welcome to the forum 
We put together a guide on remote controlling WS2812 RGB LED strips using ESP32 boards recently which might give you some ideas.
WS2812 strips (aka Neopixels/glowbits) have libraries available for all the major microcontrollers so the choice is entirely down to personal preference, the key is giving them the current supply they need as they can draw quite a bit.
If you do decide to use WS2812 strips Adafruit’s Neopixel Uberguide is mega useful and very comprehensive for all aspects of the RGB strips.
I’m curious if you’ve considered what material to use for the semi-reflective layer of your infinity mirror yet? We could be accused of being a bit infinity mirror mad, two of our staff members so far have built 3D infinity mirrors.
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You can take a look at this video too:
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Hey Trent,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah my concern was being able to provide all the current the strips need through the board. I know the power supply should be able to handle 2A (Potentially up to 3.5A) but I’m not sure what board can handle that sort of current. It seems like most boards can only handle 0.5A but I’m not sure if thats true. The only one that I saw can specifically handle 2A is the thing plus C through the usb C port (Not sure if this is true though or if there are other options).
Thanks for the suggestions on the LED strips. I’ll have a look and see if its the right one to use for my project. In terms of the semi reflective mirror I thought about buying a perspex sheet and adding a one way reflective film (which I found on ebay). But I also found this (Circle 8cm Mirror Acrylic 3MM – Wholesale Laser Blanks) which might be a premade that is exactly the size and shape I need. I’ll have to buy and have a look to see though if it would work for this project. The other projects you linked look insane haha 
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Awesome, thanks for this link.
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Hi Jungu,
The common way around this is to get the Data signal via the microcontroller and just connect the VCC and GND of the RGB strip directly to the power supply. That way it doesn’t matter what the output of your microcontroller’s built-in regulator is.
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Hi All
I thought that was the recommended way to do this. I don’t do a lot of things with these power LEDs but the technique is not limited to this. Anything requiring a bit of current will benefit from this line of thought. I have found that by keeping add on bits (particularly things requiring a bit of current) separately powered from microcontrollers and other digital things a lot of trouble and hair pulling heartache can be avoided.
And don’t be afraid to overcook the supply. Decide what you will need and then double it. Pays dividends and allows a bit for unforeseen add ons.
Cheers Bob
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