I would like to control a 12V strip and a 5V strip using a single PixelBlaze with an output expander. As long as I power the LEDs with separate voltage lines, and connect all grounds to the controller, would this work?
I’m not sure the 5V signal would work for the 12V LEDs, and wondering what other issues I haven’t thought of. Does combining ground for 12V and 5V cause an issue?
Yep, that works. 12v LEDs still use 5v data.
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One caveat… You need to be extra careful not to connect or disconnect LED strings to the Pixelblaze (PB) while power is applied. In the case of the 12V strip, if the +12V line and Data line connect before the 0V (Ground) connection, then you potentially put up to +12V back into the data line on the PB which would probably kill the output driver on the PB and might damage the first LED on the +5V string if it was also connected. As a general rule, it’s a good idea to always power off fully before making or breaking connections, even when testing on the bench.
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