Hey.
I have just fried a raspberry pi Pico, because I thought I could DIY my LED strips, but turns out I absolutly can not and I have just stumbeled on the electromage website.
I have 5 meters of WS2812B LED Strip which has 2 postiv wires and 2 negativ, with one green data cable (idk if there are differences between strips) and I wounderd if I could still connect them.
I also wanted to add that I am not very good at DIYing stuff. I mean I can do some basic soldering but nothing more, so I would like to ask if this product is even suited for me.
To that is there like any big difference between the Standard V3 version and the Pico version? I do not really understand why I should even bother buying the Pico version especially because it is the same price.
Next thing is powering. I got this external Laptop power supply which runs at 5V and outputs 45 Watts, which should be enough for my strips, can I use that with this board? How would I go about connecting it?
How about the WIFI, in the documentation that sounded all kind of complicated? Is it like hard to setup, I dont really want to waste that much time with my LED setup, thats why I am trying to use a controller in the first place, is this like more of a plug and play situation or is it like a never ending project?
Hi @Jakob,
Yes, Pixelblaze does support those LEDs. Getting them connected right is important. Can you upload a photo? Usually there are 3 wires, +5v, data, and GND (negative).
Yes, only basic soldering is required, and the setup is usually pretty easy, similar to many internet enabled devices.
The standard and pico versions are functionaly the same, the standard is a bit bigger and has more connection / expansion options. The pico is optimized for size. The Pico fits in many applications where the standard would be too large to fit, such as in small wearables or inside tubes, or directly attached to a strip in a tight spot.
Yes, a 5V power supply is what you need. With 45 watts, that will give you 9A of current. Without knowing specifics, figure on 0.06A per LED at full power worst case. A 5 meter strip is usually either 30/M or 60/M density, for 150 or 300 pixels. So that would power 150 pixels without any problem, running at 100% brightness full white. If you run more interesting patterns, or reduce the brightness slightly, that should be fine for 300 LEDs.
It is very close to plug and play, with only a few minutes of setup, however you might just get addicted to LEDs and it could become a never ending project, but a happy one.