Arduino newbie here hoping to produce 5 units of the same circuit for an art installation. Before I jump in and order all the parts I was hoping to make sure that I wasn't making any bad mistakes.
Basically, I will have a single 12V (possibly 24V) power supply powering a 60 ft strip of YUNBO 100Pcs WS2811 RGB LED Module Lights DC 12V SMD 5050 Addressable. I am going to be creating some reactivity with a Adafruit MPRLS Ported Pressure Sensor to affect the LED programming. I am powering the Arduino through a 12-24V to 5V 3A DC-DC Step Down Power Supply Module (MP1584EN) and in turn supplying the Vin for the sensor through that.
My main questions are:
Do I need a resistor on the data pin going to the LEDs (i have seen that in a few posts)?
When grounding the 12V (maybe 24V) power from LEDs is it ok to do it on the same ground as the board (after the buck converter)?
If I plug into the USB while the power supply is connected, will it do any damage to my comp with the current setup?
Thanks! the breadboard is more for diagrammatic purposes, in the real thing I will be sure to port directly to the LEDs and then board after the buck converter.
Pretty diagrams convey almost zero circuit principles.
They’re cheap and easy to produce, but give nothing back.
This is why a properly considered circuit schematic diagrams and overall block diagrams have existed for over fifty years, and haven’t really changed in their objectives.
This isn’t being pedantic, you’ll appreciate it when you begin to assemble the project, debug and maintain functionality in five years time..
As you work toward completion, accommodating revisions that you discover, write out a ‘theory of operation’ that explains how the software and hardware are supposed to work together as a complete system.
If you’re confident, annotating ‘test points’ and expected values will help your son or daughter diagnose the system in ten years when it fails, or needs to be replaced.
Ok thank you for your advice, I will keep this in mind. I have updated my dumb, pretty sketch and am really just looking for feedback on the basic wiring. I can try and spend more time over the weekend on a proper schematic, but don't have time to learn a new format right now.
The reason I was considering the 24V was that I was going to daisy chain many of these LEDs together into a 60ft long strip. In this case, should I just use power drops instead of a higher Voltage psu?
As @PaulRB you can connect 12V to Vin and forget the DC-DC converter.
So maybe use one 12V supply for the nano and the first two strips and another 12V supply for the next two etc.
However, all the grounds of all the strips must be connected.
Yes, it can, and in your circuit it will be fine. But many beginners incorrectly connect 12V to Vin and take current from the 5V pin or digital outputs for lots of LEDs or to power relays for example. That can be a problem because it causes the Nano's on-board 5V regulator to overheat and shut down or be damaged. But in your circuit, the Nano's regulator only needs to power the Nano itself and the sensor. Most sensors need only a very small current (but there are exceptions). The Nano does not need to supply any power to the led strip, only a digital data signal, which is practically zero current.
5volt on V-in is actually not ok.
A Nano needs a minimum of about 6.5volt on that pin, to make a stable 5volt for itself.
If you have a stable/reliable 5volt source, then connect it directly to the 5volt pin.
But as others have said, a classic Nano v3 is ok with 12volt on V-in, as long as you don't draw any current from the Nano.
Leo..
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