Basically I will have 2 boards, each will have 9 rows and 12 columns of LEDs that need to be lit up according to 5 different settings. For example, setting 1 will have a certain pattern, setting 2 will have a different pattern, etc. Since there will be a total of 216 LEDs will a nano board be enough to supply power? What kind of driver do I need? Very new at this. Any and all help welcome, thanks.
An IO pin can safely do 20mA and the whole Arduino 200mA. So if you drive the leds with 0,5mA then yes. Otherwise, no.
But yeah, an Arduino has no 216 pins so I don't know how you would drive them...
But for more answers we need to know more.
- What current do you want for the leds? (Note, 1mA is already bright for an indication ked)
- Single color or multi color?
- Do you need to dim them?
- static of high speed animations?
- Would you mind multiplexing?
septillion:
- What current do you want for the leds? (Note, 1mA is already bright for an indication ked)
- Single color or multi color?
- Do you need to dim them?
- static of high speed animations?
- Would you mind multiplexing?
- 0.5 mA should work for what I'm doing, I don't need them to be extremely bright, just obviously visible from fairly close up.
- Multi color.
- I do not need to make them dimmer or brighter, a single brightness works best.
- Static patterns that will stay the same until another setting is chosen.
- I would be open to multiplexing.
septillion:
But yeah, an Arduino has no 216 pins so I don't know how you would drive them...
I also plan on using LED strips, specifically ones with 30 LEDs per meter.
For a matrix of single led's with low current you can multiplex them with on one side a shift register (or mux). A (couple of) 595 on one side and the Arduino on the other will be able to drive it all directly at 1mA (aka via a resistor) no problem.
Led strips will be a different story. What do you want with that?
LED strips work the best for what I'm doing, my plan was to use addressable (obviously) LED strips in rows of 12 LEDs. They seem like they're easier to program than doing matrices with single LEDs. Like I said I'm fairly new at using LEDs and Arduino boards, but I do have knowledge in building circuits.
If you plan on using something like WS2812 led strips then a nano should be sufficient.
Edit: Messed up my math, sorry. Corrected text below...
You will need an external 5V power supply with quite a bit of current. Calculate with 80mA per LED, then you'll need a supply that can supply at least 13A of current, better 15A to be on the safe side.
When you wire things up, do NOT connect the Vcc and Gnd from the strips to the nano but directly to the power supply.
Also, feed power to the strips on as many points as possible, i.e. if you use 18 Strips with 12 LEDs each you should feed power to each strip by pulling two wires with adequate diameter directly to the supply.
Should be relatively easy... 
Much appreciated, I think that's what I'll do. I stepped back and I think I made this project much more complicated in my head than it needed to be. Thanks!
I am currently working on a project and I tested a Nano with two stripes with total 288 WS2812 LEDs.
No problem. I addressed them all in a row with the NeoPixel library.
Now I am working on code to use multiple (currently 4) digital outputs. You can use one or many outputs. Better think first what is best for you before you write the code.
For the initial test I used a PC power supply.
Here are some values for the power which was needed for one stripe with 144 LEDs:
1 color 255: 11.3W
2 colors 255,255: 22.6W
3 colors 255, 255, 255: 33.9W
3 colors 64,64,64: 7.3W
3 colors 128,128,128: 16.2W
These are values for the following stripe. They might be very different for other stripes.
I still think that's a bit higher. Around 14,5W per meter per color. But if you just connect a meter (144 leds) on a single end to 5V the other end probably barely has 4V left. That's why you have to add power to multiple points and use thick cable.
NeoPixels are indeed pretty easy to use but that's mainly because the FastLed library is very good and I still think there isn't an as easy library to multiplex. That combined with the easy connection of NeoPixels vs making a multiplexing matrix. BUT, a NeoPixel solution is like 20 times the price. Depending on the amount of led's that may or may not be an issue (read, expensive).
septillion:
NeoPixels are indeed pretty easy to use but that's mainly because the FastLed library is very good and I still think there isn't an as easy library to multiplex. That combined with the easy connection of NeoPixels vs making a multiplexing matrix. BUT, a NeoPixel solution is like 20 times the price. Depending on the amount of led's that may or may not be an issue (read, expensive).
I paid 18 USD for 1 meter with 144 LEDs and free shipping.
I tested them only a little but until now they look good and work fine.
What's the alternative which is 20 times cheaper?
Note, I did not say you would get the same as NeoPixels nor the same functionality. But it would fit what the OP asked.
[edit]Ah, crap. Not really, op asked for multicolor. So yeah, the price is closer. But 144 RGB leds only costs you $2,80. So you can make it all for around $4,-. Not 20 times but still 3 times cheaper.
When you wire things up, do NOT connect the Vcc and Gnd from the strips to the nano but directly to the power supply.
Correct for the power but wrong for the ground. You must connect the ground of the external supply to the ground of the Arduino.
Grumpy_Mike:
Correct for the power but wrong for the ground. You must connect the ground of the external supply to the ground of the Arduino.
I never said not to connect the Arduinos Gnd to the power supply's Gnd.
Maybe I was unclear, what I meant is that no wire carrying a significant amount of current (be it Vcc or Gnd) should be run over the Arduino board because I assumed that the Arduino would also be powered from the external power supply.
Shuzz:
I never said not to connect the Arduinos Gnd to the power supply's Gnd.
Well that quote did look a lot like it to me.
You should never connect the positive of power supplies together but you must connect the grounds, unless you know exactly what you are doing, like using opto isolator.
As I said, I could have described it in a more clear way.
English is not my primary language, so yeah...
My intention was to prevent him from burning up the traces on his Nano by running the strip's current across them by accident.