High level here and just looking for ideas to keep me right.
This is for a module that runs on a boat with 12V supply from large lead acid batteries which will be charged at 14V.
The module needs to be able to drive a number (about 4) of LED strips. RGBWW. It also needs to be able to drive LED “bulbs” either alternatively or as well as the strips
The controller will be either a nano33 IOT or an ESP32 and can communicate with others via wifi and potentially I2C. It may be on or off board if I2C is used but will be close by.
The LED strips:
Basically I need a warm white background lighting with an ability to go into a red “night mode” (to preserve night vision). I have looked at many options and am not sure if there is any point in getting addressable LEDs as I don’t need any animation functionality. They may be up to 2.5m long and I suspect, from research that I will need 60 LED density rather than 30 but am interested in opinions. I will use some track and a diffuser and probably water resistant strip. I suspect the LED strips will be the largest load for the controller,
The bulbs: these are just LED replacements for 12v incandescent bulbs and are essentially a few leds and a driver so draw less than 200mA each
I suppose I want to know about components that might be best for this. Which chips would work well. Do I use standard logic level mosfets or are there alternatives for driving multiple strips. I will start working on a schematic but so far, online, I find examples only for running a single strip with mosfets or multiple very small strips from a servo driver.
That was one of the things I was interested in opinions on. Much of the online info relates to addressable strips and although I don’t need that functionality, if it is a better fit I am happy to use them.
My requirements are for a warm white light that will be hidden behind a lip downward facing on wall units. I need to be able to turn it red for night vision when sailing at night. It is a boat, so although it doesn’t have to be waterproof some resistance is beneficial particularly since it is also a salty environment ( I seal all connections with glued heat shrink etc).
Yep, I know of that but this is a module that will work with others. The controller is required because it needs to communicate in various ways to get the inputs to turn on.
Eg physical buttons to turn off/on
Remote buttons for off/on
App on phone for off/on
NMEA marine canbus network to turn off and on from connected multifunction displays
Turning off and on from a raspberry pi
The basic functionality of the module is to control the lights. It is, however one module in a bigger system
I am happy with the controller aspect. I am more interested in the electronics of the driver circuit and the LED strips. I am looking for a compact, neat way to control a moderate number of LED strips (and I am assuming if I can do that I can also use the module to control a larger number of individual bulbs).
As I mentioned there is lots online about addressable leds but I am not sure that is the route to go as I do not need that functionality. I am also not particularly interested in the code yet as I am at the high level stage of getting the concept together. I have looked at many such topics and I have seen basic schematics also.
My questions relate to anyones personal experiences on the types of strips that might meet or exceed my requirements and pros and cons of these. What components would be best to drive multiple strips given the environment I detailed. If I2C functionality can be added eg driver chips. If there are compact solutions better than a pile of standard LL mosfets
I haven't done anything with non adressable LEDs nor in boat but have done room and outdoor lighting projects (for Xmas)
I like the convenience and idea of being able to do more than just turn them on and driving them is easy, no need for MOSFET or whatever. I use the APA102 type as it does not put a high toll on the Arduino to maintain precise timing. (they are more pricey than their neopixels counterpart but that was not something I cared about much)
The addressable LEDs seem to be the ‘in vogue’ option these days and most of my research seems to find information on these. However, they are more expensive and add functionality that I don’t need. On one hand, what’s wrong with additional functionality on the other what is wrong with simplicity. I may create modules for both and see what works best.
