I have four 1 meter led strips, WS2811, 60 pixels per strip.
All four red wires, +, are coming off of Vin. The lights are behaving pretty much as the sketch says.
But I have been told Vin is ONLY power in. My eyes don't lie.
Also, when I put the four red wires to 5V the lights freeze. I am working on a MB102 setup.
My question - Why am I being told Vin is only for power in?
Yes, I have searched high and low for online help but most all of it deals with powering the Nano via the Vin pin.
Generally speaking, the labels are there on purpose. Vin is supposed to be used for power in because it is not regulated. You get power still because it is still attached to the same power rail that the 5v pin is.
tl;dr, 5v pin is regulated at 5v, 3v3 pin is regulated at 3v3, Vin pin is not regulated and has no guaranteed steady output.
Here is a link to a Nano schematic, it visualizes this information
Arduino Nano2.sch
Controller 5 volt? Don't do that. That 5 volt output is not capable of supplying the current needed.
If you are powering the Arduino through Vin, you have the same "direct connection" whether you connect the strips at the power supply or at Vin. The power (current) shouldn't be coming out of the Vin pin.
The WS2811 is supposed to be powered by 12V (and controlled with a 5V data line).
And, you shouldn't power anything "significant" through the on-board 5V regulator.