Hi everyone I'm new to this forum and was hoping to get some advice. Appologies if it's in the wrong section.
I'm doing a project to have LED's on a ceiling that are controlled by an Arduino and Raspberry Pi Zero.
I am using the WS2812B 5V 30LED's/m model and expect to use roughly 9m. I want them all to be connected of course in order to act as one strip.
My problem has been how to power them safely from a regular wall socket next to the ground.
At first I got myself a 5V 20A PSU (overestimated on Amps I think) as I thought I can just power the whole 9m in one go but after I realised there is a voltage drop across the strips so it's best to split and power them separately. So my plan was to get 2 seperate power supplies 12V 8A to power each of the two sections (opposite corners of the room). I don't know if 12V was the right choice as I assumed there's a voltage drop in the wire that would run at least a few meters to the ceiling and then the LED's and I thought I can then drop it down to 5V (which is what the LED's need). But now I found that I can't just put a couple of resistors on 12V 8A to step it down.
I hope I've been clear, so if anyone could help me figure out what the best way to wire this it would be really appreciated.
Preferably in the least expensive manner (although if a new PSU is needed that is fine).
The 5V supply is probably OK. Just run heavy-gauge wires up the wall and across the ceiling to the opposite end of the strip. Regular house wiring is pretty cheap at your local hardware store although it is a safety hazard for the next person to work on the house when the 5V wires are indistinguishable from the mains-voltage wires. Speaker wires are often available in very heavy gauges for reasonable prices and they are obviously low-voltage for anyone looking at them.
I would not even bother splitting the strip. Yes, you now have two inductive loops of +5V and GND all the way around the room but it's unlikely to be a problem unless you have big industrial motors in the room.
The LED drivers local to each LED will be able to compensate for a lot of voltage drop on their own. That's why this kind of strip is even practical in the first place. Without that compensation, one meter of strip would have noticeably dimmer LEDs at one end.
Thank you for the advice, I'll try connecting them with the 5V supply as this was initially the easier idea to make.
I never thought about the gauge of the wire actually, didn't realise I would have significantly lower drops with higher gauges.
Dekstaa:
Thank you for the advice, I'll try connecting them with the 5V supply as this was initially the easier idea to make.
I never thought about the gauge of the wire actually, didn't realise I would have significantly lower drops with higher gauges.
Actually it is the other way around. A smaller gauge number means larger wire diameter and less voltage drop.
That's why you don't use words like "small gauge" or "large gauge" because a large number is a physically smaller wire. "Light gauge" and "heavy gauge" are good alternatives. 100m of heavy gauge is a physically heavy reel of wire.
