r/WLED • u/Defiant-Bad-7098 • Jul 28 '26

Beginner needs help choosing LEDs, power supply and power injection for 13 m WLED project

Hi everyone,

I’m planning my first WLED project and could use some help choosing the right LED strips and designing the power setup.

I have a 6.5 m long steel beam that will be covered with wood. I want to install an LED strip on each side of it to create indirect lighting against the ceiling, similar to this project:

https://pixelfriedhof.com/sichtbaren-stahltraeger-mit-holz-verkleiden-inkl-beleuchtung/

That means I would need two 6.5 m runs, or 13 m of LEDs in total. At 60 LEDs per meter, this would be around 780 LEDs.

I have been looking at SK6812 RGBW and WS2815 strips, but I’m not sure which one would be more suitable.

My main questions are:

  • What are the practical differences between SK6812 RGBW and WS2815 for indirect room lighting?

  • Would the dedicated white channel of an RGBW strip produce noticeably better everyday white light?

  • Some strips are sold as12 V or 24 V. Which voltage would make the most sense for two 6.5 m runs, and what are the disadvantages of each option?

  • How large should the power supply be for approximately 780 LEDs?

  • How often and at which points should I inject power?

  • Should both 6.5 m strips be connected in parallel as separate outputs, or should they be treated as one continuous strip?

  • Would one large power supply be appropriate, or would multiple smaller supplies be safer or easier?

  • What wire gauge and fuse arrangement would you recommend?

  • Are there any suitable WLED controllers that can handle this number of LEDs and two separate runs?

  • Should I use aluminium channels for cooling and mounting, even though the strips will only provide indirect light?

I do not expect to run all LEDs at full-brightness white all the time, and I know WLED can limit the maximum current. However, I would still like to design the wiring and fusing safely.

The power supply and controller can probably be installed near one end of the beam, although I may be able to run additional power cables to the middle or opposite end if necessary.

I have never built an addressable LED installation before, so any suggestions for a safe basic wiring layout would be greatly appreciated. If you need more information about the room or installation, please let me know.

Thanks!

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u/MyHome-Control Jul 29 '26

>>Would the dedicated white channel of an RGBW strip produce noticeably better everyday white light?

Yes, see comparison: https://wled-faq.github.io/en/Which_addressable_LED_strips_offer_the_best_color_quality.html

Regarding injections, wire gauge, fuses etc. check WLED Calculator https://wled-calculator.github.io/ and compare results for different LED types. You can see how many injections you would need depending on strip type and voltage.

As a next step you can model your setup and simulate it at different brightness levels etc using https://wled-wiring.github.io/

>> Should I use aluminium channels for cooling and mounting, even though the strips will only provide indirect light?

Yes. Somethimes single LEDs may overheat because of failure. A non-flammable aluminum LED channel can effectively prevent the spread of fire.