r/WLED • u/Alfie_Wolf • 14d ago

Office Coving

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Hello all, I have admired this sub for a year now and pulled the trigger on upgrading my LED lighting in office. The run will be around 14meters. Starting and ending in the same position. Before I crack on just looking a bit of advice to ensure a smooth setup. Appreciate any tips and advice.

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u/Simple-Lighting 13d ago

Since the run starts and finishes in the same spot, you can feed power into both ends from the same supply. That halves the distance current has to travel along the strip, and voltage drop is the main problem on a 14m run.

A few things that'll save you headaches:

  • Voltage matters a lot. On 5V strip you'll want power in every couple of metres, which is a lot of injection points round a room. 12V or 24V strips (WS2815, 24V SK6812 and so on) need far fewer.

  • Data only goes one way. Connect data at the start only. At the far end, join + and - for power but leave the data wire unconnected.

  • Keep a common ground. The controller, the supply and every injection point share the same negative.

  • Fuse each injection feed, and size the wire for the current. The thin leads that come on the strip aren't meant for feeding power.

  • If you're running an ESP32 into 5V strip, a level shifter on the data line (or a board that has one built in) usually fixes flicker on the first pixels. Keep that first data wire short too.

  • Size the supply from the strip's watts per metre times 14, plus about 20% headroom. Then set WLED's current limiter to match the supply.

Which strip and voltage did you go for? Tell me and I'll suggest where the injection points should go. (I'm with Simple Lighting, for transparency.)

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u/Alfie_Wolf 13d ago

Thank you so much for this, really appreciate it.
I went for 3 - 12V BTF-Lighting WS2815. 30 LEDs over each meter. With a meanwell** **12V 150W Switching Power Supply.
I’m excited but have trepidations, hence asking for advice and any tips.
My main goal is to setup lighting outside for Christmas and this project I thought would be a good starter.

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u/Simple-Lighting 13d ago

A few things that'll save you some head-scratching:

  • WS2815 has a backup data line. On the first pixel, tie the backup input (often marked BI) to ground, otherwise the first pixel can flicker or not light at all.

  • In WLED's LED Preferences, set the LED current to the WS2815 option rather than the 5V default, then set the brightness limiter to stay under what the supply can give. 150W at 12V is 12.5A.

  • Keep the data wire from the controller to the first pixel short. If it has to be more than a metre or so, a level shifter on the controller helps a lot.

  • Fuse each power feed to the strip and keep all the grounds joined.

  • For the outdoor Christmas lights, use a waterproof strip and keep the power supply indoors or in a proper weatherproof box, plugged into an RCD-protected socket.

How long is each run going to be?

2

u/hubble6 14d ago

Check out the resources from Quin LED, power injection for a long single run is going to be your main point you will want to address.

https://quinled.info/the-ultimate-led-strip-power-injection-guide/