Arduino Mini driving NeoPixel Streps

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chinablue
 
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Arduino Mini driving NeoPixel Streps

Post by chinablue »

Can the Arduino Mini drive 4 meters of the Neopixel strips with the recommended 5v power supply?
Thankx.
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Re: Arduino Mini driving NeoPixel Streps

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Which version of the NeoPixel strip did you have in mind, the 30 LED/m version or the 60 LED/m version?

The main limits are power and memory. 4m of 30 LED/m Neopixel strip can draw as much as 8A, and 4m of 60LED/m can draw as much as 16A. Realistic usage scenarios would use about half that, but you're still looking at a 4-8A supply.

The Arduino Mini has 32k of memory, like the UNO. The NeoPixel library keeps a buffer of color values for each LED, and only about 135 of those will fit in a device with 32k of RAM. 4m of 30 LED/m strip would just barely fit, 4m of 60 LED/m strip would require about twice as much memory as the Mini has.

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chinablue
 
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Re: Arduino Mini driving NeoPixel Streps

Post by chinablue »

I will run the 30 LED/m version. So, per your comment that "4m of 30LED/m strip will just barely fit", do I have to be concerned with that or not? I will not be running all of the LEDs at the same time. Is there a way to test the draw on an Arduino Uno?
Thanks.

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Re: Arduino Mini driving NeoPixel Streps

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Four strips of 30 pixels will consume a fairly large amount of memory, but your Mini or UNO should be able to run the code.

As for the power requirements, there's no way any Arduino will even come close to supplying enough power to run multiple LED strips. We usually suggest using one 5v @ 2A power supply ( http://www.adafruit.com/products/276 ) per meter of strip, and making a power connection every meter. The LED strip tutorial has a bit more information about that: http://learn.adafruit.com/digital-led-strip/powering

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