led bullet pixels 12mm - blue and red wire extension

[momotarotaro]

Hi,

I purchase a few strands to build the adalight project and I need to connect the blue and red wires of the strands that are on top and on the sides of the tv to the female DC power adapter that is at the bottom and middle of the tv, but since they are far apart I would need wire extensions right? So my question, which wires do I purchase to connect those blue and red wires to the female DC power adapter and make it work? Product ID? I have no clue! Please help! Thanks

[adafruit_support_bill]

Were these purchased from Adafruit?

[momotarotaro]

No, from one of your distributors.
I guess I can't get support from here then?

[adafruit_support_bill]

We do support products sold by our distributors.
What connector do you have on the your DC power adapter? If it is a JST, you can use one of these: https://www.adafruit.com/products/616
If that doesn't look right, post a photo of the connector you have.

[momotarotaro]

This doesn't look right, unless I'm wrong!

Please view attached image. I have this exact same setup with the exact same products.

I need to extend those blue and red power wires from each strand of 25 LED pixels, because the female DC jack that is connected to the 5 VDC 10A power supply is at the bottom of the tv so it's quite far from the end of each strand. Distance of each blue/red wire that I need varies from 37inch to 117inch since they will be fixed on the edge of the frame that will support the LED pixels.

On those blue/red power wires, it's marked 22 awg, 300v, 80 degreees Celcius. With that information, I'm still now sure what type of wires to get and what other technical information I need to get the correct wires.

Thanks for your help

[adafruit_support_bill]

So there are no connectors on your red/blue wires? In that case we don't need a matching connector
You can use any wire that will fit in the screw-terminals of the DC adapter in the diagram. 22 awg will work, but if it is a long run, you will get less voltage drop using something heavier like 18awg. Stranded is probably best for this application. Speaker wire or lamp cord will work (just make sure you keep track of the polarity!). Most automotive supply stores will have dual-conductor stranded wire with red & black insulation to make things easier.

[momotarotaro]

Thank you for reminding me about the polarity, I seriously did not think of it at all!

About the frame, would it be a fire hazard to mount the LED pixels strand with those power wires on a foam core from an art shop using electric tapes? or would it be less dangerous if I use coroplast for the frame?

[adafruit_support_bill]

Not sure about the relative flammability of foam-core vs coroplast. The leds themselves do not get dangerously hot. But the power wires could be an ignition source if a short circuit develops. I would recommend heat-shrink insulation on all your splices. And of course, make sure that your led mounting scheme does not obstruct the vents on the TV.

[momotarotaro]

I need to ask one more question about polarity...

If I get any "1 conductor 18 AWG stranded wire red" and splice it with the original power red wire that is connected to the LED pixels strand, will my red wire become positive after splicing? or do I need to get "POSITIVE 1 conductor 18 awg stranded wire" (if there is such a thing)?

Sorry I'm such a beginner!

[pburgess]

Any 18 gauge stranded wire will do, it's not picky about color...but if you do use the same for both conductors, be extra careful to keep track of which is which (i.e. don't accidentally connect +5V to ground, and vice-versa).

If you have a Radio Shack nearby, catalog #278-567 is really handy...it's a 2-conductor, color-coded 18ga cable that can be split and stripped as needed...I use this as power supply wire on a ton of projects.

[momotarotaro]

Got the wiring setup now and everything works. Thanks so much both of you