how many NeoPixel 1m strips per Arduino Mega

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ashleyjamesbrown
 
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how many NeoPixel 1m strips per Arduino Mega

Post by ashleyjamesbrown »

Hi forum folks

I guess its a piece of string and power but i have a conundrum and i need to check and cant seem to tell

I have a rack space that is 36 spaces wide and are 5 tall (each space is a bout 25cms square), its just over a meter/half in height.

I wanted to run 36, 1m strips vertically down behind each rack so that i could light each gap using the individual addressable pixel in the strip (i realise some will be redundant). I want them all to be on low white power and then i will use an algorithm from computer to send data so that all of them will be off, but certain 'rack spaces' will light up. So each Arduino will be connected to a computer also.

How many Arduino Mega would i need to run that many NeoPixel strips ?

Then the question can be about how many power strips

If anyone has a better design solution please let me know.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: how many NeoPixel 1m strips per Arduino Mega

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

36 strips of 30 pixels/meter would be 1080 pixels and would require 3240 bytes of memory. That is possible in a single Mega (8K of SRAM). But if you don't need all of those pixels, you might want to consider implementing it using discrete neopixels such as our breadboard-friendly pixels or flora pixels. It would be a bit more wiring & soldering, but would require less power, memory and probably cost less as well.
http://www.adafruit.com/products/1558
http://www.adafruit.com/products/1559

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ashleyjamesbrown
 
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Re: how many NeoPixel 1m strips per Arduino Mega

Post by ashleyjamesbrown »

Thanks for the quick reply. I dont have the time so was looking at the strips for ease of use. Cost isnt an issue in this instance, speed and ease is :-)

If i had reels where they are 4 meter length and used 8 of these and just curled the wire into a shape to fit behind each of the 4 drops then this would work also ? rather than cutting up 36 seperate ones. i.e the power and the Mega pin could do that many per pin. ? I assume i could just put each of the 8 strips (at 4m length each) on a digital pin on the mega, use the tutorials for wiring / capacitors and 5v adaptors etc and wiring to hook them up. Then the one Mega could be attached to its own power or USB to the computer later for interactivity ?

I will need all the pixels eventually, just not in the first instance of the installation, only a few get lost behind the boxes. Can you confirm the spacing between each light/led?

Much appreciated the quick response, thanks so much

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ashleyjamesbrown
 
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Re: how many NeoPixel 1m strips per Arduino Mega

Post by ashleyjamesbrown »

Sorry the 30 led ones are 5m reels arent they ?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: how many NeoPixel 1m strips per Arduino Mega

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

I'm not sure I follow your description completely. A diagram would be helpful.

If all the strips are wired in series, you can drive all of the pixels from a single pin. Or, if you prefer, you can split the work across several pins. Either way, the power and memory requirements are the same.

To calculate power, we estimate 60mA per LED at maximum output (full brightness white). Most installations will not have all LEDs on full brightness, so the power requirements will be substantially less. With 1080 pixels, the maximum theoretical current requirement would be more than 60A :shock: . From your description of the intended usage, I would expect that a 20A supply would be sufficient.
Sorry the 30 led ones are 5m reels arent they ?
That is correct.

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