Stupid question

D

Diyermaker

New member
I have chained models together that need power injection. I have seen pictures of people taking them from the power supply and not through already in use power lines. Can I do something like this(with a fuse):Sketch.png
 
Yes - you could also take power to both ends of your arches. Which you're sort of doing anyway if they're next to each other. You can connect power from wherever you want provided the 0v (gnd) is shared between the data signal and the PSU.

So black is 0V, needs to be same as your controller 0V. Blue is data (at 5V logic). Red is +5V or +12V probably depending on the pixels you have.
 
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RichieNorthcott said:
Yes - you could also take power to both ends of your arches. Which you're sort of doing anyway if they're next to each other. You can connect power from wherever you want provided the 0v (gnd) is shared between the data signal and the PSU.
Click to expand...
Ok, that will probably work better. Thanks!
 
You'll know if you need PI if your pixels get dimmer along the chain. Generally white will start to look pink (since the red component of the LEDs is brighter at lower voltage. You can connect power wherever you want- but generally the ends of the props is going to be easiest as you have shown. If you have an arch with lots of pixels, you could connect midway. This is one reason the 5V pixels come in 50s, with PI at each end. For 12V pixels you can get away with less PI.
 
RichieNorthcott said:
So black is 0V, needs to be same as your controller 0V. Blue is data (at 5V logic). Red is +5V or +12V probably depending on the pixels you have.
Click to expand...
Close. If you are injecting in the middle of a string (aka between arces) then the V- you need to worry about is the V- at the pixels at which you are injecting power. That is not (technically speaking) the same V- that you have at the PSU OR the controller. Because current flowing through a wire causes a voltage drop, every inch of wire between any two points in a circuit results in a new/different reference (aka V-) potential. Look at it this way: A controller or a pixel are both data sources. a pixel is a data destination. Each data source has its own V-. The source V- (with as little current through it as possible) needs to go to the V- on the data destination.
 
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