Choosing a Pixel Voltage: 5V vs 12V

General

There are many Different Styles of Pixels that are available with different design features like shape, integrated circuit and voltage available. Choosing the right pixel depends on you specific use plans and one of the most common questions is which voltage pixel should you buy. Chooseing between the two most common voltages, 5vdc and 12vdc depends on how you plan to control and how you layout your pixel setup.

Disclaimers

The standard disclaimers pertaining to the information contained on this wiki page are listed here.
THIS PAGE IS STILL IN DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE COME BACK SOON!
THIS WIKI PAGE IS NOT COMPLETE YET.

How RGB LEDs work

Common Anode RGB LED

Current Limiting Resistors

Ohm's Law

1. What resistor would you use with a 5VDC power supply and a Blue 8mm LED with a V_F of 3.0V?
   First you need to calculate the voltage that the resistor needs to drop. That is equal to
   V_Drop=V_PowerSupply - V_F=5-3=2V
   The table below recommends a current I of 20 ma for a 8mm LED. The formula for resistance gives us:
   R=V/I=2/0.02=100Ω Generally you choose a resistor for that value or the next higher standard resistor value.
   To calculate the wattage resistor needed you use the formula for Power:
   P=VI=(2)(0.02)= 0.04W. You would use the next standard size up resistor, 1/8 W.
   

Number of Channels (*)

Typical 8mm RGB LED Properties
Color	Forward Voltage VF @ 20ma
	Minimum	Typical	Maximum
Red	1.8V	2.0V	2.2V
Green	3.0V	3.2V	3.4V
Blue	3.0V	3.1V	3.4V

Different Voltage Configurations

5V Power and 1 RGB LED

12V Power and 3 RGB LEDs

12V Power and 1 RGB LED

Related Links

Different Styles of Pixels
Controllers
Dumb RGB or Intelligent Pixels??
Things You Will Need To Get Started With Pixels
Pixel Wiring Colors
Power Supplies