I have 4 X waterproof bead wires about 10M in length, each has 100 LEDS (WS2812b) and are controlled from ESP32 minis running WLED. Testing shows max draw around 4A on max brightness with all LEDs active.
I have wired up an extension to an external waterproof box and put a Wireless switch inline so i can switch it on and off. This seems to be working fine at present.
The extension has 4 x 13a sockets that are all all available for use. I also have 2 x 10A psu’s free that i can utilise if needed.
My Question is this - Am i better running each string off its own ESP32 Mini via a simple plug in USB adapter ( similar to amazon firestick) OR use 2 strings per PSU and just use the ESP’s as the data providers for individual strings ?
Also can anyone suggest the cheapest, quick ‘n’ dirty way to waterproof a couple of Matrices i have lying around, to allow outdoor use ( LED’s are not protected in anyway).
just so you are aware, the 4A draw of your single LED string is at 5VDC so it requires 20W of power but your extension is 120VAC(if in US) and 13A at 120VAC is ~1500W so one 13A socket can easily power all 4 strings of 100 LED( 4*20W=80W ) if you have the 5V power supply to power them.
As for the ESP32 driving all 4 data lines of the 100 LED strings it might be a problem if the ‘load’ is too much and the signal gets degraded which means you might need a driver chip or use different outputs on the ESP32 for each LED string.
I would use transparent silicon mastic and transparent water hose for a string or two translucent sheets of plexiglass for the matrices. Before you make it airtight with the mastic, wash the surfaces with the highest concentration alcohol you can get. Any eggs or seeds will get killed, and leave a few drops of alcohol inside to fill the internal space with alcohol vapour.
Many thanks for your replies. I am stilll testing various aspects as i go but will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind. I think i will stay with the 3pin USB adapters for simplicity, at the cost of LED brightness. I have yet to check the power consumption on the various matrices i have, but intend to do so once i waterproof them adequately.
Make sure your power supply is as close as possible to your LED strips. Not sure if that was your plan but since you are talking about outdoor you might be thinking about placing the supply inside and run a long cable. At 5v the voltage drop is significant and you need very thick cables to overcome that over long lengths.
