Watch this before buying LEDs

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

See how we use LEDs in our projects! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3zOqpuiadaIbZI

[@smr504]

How to choose the right driver to power left over strips

[@Rylethorn]

Most of the time you can find watts/ft info either on the packaging or online. Use that to determine the minimum driver for the strips. (W*V=A)

[@sirpapps]

Could i use a PI3 to program the leds?

[@thekaiser4333]

Good Lord! What was your PhD thesis?!

[@sirpapps]

you talking to me or others?@@thekaiser4333

[@kairimarshall2259]

His smile at 19:18 is the exact reason I watch his videos. His nerdiness and enthusiasm is golden!

[@ToTheAtom]

Yeah!!! That was my favorite part 😂

[@lucutes2936]

Uuu

[@reaganharder1480]

Something to note about the whiteness of LEDs. The reason why dedicated white LEDs make a better white than RGB LEDs is because LEDs by default emit a very narrow range of wavelengths of light, so a red LED emits a very pure red, blue LED emits very pure blue, and green LED emits a very pure green. This can trick your eyes because the photoreceptors in your eyes mainly come in three types that respond most strongly to those three colors and your brain translates the colors by how much each different type of photoreceptor is responding to it. But when it comes to bouncing light off of items (which is how we see those items) a material that bounces purple light is not necessarily going to bounce red and blue light terribly well, so if illuminated under an RGB imitation of white light, that purple item will appear a lot closer to black than it actually is. White LEDs get around this by using a coating (I believe of phosphorus) that absorbs the energy of the very narrow band light of the LED and re-emits it as full-spectrum white light. So if you want to use your LEDs to illuminate something without ruining the apparent colors of any non red, green, or blue items in that area, you need dedicated white LEDs. If you want to do that while also having the option to add color to the light, you need RGBW

[@loxymods]

i ain't reading all that

[@sidflixx]

@@HiddenRealm NOT READIN ALLAT

[@Prince_Sharming]

@@sidflixx sad

[@sidflixx]

@@Prince_Sharming just a joke lol, i feel u tho

[@chodowski_legacy]

I ain't reading allat

[@BMSculptures]

This video could not have come at a better time. Currently installing some LED's into a pedestal. Very helpful Brad!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Awesome, Blake! Can't wait to see it. Hit me up if you need any help.

[@keyboardmause]

ive done some for my room, but didn't find this video or even think about getting the good LEDs

[@adamb452]

This is so good-thank you! I haven’t done any LED projects because I’ve been paralyzed by all the options. This is so helpful ❤

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Awesome! Glad it helped

[@andersenzheng]

For the sticky tapes to mount the LEDs, I have been using VHB(Very High Bond) tapes for all my LED projects. Specifically from 3M. I have tried both the clear version and the black one, both works wonders. I have LED in the back of my truck and mounted LEDs to the roof of my canopy for 2 years now, it only fell saggy once over the whole 5m length, and it was 44 degrees in the dead of summer, so ill cut it some slack. If you find the sticky tape that comes with the LED underwhelming, give VHB a shot. Just remember to peel off the existing sticky tape first, because often times the VHB will firmly grab on to the original sticky tape, but the original sticky tape fails to grab onto the LED.

[@richardsandwell2285]

My advice would be, fit them to cooling surfaces like Aluminium strips, use the dimmer switch to dim it by 10% and it will repay you by lasting years longer, keeping them cool is key. If you are running from a 12 volt offgrid supply, try dropping the supply voltage to 10 volts and under run them.

[@DonaldZiems]

For tip #7, a bigger supply at the start really isn't going to help you much if the color is shifting from the start to the end of the strip. Especially with cheaper strips, the resistance in the strip itself starts to dominate and no amount of extra power supply current can help you with that. Power injection or migrating to a higher voltage are the only way out of that pitfall.

[@DonaldZiems]

I suppose a constant current power supply, where the + is connected at one end of the strip and the - is connected at the other end should also keep things uniform. The constant current supply will boost the voltage as needed, and the wiring method will ensure each led has about the same amount of wire on either side of it.

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

I tried it out and it definitely helped, but did notice a little fall off at the end. Makes sense that the strip resistance is the driver of it since Power injection worked better

[@DonaldZiems]

@@Fixthisbuildthatyeah, the bigger supply probably sagged less, so the voltage going in started off stronger. I definitely buy that. The other thing to do would be to power the strip from the center; power lost is determined by current *squared*, so half the current in each branch means a quarter of the power is lost. Or even run wires to power it from the same supply, just at both ends.

[@carstenlechte]

@@DonaldZiems The current depends on the brightness of the LEDs at each moment - which value are you going to use? The standard method is to run thick cables along the strip and feed in power every meter or so.

[@DonaldZiems]

@@carstenlechte, current determines brightness, and voltage determines current. The issue here is over the length of the strip, the resistance of the strip develops a voltage drop. You might be putting in 5 V at one end, but measure at the far end and you might read only 3.5 V! Topping up every meter is probably overkill, and there's no one size fits all answer here. That said, my method is what I suggested in my first reply, a constant current power source and wiring to connect + and - at opposite ends of the strip. It should result in a very decent tradeoff of uniformity vs complexity.

[@sgsax]

Thank you for this rundown. Shopping for LEDs is confusing if you don't know what you're looking at. Your information here is extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing!

[@Asxertive]

I just buy Govees great ecosystem works with Alexa and google and easy to use

[@michaelcesa5026]

This was probably one of the very best LED discussions I’ve ever seen. You’re right , this should be seen by everyone who is thinking about working on an LED project.

[@vishu_296]

I was just looking for some LED strips for a project I'm going to be doing and this video was exactly in time! I've learned quite alot from my own research on LED Strips and its amazing that this video compiles them all for a quick and convenient reference whenever needed. Although I've to say, this video also covered some of the things that I didn't know and also cleared out some of the doubts I had.

[@Nifty-Stuff]

I've watched HUNDREDS of led strip videos. THIS IS THE BEST! All the important info in one video!!!

[@pauljarrell8162]

I’m not mad. But sometimes I wish someone would just say “this is the best one to get this “

[@chonkibonki-k8z]

He said his go to strip: "WS2812B".

[@JayImahara]

Depends on what you need. After seeing this, there's a lot more nuance to it.

[@pauljarrell8162]

@@JayImahara my nuance is that I need a really bright one there’s not really nuance to everything. Granted there are some things. I would like to see one KZbin short saying this is the brightest one in about 30 seconds.

[@VTAndrewVT]

@@pauljarrell8162 in 30 seconds I found that this model is the brightest: FSLQR-24V-3528X2400

[@Kirk_Wood]

​@pauljarrell8162 🤔 "Paul, I don't need all the nuance explained. Not every video needs to cover all the nuances! I have a nuance I'm looking for. Just tell me already what want to know, which one is the brightest?!" 🤣😂 Too Funny

[@williammiller4786]

I’ve been lobbying with these for a few years and I’ve watched a lot of videos. This is the best beginner video I have seen. Good work.

[@rsawycky]

Be careful when using more than one power supply when powering the same strip. The positive of one supply should never have a path to the positive on another supply. Keep a common ground and data line though the strip but have the positive be separated. For example, if using two power supplies, one at the beginning and one at the end, half way though the strip you can cut out one of the positive copper pads at a cut point. Much more information and good examples available when you google multiple power supply power injection as well. Be safe.

[@-_-Raziel]

Thanks 👍

[@davidgiertta]

Indeed. Had this running in the background whilst tinkering, and when I heard the power injection bit I assumed two power sources were being used. Seen some really botched installations with this mistake, one almost set the bar ablaze in a concert venue. They had just added PSUs at one end of a very long run, in an attempt to compensate for the drain. 10 cheap 12V 40A PSUs working in parallel in an enclosed, unventilated box. Owners of the venue got pissed at me when I said it had to go, and be entirely rebuilt. Fun times.

[@TikkaQrow]

The issue with the silicone coating, is they tend to Yellow and grow cloudy over a few years, ruining the color accuracy and overall brightness. All soft silicones are prone to oxidation after being cured. If you KNOW your strip is going to stay dry, it might be better for longevity to get the IP 30 ones.

[@erans]

And use a profiled tunnel to protect it?

[@mattsully5332]

Love it, thank you for sharing with us all! I've got several projects where I want to incorporate LEDs, but have been extremely hesitant about getting into them because I don't feel like I know enough about it to do it well, and they're expensive enough that I don't want to have to "waste" some on starter projects. This helps a lot!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

You’re welcome!

[@chriskairys9939]

Thanks, Brad. Excellent lesson on LEDs. Just ordered about $80 worth of stuff from your Amazon links on behalf of my client. Hope you get a respectable cut. You were worth every penny. Chris

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Hope they work out great!

[@cmyk8964]

The RGBW thing is similar to why printers use black ink for color printing. Full C+M+Y is supposed to be black, but it’s not quite the right color, so a dedicated K ink is added.

[@TheAverageJoeBro]

And there are great RGBW strips out there. His argument that they are finicky as a blanket statement is false. Just spend a little more on your pixels. Not sure why he’s tackling this subject. I come here for shop stuff not LED stuff, there are KZbinrs out there that really know what they are talking about. I’d take maybe a quarter of this to the bank with me…

[@dethswurl117]

I heard that it's also because using full C+M+Y for something as frequent as the color black in printing would quickly use up 3 of your ink carts which sounds awful lol

[@erickmcgraw]

I ran across this over a year after you created it. Great information! We have some dark areas in our kitchen and need some additional accent lighting to aide in pin pointing the light. This will definitely help. Thank you so much for putting together the research.

[@nzhook]

Thanks, I've watched sooo many videos on RBG lighting and they normally skip a critical bit of detail in power and this is the first that covered it. So great video, now I can stop buying the premade ones.

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Awesome, glad it helped!

[@CyberC12345]

I love this video!! I want to build my own LED light strip in my closet using contact sensors and eventually create a real time bus arrival dashboard using LED strips. At least with your video, I got over my fear of wasting money on LED strips. I have a better idea of what to do. Very thorough! I’ll be recommending your video to anyone who’s thinking about starting led project.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Okay, that sounds really interesting! Your closet must be amazing 😅

[@OspreySoul]

Also! An important piece of advice from someone who wasted a huge amount of time on an LED project because of this mistake: Pay attention to the direction of the arrows on the LED strip. Data MUST flow in that direction. Even if you solder all the ends of the LEDS correctly, if data isn't going in the correct direction, your lights will not work correctly.

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Absolutely. I left out that vital piece on 3 wire setup

[@rhkips]

You should see the power supplies and heat management strategies used in architectural LED lighting! I'm currently sitting at just a hair over 100' of 24V, 240LED/m dual-row strip lighting across 7 10A power supplies, and I expect about triple that amount by the time I'm done with renovations. 24V setups have a lot of advantages in larger installations, chief amongst which is that the power supplies can be "tuned" downward a bit in their output voltage, allowing both the power supplies and the LEDs to run significantly cooler. Heat management becomes a really big issue when you're talking about 120w per 5m span; even 2" width of 1/8" aluminum in flat-stock or u-channel variants can be too little if you don't have a lot of breathing room!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Wow, I can only imagine how hot all those power supplies get together

[@rhkips]

@@Fixthisbuildthat They're spaced out quite a lot, and running them at reduced voltage makes quite a difference, but surprisingly, the LEDs produce more heat than the power supplies! At full power, there is a noticeable inversion layer inside the house. LOL

[@scottwillis5434]

@@rhkips do you mount the aluminum strips on spacers to get a bit more heat flow, and discourage painters from coating them with (insulating to some extent) paint?

[@rhkips]

@@scottwillis5434 I mount the U-channel upside-down, and have found no significant difference in spacing it off the surface it sits on. Aluminum can shed heat very quickly. The added complexity of integrating a spacer system likely isn't worth the effort. :)

[@stephenmcgeown]

This has been the best explainer on LEDs I've seen, hands-down! Thanks Brad!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

You're welcome!

[@udance4ever]

I agree! makes this rabbit hole feel a bit cozier 🐰

[@-abraxas-]

I'm just starting to learn about LED strips, controllers, etc.. After your video I don't feel so ignorant now. Thank you!

[@XDIY]

You surely shed a lot of light on this! 😜 I already made some projects with led strips, but I learned some new things here. Great video, thanks!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

😀👍

[@Ohilipp]

Maaan! Really thank you so much! I am a math-dude and software-engineer...i have no fear coding my own controllers and application software around it but my practical "hardware"-skills of handling stuff that has to do with electricity are below zero so my ideas for going for it with LEDs have been sitting around for years (!!!) now because everything else seems daunting to me and information is vaaaaaaaast. Especially power supplies have been...urgh...for me. There are so many >.< Your video was an amazing help to actually make me feel more comfortable to go for it now as it kinda helped me to tick of a bunch of boxes that i had in my head for my "i need a, b, c"-list. Thank you a lot again!

[@Ranger7Studios]

I would suggest RGB A/W (Amber/White). That is what a lot of film lighting is starting to use and it just gives yo more accurate colors throughout the spectrum.

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Is that basically RGBWCCT?

[@Rylethorn]

RGB A/W is going to an actual Amber Diode as opposed to a Warm White. Depending on the quality of the strip, Amber may be closer to actually orange, An RGBWCCT is also known as RGBWWCW (Warm White/ Cool White) or RGB Tuneable White and is geared more towards having the white color temperature be variable.

[@tomozer69420]

I once bought $9 30 ft LED strips from amazon, they worked perfect, even the adhesive was extremely strong and it would easily stick on the the bottom of my bed and stay there

[@crystalBall9287]

I bought two strips of RBG LED strips from Lowes or Menards on clearance LoL They were $6 each, regularly $35. I was not mad about it

[@ohmisskaimi]

Definitely appreciate the time and effort put into the making of this video...but it was an overwhelming amount of information to take in. Please make a condensed version!

[@riottries2357]

You slow asf😂

[@artikblack8688]

I use RGBW and that as a room light. I find it even brighter and better than a normal lamp and the one I have also has motion sensors

[@MrBerett315]

Literally using this info for a commercial construction and learned a ton! Thanks fella

[@kargandarr]

My preference for LED lighting is something that can be connected through a 5volt or 12 volt connector on a computer motherboard. As for the animations, I have been trying to find a way to replicate the lighting in an ASUS ROG G20CB desktop so that the lighting will change color according to the music playing on it.

[@MichaelBuilds]

That was SUPER HELPFUL and just in time too because I'm currently working on a project involving LED's! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Thanks, Michael!

[@matthewdaylo4075]

I was not expecting that jumpscare.

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Just checking who actually made it to the end 😂😂

[@Jonston17]

I wet myself

[@NEWGHOST9]

Yeah me neither, seems like anot great thing to throw into a random video tho

[@mykstreja8648]

Yesss, he's a funny boy, oh ho ho ho. This will be remembered. 😈

[@Mr_PuppyYT]

I May need another change of clothes now

[@sastrugi4471]

Went to the DIY shop and became so confused by the LED options that I went home and put up a regular lamp and light bulb for the time being. This vid was exactly what I needed. Thanks.

[@XionSteel]

the cheap rgb strips i got off amazon seemed to have worked alright for the year and a half i used it to light my bedroom, but the power brick that came with it broke after that time. I opened it to see if its something i can replace and what broke was the 2 large cheap capacitors that is used to step down the power, they completely popped so didn't bother but i might repurpose it for something later. Got a variable power brick from canadian tire to power the controller instead and worked well since. I might replace the rbg leds for pure white strips at some point since all i use on them is the white and the dimmer, but kinda lazy to do so.

[@kevinmiller1881]

4-5 yrs ago I got a dumb kit from China to light up my collectables on the bookcase I built for them. It had no instructions but came with the strips, connections (wires, plug-ins, etc) and I also put a switch on them (5 shelves worth). It was fun figuring out how to get them all to work together when I used the switch. I love electronics so much! I've since got a few moducases for my more expensive collectables. Moducase is not cheap but they are well worth the money because if put together right there's absolutely no dust, dirt or (if you have a husky) dog fur in them.

[@mattcwatkins]

Very helpful video. Covered a lot of questions I had in one spot including estimating the number of LEDs powered by the various voltages, making a bit more sense of the soup of LED types and numbers, and hints at a few things including controllers, the little fiddly connector bits, power injection, and even gave me an idea for some picture lighting! I'm running a 65 foot total length from a single point and think I can do with 24v 30 lights per meter easily....feeding the two ends of the loop. Also I think your diffused tracks gave me an idea to add a tap off the main to some custom picture lights I can fabricate out of oak. Gonna go basic controller for now, but maybe I'll fiddle with a Pi and program later.

[@Ishanamin]

Thank you for creating one of the best LED explanation videos I've ever seen.

[@aserta]

You can have combined IARGB and IAW in one package, but you have to work for it. Same voltage for both strips, preferably 24v, same amps as well. Preferably 8.5a. If one can find the same brand for both, one is liable for a lottery win. Then you cut the IAW into the single LED cut and adhere them between the LEDs for the IARGB, over some quality Kapton tape. After that, connect all the + and - lines, from the IARGB to the IAW, using enameled wire that's meant for headphones. Use twizzers for that. I was not precious about this, i didn't even use a regulated iron, just the common variety, 220v one setting type (including a dirty tip from a previous work, because i couldn't be bothered to clean it) IE: a neat person will work this easily, at any level of competency above complete novice. Final step, make sure all the LEDs work, adhere the mutant LED to an aluminium strip, and then use high quality clear tape to wrap the whole thing at a 45 degree, 4 mm overlap. It should be thin, clear quality brand tape. Anything else will cause problems later. I used both 3M and Scotch brand tape on different jobs, no issues with either. Once you're done, this can be either glued in place with double face tape OR if you can find a wide enough strip of aluminium, on the sides of the assembly, with drilled holes, one can use screws (mechanical is best). Oldest assembly of this nature i've done is now... 4 or 5 years old, and i've not received any complaints. Mine's a bit newer, 2 years on the dime (got all the bits just before the pandemic) and it's hooked to the TV through an Arduino for ambient light. Also, no issues other than at the installation, i fiddled with the strip too much, and one of the speaker wires broke, which was easily rescued in situ by removing some of the tape. On the market, as of my last search (1 year ago), there's no solution for this, that's affordable and that gets good reviews.

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Wow, nice explanation!

[@MobileTaz]

I have one hangup about your explanation of power requirements.... Using a larger power supply at only one end of the strip will NOT prevent the color problems at the other end. This is especially true with the 5V pixels (WS2811/12B, etc). The issue is not about the power supply not providing enough, it has to do with voltage drop over distance. The copper traces on the strip have a pretty small cross section (equivalent to ~24AWG), and 5V doesn't go very far through that regardless of how large the power supply is. You have to inject power at roughly 3m intervals (or with a 5m strip simply inject at both ends). You don't even necessarily need multiple power supplies, you can just connect the single supply to both ends. Using a higher voltage strip means you only need power injection every 10 meters or so, but the same principles apply.

[@fazwanalif]

In the pool?! That cracks me up lol

[@JayrosModShop]

This is the best LED strip video ever, you even covered the pathetic adhesives some use.

[@kobayashimaru8114]

Well presented info. I'm kind of surprised you didn't mention the silicone encased "neon" style strips. I know they're basically no different than the IP67 strip you showed except that they also diffuse the light and come in many different profiles including full round "rope" style.

[@bimirabu]

The absolute BEST video I’ve been able to understand about LEDs! Others just say “Watch out for how many LEDs per meter” without showing what that looks like or “This is a single LED and this is a strip” without really showing application. Fantastic vid, I finally understand something and thanks SO, so much for showing how each strip number looks under a diffuser. 🥹

[@Red_Proton]

I really like the way you organized your links. It made it easy for me to find all of the components for the "easy white LEDs."

[@Mihnnnea]

4:28 ive been using a wiz "dumb rgbw" led strip in my room and its preety good ive been using it for abt 3 years no problems so far

[@adb_2k8]

Thank you so much for making this video. I'm interested in buying my first ever LED wall strips for my room and this video definitely helped me make a better informed choice

[@shittuobaloluwa7346]

Your video encouraged me to experiment with my LED'S and accidentally ended up ruining them 😭

[@carla3585]

This was such a helpful video! I've worked with LEDs on a couple projects now and it never occurred to me that diffuser panels could be a thing lmao.. Thanks!!

[@scooter313]

Thank you for shedding light on led's. Cheers!❤

[@batuhankahraman5474]

This video is very nice. Thank you for all the information. Now I have just stopped designing a cafe ssign in the middle and came back to your video. After I check the necessary info I will go back and finish the design. I love the videos that I have to visit and visit. So that I can move forward with the valuable info inside it.

[@6legend]

bruh i jumped at the end 💀

[@joeoliver757]

This is very informative. I got probably a mid-grade RGB set up. It’s not bad, but found it awful for customization. The connectors never worked very well. What is your recommendation for outdoor lengthy strips of RGB lighting? Waterproof, 200-400 ft range. Nice controller and power supply? Would be nice if it’s relatively affordable and easy to work with customization.

[@Jearrod]

Just do not buy govee. I thought they were the good ones and have had 3 of the expensive ones go out on me it’s wild

[@NotDarius]

Unlucky mate but I’ve had govee lights running for like 3 months straight around my desk cuz I forgot about them and they still strong as ever 😅

[@average_account]

My govee light strips are so good and they don’t use much power keeping the energy bill down

[@skitz0_led]

@@average_accountsame had them for 2 years and it’s still feels fresh

[@juwjuwbee3513]

I bought my Govee lights back in 2020 they’re still going strong

[@shandysgarden]

This is the most informative light video of ever seen. I found myself taking notes the whole time!!

[@Thehamsterman9000]

Why did i think this was linus tech tips

[@PaulGuy]

As an electrician, I'd pretty much always install the 24 volt unless you've got a legitimate reason for doing otherwise. You'll generally not have to deal with running out of wattage or voltage drop (unless you're getting crazy).

[@Dont_Poke_The_Bear]

Teenage influencer kit😂😂😂

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

🤷‍♂️😂

[@SpredDemCheeks69]

And discord moderator basement

[@Ahmet-g9k6s]

Your banned​@@SpredDemCheeks69

[@stashmullins]

You can even mix 12v and 24v strips using a single controller by adding a led amplifier at the end of the 12v strip and powering the amplifier with a 24v power supply. Setup goes as follows, 12v power supply-controller-12v led strip-led amplifier with 24v supply-24v led strip. Total length of system is roughly 86ft. 2x 16ft 12v led strip 2x 32ft 24v led strip. And works even better if 12v side is a loop and 24v side is a loop by connecting beginning and end of the led strip together. I was ocd about the system being insync

[@xdlolxdlol999]

1:57 voice crack

[@randalalansmith9883]

I have several devices based on RGBW. And one thing to note is that you DON'T get to mix white with RGB. You can dim the white, but if you want salmon, you gotta mix the R with G and B. And it's usually only two cells at a time. So you don't get to turn down the intensity of cyan. It's going to be pure G and B with no R. At least those are the constraints of the controllers provided, be they IR hand remote, or bluetooth, or WiFi apps.

[@Florthy]

this is so confusing

[@Yzfr_fabi]

Fr bro. Just wanted to buy some leds...

[@s.d.c5513]

Rgb-ic led strips allow individual colors per led and patterns of color. While Rgb led strips all leds on the strip are the same color.

[@s.d.c5513]

​​@@Yzfr_fabi Ikr he really over complicated this crap.

[@panbot2203]

I had a ducking stroke

[@fj.omasanuwa]

@@Yzfr_fabi bro I’m like I just need colors in my office

[@tomminystrom]

Those less dense strips might be cool with a fixture of some kind. Maybe smooth stainless steel or other metal/ shiny material with holes for leds. No need to be shiny, could be just be embedded in to any surface that would look cool with few leds. Just an idea.

[@obeydaud2059]

I know fairly all those features will little bit of cloud. Watching this just make it clear. Thnx a lot.

[@pthalodezin]

As a pool designer, IP67 is suitable for submerged environments, but most manufacturers will quickly admit that they have not tested in caustic solutions. Some have, so if you want to do submerged led strips IP67 is a start.

[@O_P_Productions]

Nice educational tutorial, thank you for doing this… I do have a question, have you ever worked with LED sheets? I’m in the middle of a kitchen renovation and were installing translucent countertops and I’m trying to figure out the best way to light the underside of these countertops. I think LED sheetsare the way to go but I’m going to test out multiple options. Thank you!

[@RJSDZNS]

I've been thinking about using LED in my subwoofer boxes. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

No problem!

[@Ni5ei]

The reason the leds at the end of the strip get dimmer has nothing to do with the driver not having enough power. It might, but even if it has plenty power, you still see this happening. It's because of resistance over the long distance. You don't need a second driver, just connect a single driver to both ends of the strip. You can also power the strip in the middle. This effectively halves the distance, so also gives lower resistance.

[@chrisliddiard725]

Just a thought, but you should do strips of analouge inputs, all connected with the protocol I2C. Each chip would have its own input, and enough memory to store up to 256 values, eg 256 chips in a strip. The bottle neck of most analog projects is reading the values fast enough and the connections required. A strip would allow each chip to process and store the digital value of the analog input. You would then read these values into an array, as fast as the I2C allows. As for why, the new Midi protocol allows for MPE, eg individual analog valves for at least 3 axis. Strips of analog chips would have so many other uses and free the processing resources of the main controller.

[@DIYDomTheBuilder]

@3:55 - If you’re hesitant about the quality of a “best of both worlds” RGBW strip, what kind of cost diff is there to just go w/ 2 separate led strips 1 being a dedicated White only strip + 1 “smart” RGB strip? The reason being… Led strips are very small/thin/lightweight etc. to begin with. So, one would think that (for most applications), wherever you’re planning to install 1 led strip, there’s likely enough space to fit 2 strips (either side-by-side or back-to-back etc.). I would imagine there are upgraded versions of controllers that are not too expensive & will allow you operate multiple strips using 1 remote, so you can control both the white & RGB simultaneously. So, for example, if you’re doing recessed led lighting around the crown molding of a room, you put in 1 good quality white strip that offers various temps (day/soft/warm) + 1 “smart” RGB strip side-by-side. Now, you can adjust the white lighting for your needs/mood & you can have the added benefit of colored lighting for anything else (i.e. night light, enhance indoor Xmas lighting, movie night, party theme, etc.)

[@sammyaucella-lu4kr]

This video helped me so much! Thank you for explaining this in basic terms. Very easy to understand. Do you have a favorite LED strip that is also waterproof? Thank you for your help!

[@gordon861]

Very surprised you didn't mention the Athom controllers, all the advantages of WLED but without needing to sort out your own microcontroller. These will also work at 5, 12 or 24v, you just need to make sure you use the right power supply for the strip.

[@fusion1203]

A think i like about neon lights is how you don’t see dots because normally you can only fix that issue with led lights is with diffuse things

[@customledandfiberopticsinc2756]

Let me add a few things. IP68 strips. Its the same tube as the IP67 but the tube is solid. They are truly waterproof. All strips are not made the same. There are different levels of copper content which helps with thermal management and voltage drop. LED chips are not created equal. color rendering and longevity is usually the trade off. Cheap LED chips and low copper content is what you find on all the cheap strips. We use our strips on boats and some have been in a saltwater environment for many years but they're not cheap internet strips.

[@superwassou]

The best LED video ever for a noob like me. Thanks a lot!

[@IXISSV]

I've got 10+ esp32/esp8266's running WLED 😁 I've even got 10metres of LED's going down the garden, running off a 5v 10amp power supply, plugged in to a smart plug. Love WLED

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

That's awesome!

[@ab12gu]

You cannot add more amperage... it is a variable basedon the resistance of load (i.e. led strip)

[@poduck2]

IP65 is okay directly in the rain, as it resists low pressure water, and small amounts of water ingress won't harm it. IP67 can actually be submerged up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. In practice, ip67 can actually be submerged deeper for longer, but that is all that is guaranteed with that rating. Also, you can run just as many lights on 5V as you can with 24V, as long as you have the same wattage, and inject 5v farther down the line. You can send more wattage down a small wire with higher voltage, but you can supply the same wattage to led strips, as long as you tap into the power supply more often.

[@MCsCreations]

Fantastic info, Brad! Thanks a bunch!!! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Thanks, MC!

[@melaniaslatan1177]

For the controller, i always use the esp 32 (or esp8266) With the WLED program. It has a lot of effects and features

[@MickelMart]

I’ve been wanting to add some LEDs to my desk. This was very helpful. Thanks!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

No problem

[@parkercombes]

Great job Brad, that was just the introduction I needed! Time to pimp out a new set of your modular drawers in the shop

[@Wysiwyg101]

My interest is a white strip that fits around the lid and around the top interior of a Pelican 1615 AIR case with a DIY TrekPak and DIY Lid Organizer that can be remotely turned off or on preferably with a power supply that uses AA batteries. Your video gives me some good ideas. At least where to start. Thanks for sharing.

[@eeedee1298]

Excellent video!! Thank you. I am planning a led lighting strip for a big swimming pool ... and it is pretty confusing!

[@tsvetelincheresharski1672]

I wish this guide existed when I did my DIY LED ceiling panel. It would have been way easier to pick my components

[@nathan22211]

I need to double-check what LED's I ordered for a project. But probably important to note you could've just 3d printed the diffusers with clear filament and the channels from something like PETG. I don't think most people want to try cutting aluminum despite it being doable with hand tools

[@CyberC12345]

I think there’s a limit to 3D printing the diffusers. Everyone has different levels of competence. I know that even if I’m super confident in 3D modeling and drafting, I’m not going to rely on my 3D printer for a huge project. 1. I don’t know whether the print is successful until hours later. 2. The longest I can print is a foot long. In my case, buying aluminum diffusers and cutting them down to size is preferable. However it’s a great idea to 3D print the diffuser! I just don’t know if it can work out for everyone. I’m just saying that sometimes we don’t have to do everything ourselves

[@ThreePhaseHigh]

Would love to see you make a video of your soldering techniques, the whole video just dedicated to soldering strips together. Would love to see your technique.

[@myria2834]

No matter how rare it is that I want to use my white LEDs, when I want white light, I want quality white light. I will always buy RGBWW (warm white and daylight white) because I cheaped out on a strip I use primarily for accent lighting, and now I am stuck with garbage white, meanwhile my overhead LEDs provide quality white light across a wide range of color temps.

[@LOWFUEL]

This was the first really helpful vidéo I found on the subject! Thanks!

[@chuckmaddison2924]

Many, many thanks. I just cut some off mine . I had no idea this could be done.

[@veracity91]

I was literally going to make a video just like this. im glad that you did all the effort for me :) Thanks bud !

[@BrandyFletcher-lj2eu]

Thanks for the great information. I have an outdoor commercial sign I build made of thin cut sheet metal raised with spacers on PVC panel. I think using LED to backlight the sign would look great. Any suggestions?

[@tablatronix]

You will have voltage drop issues regardless of power supply, and should really plan on power injecting any strips over 6-8 ft

[@bangdollarsign]

This is the most informative LED video I have ever seen!

[@Jeremy_Adams]

This is by far the best led informative video I have ever seen!

[@MagnusRohden-db8gy]

Another good type of led is a rgb-ic light strip. Depending on which you get you can get a beautiful light strip with PVC and a soft color pallet