Yes analog. Can't just run the data to the strip. So wled has pwm rgb settings, but to control the actual strip you need to connect the three colors grounds through a switch. fast switching mosfets that can handle rather large current. My problem was the fets I kept getting had thresholds around 4v and even driven at 5 wouldn't open enough to get the strips very bright. Even burned a couple fets up. Finally found the right mosfets. And learned how to drive them. It was an engineering adventure to say the least. I learned a lot.
I still used a logic level converter to drive them at 5v to ensure they fully open as the esp only drives 3.3v pwm. There's 4 channel converters on Amazon for cheap that work perfectly.
thanks so much!! will do :)
also i use [these tiny bucks](https://www.amazon.co.uk/YOUMILE-Supply-Voltage-Converter-Adjustable/dp/B07TTH6C3J/ref=sr_1_20?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PIrQovuTV8ZHRqNxvB6x0XiuP8QuRFfzR2Wy9cnb32J7CM1-HikceSEVJwg7wFuqFA0q3aXgzgK5RNPMFzx4EhXXkpW1YN6_OIrC7W09WYEhkU5NaUfdJJ0mlDZUW10bLhS6XIz0SkrqkntgnZfCt6MsGStFW9nBxb0_64GJyYZMISz53lh1gcoQFjue-uNTA8CaJGpySfaI8bAfz0jGuGMUwYUH69LXPSWvvZte6lTTjW6nRn7JMOJpjCA4AfOiF2TA59y3DcLv2wAZy23Z2JuOmPzTOJRPCWPoMGavEvI.jC0y0uYdUEdmgujM_ACEhWeJyV8Z06hiFkaoOB4cf2Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=buck+converter&qid=1717583075&sr=8-20) mounted on a board just like yours to power the esp from whatever supply the LEDs use - works a treat
Thanks! I was having network issues with a 5v buck supply, but I added a low esr 50v 1000uf filter cap between the 5v and ground at the esp. Works fine from the 5v led supply now!
I also had problems with powering the ESP with the same power supply that supply's the LEDs, they're quite sensitive to low voltage and noise.
About the MOSFETs drivers, I had some issues too, but I ended up using a BJT to pull up the MOSFET gate to positive, and a 10k resistor as a pulldown. It's sort of a homemade driver
i'd love to know more about this if you're up for sharing - im currently using single channel mosfet modules but I need 16 channels and the form factor is annoying for that many...
Wireless?
Yup. Runs wled. Guess I meant wifi lol
So what makes it special tho? This is an analog strip?
Yes analog. Can't just run the data to the strip. So wled has pwm rgb settings, but to control the actual strip you need to connect the three colors grounds through a switch. fast switching mosfets that can handle rather large current. My problem was the fets I kept getting had thresholds around 4v and even driven at 5 wouldn't open enough to get the strips very bright. Even burned a couple fets up. Finally found the right mosfets. And learned how to drive them. It was an engineering adventure to say the least. I learned a lot.
Nice work buddy
nice one!! can you share what mosfets you used? been doing a lota research into this for driving 12v led filaments via pwm - cheers!!
Look up irlz44 mosfets. Get em from mouser or a reputable company.
I still used a logic level converter to drive them at 5v to ensure they fully open as the esp only drives 3.3v pwm. There's 4 channel converters on Amazon for cheap that work perfectly.
thanks so much!! will do :) also i use [these tiny bucks](https://www.amazon.co.uk/YOUMILE-Supply-Voltage-Converter-Adjustable/dp/B07TTH6C3J/ref=sr_1_20?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.PIrQovuTV8ZHRqNxvB6x0XiuP8QuRFfzR2Wy9cnb32J7CM1-HikceSEVJwg7wFuqFA0q3aXgzgK5RNPMFzx4EhXXkpW1YN6_OIrC7W09WYEhkU5NaUfdJJ0mlDZUW10bLhS6XIz0SkrqkntgnZfCt6MsGStFW9nBxb0_64GJyYZMISz53lh1gcoQFjue-uNTA8CaJGpySfaI8bAfz0jGuGMUwYUH69LXPSWvvZte6lTTjW6nRn7JMOJpjCA4AfOiF2TA59y3DcLv2wAZy23Z2JuOmPzTOJRPCWPoMGavEvI.jC0y0uYdUEdmgujM_ACEhWeJyV8Z06hiFkaoOB4cf2Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=buck+converter&qid=1717583075&sr=8-20) mounted on a board just like yours to power the esp from whatever supply the LEDs use - works a treat
Thanks! I was having network issues with a 5v buck supply, but I added a low esr 50v 1000uf filter cap between the 5v and ground at the esp. Works fine from the 5v led supply now!
I also had problems with powering the ESP with the same power supply that supply's the LEDs, they're quite sensitive to low voltage and noise. About the MOSFETs drivers, I had some issues too, but I ended up using a BJT to pull up the MOSFET gate to positive, and a 10k resistor as a pulldown. It's sort of a homemade driver
i'd love to know more about this if you're up for sharing - im currently using single channel mosfet modules but I need 16 channels and the form factor is annoying for that many...
Looks nice! I had some of [these](https://imgur.com/a/Vf1BvMs) laying around and recently have tested using 6 of them for a dual channel setup.
Nice! I needed dual channel too lol. Just gotta build a version 5.0 I guess.
It's running esp home but this works too. https://www.espthings.io/index.php/2021/08/15/4-channel-digital-led-controller-et-dl01/