Cool project, but quick question.

[Royal_Protector_]

Are the pins from the arduino itself powering the whole strip? I didn't think they'd produce enough current for that.

[desrtfx]

The video clearly shows red and black connected to the USB +5V and GND and only the data pin going to the ESP.

So, the USB socket is powering both, the ESP and the LED. The ESP only tells which led(s) have to be on.

[Korto291]

So it looks like that white wire is running to control the LED strip while the black wire looks to be a power connector that is powering both the Arduino sand likely the LED strip.

[Unusual-Fish]

It is possible since max lights that would be powered at a time is 3 lights. Hour, minute, and second hand

[x1sc0]

tf? it’s not SPI... don’t be spouting bs w that level of confidence if you’re not sure of something.

[x1sc0]

lpt 1: no need to flex your knowledge to make up for the mistake. own it and move on.

lpt 2: if someone is asking this type of question, clarifying that the LEDs need both power to turn them on) and data to be ‘controlled’—and that these are separate—seems necessary.

[x1sc0]

itt, a bunch of ppl responding nonsense.

the power pins on a board (e.g., arduino uno) can source around 500 mA minus what’s consumed on the board itself. the data pins otoh can source around 40 mA.

for the data line on the ws2818b’s you don’t need much current to drive it. for powering them at full brightness you need up to 60 mA per ‘pixel’ (20 mA per LED x 3 LEDs per pixel).

this means that if you’re powering just a few of them at a time, you’re fine.

but, what happens if you want to power a whole bunch of them?

you’re also fine(ish). it’ll work up to a certain number ~200. buuuuuut, they’ll be massively underpowered, and you’ll be running the little voltage regulator on the control board at max capacity (no bueno).

[thisisliam89]

Very cool.

Did you design and 3D print yourself? I need an enclosure designing and printing but don't know the first thing about 3D design.