There are many different types of pixels available. This is a general reference that shows connection points for most types of strips. Your project may have different requirements, but this is a good starting point.
For Dotstar strips or other strips that have 4 solder pads, use pins 32 and 33 as CLK and Data.
For NeoPixel strips or other strips that have 3 solder pads or wires, use either GPIO pin for your Data line, or use both to run two instances at the same time. The 5v and G pins are shared with both strips.
The two JST-SH connector ports can be used to connect sensors or other peripherals.
How many LEDs Can I Connect?
The Sparkle Motion Mini board has two outputs for LED strips using the GPIO pins. It has a "Classic" ESP32 chip onboard. The board will handle up to 4A draw from the pixels.Â
Here is a guide giving more info on what that means in terms of power draw: Powering NeoPixels Guide. The power draw varies greatly depending on the type of pixels and the brightness, as well as the color choice.Â
Estimating Power Requirements
Each individual NeoPixel draws up to ~60 milliamps at maximum brightness white (red + green + blue). In actual use though, itâs rare for all pixels to be turned on that way. When mixing colors and displaying animations, the current draw will be much less. Itâs impossible to estimate a single number for all circumstances, but weâve been using 1/3 this (20 mA per pixel) as a gross rule of thumb with no ill effects. But if you know for a fact that you need every pixel on at maximum brightness, use the full 60 mA figure.
To estimate power supply needs, multiply the number of pixels by 20, then divide the result by 1,000 for the ârule of thumbâ power supply rating in Amps. Or use 60 (instead of 20) if you want to guarantee an absolute margin of safety for all situations. For example:
60 NeoPixels Ă 20 mA á 1,000 = 1.2 AmpsÂ
60 NeoPixels à 60 mA á 1,000 = 3.6 Amps
The choice of âoverheadâ in your power supply is up to you. Maximum safety and reliability are achieved with a more generously-sized power supply, and this is what we recommend. Most power supplies can briefly push a little extra current for short periods. Many contain a thermal fuse and will simply shut down if overworked. So they may technically work, but this is the electronics equivalent of abusing a rental car.
Keep in mind, 60 mA is a worst case estimate! Weâve written a whole separate tutorial on getting things under control: Sipping Power with NeoPixels.
Also, keep in mind that WLED has a built in 'current limiting' software regulator that will dim the LEDs to keep them within your max power supply: that way your designs will be as bright as they can be for the power availability without having to do a ton of math
Driving Pixels with WLED
For perfect performance, it is recommended to use 512 LEDs/pin with 4 outputs for a total of 2048 LEDs.
For very good performance, it is recommended to use 800 LEDs/pin with 4 outputs for a total of 3200 LEDs.
For good performance, you can use 1000 LEDs/pin with 4 outputs for a total of 4000 LEDs.
For okay performance, you can use 1000 LEDs/pin with 5 outputs for a total of 5000 LEDs.
For okay performance, you can use 800 LEDs/pin with 6 outputs for a total of 4800 LEDs.
ESP32 can calculate about 65k-85k LEDs per second (that means 1000 LEDs @~70fps, 2000 LEDs @~35fps, 4000 LEDs @~18fps)
4 outputs seem to be the sweet spot.
This board has two outputs intended for attaching LED strips, and you could wire up a third if you're clever and use one of the other GPIO pins. But if you've got a large-scale project, consider the Sparkle Motion board instead. It's set up with 4 outputs and a bit more power.
What Kind of LEDs Can I Use?
The Sparkle Motion Mini board and WLED accept a wide variety of pixel types. Anything in the Adafruit store labeled as "NeoPixel" or "Dotstar" will work. You can use rings, strips, jewels, pebble pixels, stars, RGBW strips, or just about any RGB addressable pixels you can find in our shop.
This setup will NOT work with "dumb" RGB strips or analog strips. It's meant for strips with individually addressable pixels (strips where each pixel can become a different color) rather than the strips that can only show one color at a time.
How Do I Power It?
For wearable or portable projects you can use a USB battery or a USB Power Supply that's rated for up to 4A, plugged into the onboard USB-C port.Â
A Word About Connectors
It's possible to direct-wire your LED strips or pixels into the pins on the Sparkle Motion Mini, but I find it easier and more convenient to use 3-pin JST connectors that can be permanently affixed to the board with strain relief so they don't pull out. Then I can simply plug in whatever LED strip or strand I want to use.
LED strips often come with these connectors already attached, but there seems to be no standard for whether the factories attach the male or the female connector on the "in" end. For my own peace of mind, I try to be consistent and always use the male side of the connectors on the microcontrollers, and the female on the "in" end of my LED strip. Data is flowing "out" from the microcontroller and "in" to the strip, so the male/female metaphor makes good sense in this arrangement.Â
There is also no standard as to which way the color coding is wired on these connectors. Some have a red wire on the left side, some on the right side. Some have no color coding at all. Hooking your strips up "backwards" (accidentally connecting a red wire to a black wire) can damage your board and your LEDs, so it's important to be really careful when you're setting up your connectors. Be as consistent as possible with color coding and throw away any connectors you've got in the drawer that are wired "backwards" from the rest.Â
For one LED strip: Connect your red or rightmost connector wire to +5v, your middle wire to either 32 or 33, and the black / rightmost wire to G.
If you're connecting DotStar strips, use 32 and 33 as your data and clock wires.
To connect two strips, use two male connectors. Splice the red and black wires together, adding a third wire to connect to the board. Leave the two center data wires separate -- in the photo you can see that I added some longer wires so all 4 wires going to the board are the same length.
Connect the red wire to 5v, the data wires to 32 and 33, and the black wire to G.
Connect the female side of the JST connector to your LED strip or strand, making sure the wire order matches the male connector in your screw terminal: +5v (red) should match up to +, data IN to GPIO, and G to G. Plug in your strand. If you've already installed the software and set up your pins, the lights should come on when you plug the USB port into power.
Page last edited January 28, 2025
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