For larger projects with more than 800 pixels or so, the wiring gets a little bit more complicated. It's not a good idea to pull too much power through the Sparkle Motion board, and bigger LED installations can draw a fair amount of power.
You'll also want to start a new data line every 800 pixels or so, if you're planning to run WLED or xLights on your Sparkle Motion Board.
Find the input end of your net. It should be labeled by the manufacturer.
Solder a 3-pin JST connector to the 3 wires, and at the same time, splice in a beefy (16-18g) power and ground wire. I'm using 16 gauge lamp cord here, but there are lots of options available with different form factors.
This higher current power supply is a bit too much for most of the standard JST connectors. They use very skinny wire inside, and can burn up pretty quickly.
For the very best power transfer, hard-wire the 16 gauge power wires to your power supply. If you want a removable power supply, try using these 2-pin wire joints to connect the wires. They can handle the 12v current.
Data Outputs
If you're running WLED or X-lights, these controllers work best at around 800-1000 pixels per output. Adafruit 4 meter nets have 1600 lights. So for these nets, for best performance, it's a good idea to run a data line to the middle of the net and connect it up right after pixel 800.
On the 4m net there's a power injection wire soldered on at this point, so it's easy enough to find. It's the unbroken wire along the bottom that we want. Carefully separate it from the other wires and cut it carefully in the middle. Solder a long wire to the "in" for the second half of the net.
I wove this wire and the power injection wire through the plastic connectors at the top of the net to keep them from getting pulled or hanging down.
Connect the data wire and the two power injection wires to a female JST connector and then to your Sparkle Motion board.
Splice the power wires coming from the power supply to the power injection lines as well. This will work best if power is flowing directly from the power supply to the lights for each power injection point.
It's possible to use the 3rd and 4th input on the board to control more nets and lights. With xLights or WLED you can also sync multiple controllers together, so expansion is pretty easy.
Page last edited February 18, 2025
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