In order to replace the house outline with RGB strips, I need the ability to control individual strips.
I still have way too many RGB Kittys made up so I decided to create a new shield for the kitty to increase the current drive.
The design has the following feature:
- DMX in / out on opposite sides on the board – the board in used inline so as to speak
- DMX start address via Push button on start up – no risk of loosing pesky link packs
- smallish form factor
- Power entry either separate screw terminals or Cat 5 cable
- Operating voltage – 11 to 13 volts
- High Output current – approximately 1.5A per channel ( to be verified)
So how much strip can this controller drive?
Typical RGB strip is 5 meters long and has 150 LEDs. The 150 LEDs are broken down to 3 LED segments. Each segment is set for If = 20mA ( assumed worse case). This means 5 meters of strip will consume 50 x 20mA = 1 Amp per colour. These controllers will be good for 5 to 7metres of 150LED RGB Strip.
This Project details the end result.
Single DMX to RGB Strip Controllers
Note: the above photo shows the RGB Kittys connected to the shield via connectors. in normal operation that are soldered directly to the shield.