LEDs are connected in parallel - to produce your own, you should mix series/parallel

Direct Current:

24v

12v - handle longer strips with less voltage drop, reducing the need for frequent power injection - Consumes slightly more power due to the higher voltage - reduced wiring complexity for long strips - Supports up to 10 meters or more without voltage drop issues - 12V power supply, which can be bulkier - more expensive due to the higher voltage design

5v - more frequent power injection for longer runs due to higher voltage drop over distance - typically limited to 5 meters before noticeable voltage drop occurs

Common characteristics: - similar brightness levels, depending on the quality of the LED chip used - dual data line, meaning if one LED fails, the data signal bypasses the failed LED and continues to the next one. This increases reliability. - 60mA at full brightness (20mA per color channel). - P = V x I - 12v * 0.06A = 0.72 W per LED - 5v * 0.06A = 0.30 W per LED - 144 LEDs * 0.06 Amps = 8.64 amps per 1m - For 5V systems, if the voltage drop approaches 10% of the supply voltage (i.e., 0.5V), the LEDs will start to show dimming or malfunction - 18 AWG wire, which has a resistance of 0.00639 ohms per meter - Current per LED: - Red channel: Around 20mA. - Green channel: Around 20mA. - Blue channel: Around 20mA. - If the blue channel is not at full brightness, the current running through the blue LED will be less than 20mA. - This will depend on the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal controlling the brightness. - If you reduce the brightness of the blue channel to, say, 50%, then the current would drop to around 10mA for that channel.

Voltage drop - The longer the wire and the higher the current, the more voltage is lost in the wire.

The forward voltage depends on the material and color (wavelength) of the LED:

  • Red LEDs: ~1.8–2.2V
  • Green LEDs: ~2.0–3.5V
  • Blue/White LEDs: ~3.0–3.6V
    • Blue light typically falls in the range of 450–495 nanometers
    • The larger the bandgap, the higher the forward voltage

The current coming out of the