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NeoPixel Power Planner

Calculate current requirements to prevent burning out your microcontroller.

Strip Configuration

Power Requirements

Max Current 3.6 A
Power Consumption 18.0 W
Safe to power with standard 5V power supply.

About Addressable LED Power

The #1 Beginner Mistake

The most common reason an Arduino or ESP32 project starts smoking is attempting to power too many NeoPixels directly from the microcontroller's 5V pin. While a microcontroller can provide the data signal for thousands of LEDs, its onboard voltage regulator can usually only provide enough power for about 10-15 LEDs at full brightness.

How the Math Works

A standard 5V WS2812B NeoPixel contains three separate microscopic LEDs inside it: Red, Green, and Blue. When set to maximum brightness, each color draws about 20mA of current. Therefore, when a single pixel is set to display pure White (all three colors at max), it draws a total of 60mA (0.06 Amps).

Best Practices for Large Builds

  • Separate the Power: Always wire the power lines of your LED strip directly to a dedicated heavy-duty 5V wall adapter. Only wire the Data and Ground pins to your microcontroller.
  • Add a Capacitor: Place a large capacitor (1000 µF, 6.3V or higher) across the + and - terminals of your power supply to smooth out sudden power spikes when the LEDs turn on.
  • Power Injection: For strips drawing more than 10 Amps (or longer than 5 meters), the copper traces inside the strip aren't thick enough to carry the current to the end, resulting in yellow/dim LEDs at the tail. You must run a secondary thick wire alongside the strip and "inject" power into the end (and middle) of the strip.