Looking for Recommendations for LED Strips and Controllers

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42

Most of what you mention though isn't a pixel blaze thing, but a COB (LED) Strip thing and dependent on which one you get.

The only functional improvement I see mentioned is that the Pixel Blaze controller's driver can create 12 individual segments. Does it create child devices for those to appear and be controlled separately?

Totally agree as that is what I was also suggesting. That isn't a Pixel blaze thing

COB strips are certainly better at diffusing lights from exposed Pixels, but it isn't perfect. Pretty much every COB strip I have seen on amazon still has exposed flexible PCB on the sides of the Pixels and there diffusing strip. to expose cut points and show were you can solder wires to. The Govee Kit is that way as well but appear to include a cover to hide the exposed pads and PCB.

It is certainly possible when buying strips to get some with cut points and pads that are very close together but I have never seen it be at any spot at all. There have always been limits. The Govee COB strip looks like it may be a couple inches apart, so this can be upgraded upon with the right DIY strip.

That is completely dependent on the type of LEDs and ICs involved. If it is simply RGBIC then 3 is right GND, V+ and D. If there is also a white pixel that is not segmented it may be 4 or more if even more stuff is added.

The Govee COB strip controller is MATTER enabled so it will be 100% local as well. Light Effects will use the LAN API so they will be local as well.

This is a requirement for COB strips and their controllers. The Govee COB strip is 1260Pixels per meter or 6300 pixels on the 5m or 16.4ft kit.

This is actually a cool idea and I like it. This can be achieved in a way with the Govee COB Kit and DIY Scenes built to create the desired separate segments. This potentially sounds like a good improvement with the Pixel Blaze controller.

The Govee kit will have access to their preconfigured effects which the quantity depends on the device. You also have an option to build your own DIY, Use their AI effect creator, or collect effects from the Govee Community that has published there own effects.

I am not saying DIY/Pixelblaze is a bad idea in this case, or that Govee is better, It is more of either way has it's pro's and con's. It is important to understand the tangible differences though.

Doing a DIY solution will give potentially cheaper options overall all with complete control of the exact COB Strip used. It sounds like PixelBlaze will give potentially better functionality to split the strip into segments to be more independent and configurable as sperate devices.

The big con is just making sure you get all the stuff that works together. Do you have any suggestions to help this user get a good experience with a Pixelblaze controller and a compatible COB strip and Power supply correct to drive it?

Both will support a significant number of pixels, need to be cut to size, and soldered and wired together. You will also need to be concerned about loss of voltage on either option as this is a LED Strip thing and not specific to a manufacture. Higher voltage tends to allow longer runes with less voltage drop.

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I am not using this segmentation option (I have never tried it because there was not any need for this option) so I cannot be sure if there is a child device per segment. But most likely there is no child devices. In addition Pixelblaze is capable to drive 2D and 3D LED arrangements. I am not using any 3D setups but I am actively using 2D in my lighting projects.

COBs I am using have near perfect light diffusion "as is".

Since addressable COBs required only 3 wires (even for the strips with extra White LED) there is no exposed PCB on a sides. And for the 5mm wide COBs even cut points (they are on per pixel basis) are exposed on the front/back side but you have to remove gently a diffuser.

No, all addressable COBs are always 3-wires regardless regardless if they are RGB or RGBW. Some addressable strips have actually 4th wire but this is to prevent part of the strip goes dim after single dead led in a chain. I am happy with 3-wires strips. Only once I had a failing strip due to a dead led somewhere in a middle of the chain.

1260 Pixels per meter sounds like a wrong number. The highest led density I saw is a 320 LED/Meter. For the 1260 LED/M LED size itself is 0.79mm. I have never seen such a small led. Plus you need some reasonable space around for the strip flexibility. This number sounds like very unreasonable.

OK, you are a Govee fun but I like Pixelblaze a lot. Once I discovered Pixelblaze and COB LEDs few years ago all my existing RGB(WW) LED Strips were immediately trashed. The BIGGEST point was a 100% local, easy to use and very flexible integration with HE. Now I can easily create any complexity lighting project in a few minutes.

BTW, Pixelblaze is ESP32-based and has few IOs exposed to the end user. One of my project is a combined Door Actuator Controller, Status Indicator for the Door Actuator and Door Lighting. Of course, everything is controlled by HE.

UPDATE
I checked a HE Pixelblaze Driver and looks like there is a Child Device driver:

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But so far I did not exercised this option.

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Is it this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Bedroom-Compatible-Assistant-Changing/dp/B0D7M46RND/ref=sr_1_30?crid=3K4ESUWIA3MLA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ptjT_Zn7mTeAUOyqlrfDf4786OJoJZ-cp_ZWSyUM_OGYBQ41X4FvrvX3Zc1KLuXilveNkkv4nt0oM4zZ1yVbnV_VEqem-5E5XXRJ-1hMs7cpaRE9VngYfs3RHqwmDzopc91XMRZsWxSfXGHo5xi2HKhERRFZvvu5cV2E_cEUEZdWJ42M7E9B-4po7VTHzLFD9Hr-CKRyqJDexYOBUcBIFb_lbzTUKOG1yBoI2MNsZDCko2KYk6_IDUUv5jH-mgqCrhiSgaohF48peoZKl52jhwVs-TGIay5R573pc7s16MM.s1gkX2Jk-asnBtnBquVhuq2wueqqI5ABffqJiHw-4GQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=govee%2Bled%2Bstrip%2Blights&qid=1727037601&sprefix=govee%2B%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-30&th=1

you are mentioning?

I wonder if this one is using standard serial protocol for the addressable leds. If yes, I can try one but with a Pixlelblaze instead of whatever controller it comes with. So far I did not find any technical info.

45

That is a really cool option pixelblaze will provide if it can create child devices for segments.

What I said may have been confusing. I do agree they diffuse well because of the silicon diffuser over the pixels and the pixel density. My point of imperfection was that they still often had exposed PCB. I do think i saw one example where a COB strip put the pads on the back of the strip so they could avoid this though.

I wouldn't bet money on that once White pixels come into play

I am just quoting the spec from Govee's website. I will admit I was a little surprised by that number as well, but I just figured they made progress. That said we have pixels that size all around us, Look at your phones/TV/Monitor. Here is a image from their site showing the pixels arrangement, then where the cob diffuser is over it, and then above a image with the final silicon cover. Ofcourse that is a marketing image, but if it is true to the device it may be that they found a good pixel arrangement that allows them to put more in the same space.

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You can certainly call me a Govee Fan as I do use allot of their products as well as take care of the integration and have created drivers to enable a wide arrange of functions on them.

That said i will never deny the power of the DIY options like WLED or Pixelblaze that run off ESP32 type microcontrollers. The problem though is that those are not plug and play solutions. You have to know what you are doing to select the right controller, Program it, Wire it up, and then ensure combability. That isn't needed with Govee. You simply buy the device and it works. The choice of Govee is to make it simple and ensure it will all work together.

So i would ask the same question again.

Do you have any suggestions to help this user get a good experience with a Pixelblaze controller and a compatible COB strip and correct power supply to drive it?

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Yes, I can help for sure. But I have to know the exact requirements.
Without knowing all details it is really hard to suggest something useful.
But after playing over years with many different led strips and controllers my current choice for color strips is COB driven by Pixelblaze. As I already mentioned, everything was replaced immediately after I discovered Pixelblaze and played with it.

47

Right but pixel blaze is software that runs on a ESP32.
What microcontroller?

Is there any additional electronics needed to ensure the strip runs right? I ask because when looking to use WLED i found references to a additional item needed to ensure the strips ran well.

What would be a good strip to use for the 3x4 foot lenghts the OP is looking for?

What about a controller with 3 data lines. What is that one which is a good choice to use?

48

Yes, you are 100%+ correct. The DIY projects are not for the average users.
With a Pixelblaze this is a bit easier. And if you are OK with whatever already built-in it is almost plug and play. Usually addressable strip has an end connectors. And there are a free flying wires for connecting a power supply near input connector. At this time you can buy a pre-wired and boxed Pixelblase. Certainly you will need an appropriate power supply suitable to drive a strip in a full white brightness. Pixelblase has an Micro USB connector but it could be used only if max current is less than 1.8A. When you have all 3 required parts (Addressable Strip, Pixelblaze and PS) all what you will need - is connect things together, connect Pixelblaze to yours WiFi and GO. These steps are almost the same as for any other ready-to-go kits. So now light are ON but fun just started. The possibilities are endless and limited only by yours imagination.

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Pixelblaze is everything. It is ready-to-go HW + SW. Microcontroller is an ESP32.
There is a very nice GUI and very powerful built-in editor.
The programming language is JAVA subset.
You need a programming only if you want to create something custom.
https://electromage.com/

All what you need - is a Strip (or matrix), Pixelblase (you can buy boxed and pre-wired one with the appropriate connector) and a Power Supply capable to power on your strip at a full white brightness (just in case). If 24V strip is used very small DC downconverter to 5V will be required for powering Pixelblaze itself.

I like COB strips from BTF Lighting but it could be anything else. All they could be precisely cut to the desired lengths. 5mm wide strips will require soldering if you cut strip in a pieces. But for 8mm and 10mm wide strips you can buy a nice clips. This way soldering will not require but the exposed wider strips may not look as elegant as 5mm.
If pixel size 5sm is acceptable I would recommend 24V strips, this is specifically good if length is very long (5 meters or more).

Pixelblase is a Controller for many types of addressable LEDs. You don't need 3 data lines. Simply daisy-chain all strip pieces. But just in case they have an IO Expander with 8 data lines. Number of LEDs is a configuration parameter. Actually there are many very useful documentations on the https://electromage.com/

BTW, Amazon sells WLED Controllers which also could drive addressable LEDs. But I am not familiar with WLED. I have no idea what WLED capabilities are and what is more important, if it can be integrated with HE.

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I think your last two posts kind of validated my point though. Pixelblaze or WLED are nice if you take the time to validate it all together and make sure you know how to set it up. From a simplicity perspective though Govee is hard to beat since they did all the work. Regardless of which controller solution you get, from the ability to solder sections together and such it exists on all options.

WLED and Pixelblaze are similar concepts in that they are both Microcontroller software used to create a Wireless wifi controller on esp32 type micro controllers to control RGBIC strips. I haven't done enough research to know how the two compare to each other.

The BFT strip WS2814 FCOB strip is 896 Pixels per inch so the number Govee provided on their brand new devices doesn't seem that crazy. Amazon even has some kits that include that strip and a controller from BFT lighting. The BFT Lighting controller is Bluetooth only though.

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I know nothing about WLED but you certainly can buy ready-to-go kit(s) from:

But, yes you will need to buy a Strip or Matrix plus the appropriate Power Supply.
Final setup will be very similar to whatever other kits are offering including Govee.
However with Pixelblaze you will have a freedom to light up every single LED in a strip the way you want and will not be limited to whatever manufacture things for you (lowly Apple philosophy). Yes, this will required some programming skills.

I will not be surprised is Govee controllers also based on ESP32 MCs. These days near all IOT Devices are based on ESP32 Microcontrollers.

I checked this strip. It is only 80 real pixels per 16.4ft (or only 16 Pxl/M) in many cases this should be OK but there is a good number of strips with 240 or even 320 real pixels/meter. Unfortunately all this high density strips are 5V only. This usually requires a power injection alone the strip but this is not a show stopper.
And I really don't see a necessity for extra whatever color extra white leds in a strip. COB strips have really nice RGB blending. However white leds are very beneficial for the low led density strips (which I am not using anymore).

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Right. I think that speaks for itself.

You need the IC's to control segments. I really don't get the point of this statement. The IC is what determines the groups/segements of pixels controlled at once . If each pixel has it's own IC then yes you can control each one individually, but that is unlikely on a COB strip. This has nothing to do with Pixel Blaze but is a characteristic of the strip being used. Again please provide an example of such a strip. I would love to see it for testing.

You are right that Govee devices use ESP8266 or ESP32 microcontrollers. It just makes sense. But it isn't just about that. It is the fact the control is enclosed. Has a functional button array and microphone in many cases and is a finished controller for your connected light device weather it be a Strip, Rope, Lam, Y Light, Curtain, Hex Panel, TV Backlight Kit, Sonce, ect.

I think you may be confusing IC with Pixel Count. I saw many references to IC Count as I dug into FCOB strips. Because FCOB pixels are so close and tiny it doesn't make any sense to control the pixels individually. You control them in groups. Most of them I saw from BFT at least looked to be around 50-70. The High pixel count is what creates that great diffusion. The greater number of small LED's means your potential for hotspots are a lot less.

To each other own. I haven't had a great example of good Warm or Cool Whites from any strip I have used or device without dedicated white pixels.

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All 5V addressable strips are based on integrated IC + RGB(W) LEDs which is yes, a single individually controlled pixel. There are 12V versions also with integrated IC + LED. 24V strips are based on WS2811 IC + 12 serially connected LEDs per each channel (total of 36 LEDs driven by single IC). This way individual pixel is 12 LEDs and smalles pixel size is 5sm. Another words, if you light up a single pixel on the 24V strip you will see 5sm long lighted segment. As I mentioned, in many cases this is OK.

No, I am not confused. Definition of PIXEL is what you can control individually. As I explained above, 5V strips are always single IC+LED, 24V are always IC+12 RGB LEDs. Therefore PIXEL is a cluster of 12 RGB LEDs.

This is very depend on what you are trying to achieve.

No, the light diffusion is a property of diffusing material and distance between LED and Diffuser. This is/was proved by conducting gazillions of experiments with different materials.

Once again, my experience is different and basically I am OK with how COB is blending RGB into White.

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I think our are making a assumption that every 5v led has the IC integrated in the pixel. It may be the case in some instances, but I would be surprised if it was all. It doesn't really matter as what you said above is basically in agreement with what I said in that your smallest segment is based on the configuration really If you want to call that a pixel that doesn't bother me. in my brief review of the BFT Strips they length of the segment varies a little bit. So i would be careful about suggesting 5cm long as a given. To that end as well if you look at the BFT WS2811 5v 180pixel strip it states in their documentation that each IC controls two LED's.

That is good clarity for how you define a pixel and based on that definition I would agree. I also wouldn't argue it is probably a better way to think about it. I probably should have used the term LED instead of pixel

That sounds like we are in agreement actually. High pixel count allows you to require less distance to the diffusion material and reduce the chance for hotspots. That is because the pixels are closer together the more pixels you have the closer the diffuser material can be to the actual strip and less work the diffuser has to do since the light is being produced across the length more evenly already. Not ALL FCOB strips are great at that though all will be better then non FCOB strips. I looked at some 180pixel fcob strips on BFT and in some of the pictures the pixels were visible. Also don't forget as the Brightness goes down larger pixels will have a greater chance of being visible.

I think the OB has plenty of info at this point so I will drop out of this conversation at this point.

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I am talking ONLY about addressable LEDs. Yes, all 5V Addressable LEDs are IC+RGB_LED.
External WS2811 IC can drive many LEDs. The reason why 24V Strips are using WS2811 IC only because each LED requires about 1.8V-2,4V to light up. In the 24V number of leds are serially connected exactly for this reason. BTF can do whatever they want but I never will by any 5V strip if a single pixel has more than 1 led.

I 100% agree. We provided a lot of valuable info for the OP and many other users who could be interested in how to create nice customizable LED lighting.

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I've only seen one strip that was not all the same color. It was a combo of 2700 and 5000Ā°K white. They are pretty small I wounder if that would make the combine more?

I would purchase a meter strip of each color and white. Many are only 3 or 4 mm wide so maybe they would work for you. I would guess it won't be long before they have COB in RGB but I don't know the technical issue (if any).

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@mavrrick58 @vitaliy_kh

Well, dang guys haha! Thank you so much for the info although I didnā€™t understand a lot of it especially when you got to all the technical nitty gritty. I do have a few questions for both of you. Iā€™m going to go through the replies again and try to quote each one.

I would love to know suggestions for strips, controllers, and power supply. I need to create 3x 4 ft long segments that will be installed on top of the 3 shelves towards the back. I think I do prefer the COB strips as theyā€™re already well diffused and I donā€™t need to add an LED diffuser channel. I would probably do the 8mm to 10mm thick since the last time I soldered anything was over 10 years ago so the clips would be nice! I assume they come in different lengths to daisy chain the segments together. I do plan on creating a channel through the shelves so I donā€™t think anything will be exposed. I love the ability to control each segment separately on Pixelblaze is really cool and I can see changing them up for seasons (green & red in Christmas; orange, red, yellow in Fall; green & white St. Patrickā€™s Day; although our default will probably just be blue)

I also love the idea of making my life easy with a prebuilt system. But since I really do need to have 3x 4ft segments, it needs to be something I can cut and daisy chain together somehow. Preferably without soldering as I havenā€™t soldered anything in over 10 years lol. You mentioned the Govee M1 and COB strips. Can these be cut and connected through clips (rather than soldering)? And are the M1 strips diffused well like the COB or will I have to add a channel? If I do have to add the channel, what are the typical dimensions (height & width). I prefer not having one, but will be fine as long as I can create a channel through the wood shelves. I would need exact measurements for that tho. Would love to know diffuser channel recommendations for the M1 if needed.

Thanks again guys!!

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This is kind of the nature of how LED strips are connected though. There are some clips that you can get on Amazon that work between strips and wires but you will need to research which on for the strip you choose.

Think of the M1 Govee LED Strips as a 60 LED/M strip so it is a higher density(related to other Govee Strips Strips) traditional strip, but still uses larger led's. This would require a decent size Diffuser to spread the light out well, It can be done with a channel of a reasonable depth, but simply will never diffuse as well as the COB strips. The COB strips will require pretty much no additional depth since the pixels are so close and so numerous while the diffusion material is right on the pixels themselves. If the LED strip itself is it going to be visible at all COB is the way to go.

Govee has a kit that includes a diffuser that could be the way to go for that situation. I still think COB would be the best strip type to use.

Honestly if you don't want to solder then I would suggest just getting 3 of the 10ft Govee COB strips. Hubitat can act on all 3 devices as in automations and you can group the 3 strips together in the Govee Home app if you choose to use that.

If you decide not to worry about the soldering then the Pixelblaze option is a intriguing option. I certainly wouldn't knock it once you get the part list picked out and are confident it would work together.

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I did a quick search on Amazon for addressable COB strips assuming you decided to use addressable strips. COB style is definitely the way to go regardless. Unfortunately there is no 4ft long ready-to-go strips (it will be easiest for wiring).Also I did not find any 5V COBs wider than 5mm (however I did have one 8mm wide). All this means you have to buy 16.4ft strip, cut it to 4ft pieces but than you will need soldering. What I can tell you (soldering 5mm strips is not an easy task and i am EE with 45+ years of experience). The advantage of 5V addressable strips is very small pixel size. However if pixel size is not a problem and you are OK with 5 centimeters pixel size consider 24V addressable strips. These do exist in a various length and width. Plus there is a clips for the 8, 10 and 12 mm strips for easy wiring. For using a Pixelblaze with 24V strips you will need very small DC-DC downconverter to bring down 24V to 5V. Certainly I will help you to complete your project but first you have to decide which exactly strip you want to use.

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Even with 3x of the 10ft Govee COB strips, woudn't I need to cut my 4ft and solder a connecting/extension wire between that end and the controller since I don't have 3 different outlets for the 3 shelves that is on the same height as the shelves. The outlet is located below the shelves (right above the counters).

@vitaliy_kh

I'm going to assume this is a typo or I don't know what the definition of a "pixel" is because 5 cm is almost 2 inches and that is huge for a single light! With that in mind, I think I'm okay with the bigger pixel size. I'm going to assume what you're talking about for the 24V addressable strips is something like this? 5m RGB+White COB Series LED Tape Light - IP20 - 24V | Super Bright LEDs (Probably don't need IP20) The actual width of the strips themselves is not too big of a deal for me since I'll be inserting them in a channel I make in the wood. I just actually need to know how wide and tall to make that channel.

Edit: This is what you mean by solderless connectors right? Amazon.com This I can do lol.

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No, this is not a typo. Pixel is a smallest individually controlled either Single LED or Cluster of LEDs. 24V strips must have a Cluster of LEDs (usually 12 RGB LEDs) because voltage to light up an LED is around 1.8V - 2.4V.

5m RGB+White COB Series LED Tape Light - IP20 - 24V | Super Bright LEDs

This is not an Addressable LED Strip. It is a regular RGBW LED Strip for a ridiculous $219.99 price. The entire strip will be the same color all the way. Pixelblaze cannot control this one. You will need a Zigbee or ZWave RGB(WW) controller.

Yes, this is a solderless interconnect clips. You have to be very careful and chose a right one for your strip (width, number of wires and wires arrangement).