.6W or .27W Pixels?

Henerybear

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Hey everyone,

I was just about to place my first order for some lights an noticed that the ones I was about to order have Power noted at .27W. The other option is .6W but these are significantly more expensive. Reading previous posts I noticed that most people are running their lights at 30% or thereabouts but Im not sure based on what wattage. Any guidance here?
 

AussiePhil

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Hey everyone,

I was just about to place my first order for some lights an noticed that the ones I was about to order have Power noted at .27W. The other option is .6W but these are significantly more expensive. Reading previous posts I noticed that most people are running their lights at 30% or thereabouts but Im not sure based on what wattage. Any guidance here?
Some links to the pixels your looking at will really help us all help you out.

As for the 30% - that is very much a personal preference and depends on so many things and even the feature/prop you lighting up, a megatree with 2" spacing probably needs to run at 30% due to the pixel density.... personally i run most of the display at 100%. Everyone in the hobby will fall somewhere between those two extremes.
Cheers
Phil
 

james_o100

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Sep 21, 2014
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Some links to the pixels your looking at will really help us all help you out.

As for the 30% - that is very much a personal preference and depends on so many things and even the feature/prop you lighting up, a megatree with 2" spacing probably needs to run at 30% due to the pixel density.... personally i run most of the display at 100%. Everyone in the hobby will fall somewhere between those two extremes.
Cheers
Phil
^ What he said.. about both things.

Share the link / order info with us, and we might be in a better position to assist.

I run my full display at 100% :p
 

TerryK

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Depends on the type of pixel and the voltage. A WS2811 for example at full white draws about .055 Amp or 55 mW. A 5 Volt WS2811 at the .055 Amp is approximately .275 Watt (.055 [Amperage at full white] * 5 [Volt]). For 12 Volt it would be .055 * 12 which is about .66 Watt.

12 Volt WS2811s are more expensive than 5 Volt pixels.
 

Henerybear

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TerryK

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It is. Or at least the major reason. Regulated 12 Volt pixels draw more than 12 Volt Resistor pixels. Although the 12 Volt pixels I've tested sit around .03 Amp at full white which would be about .36 Watt. With that mentioned however I also have seen different component values used in the 12 Volt Resistor pixels I have, which I suspect are design differences relative to different manufacturers.

Until one could obtain and test the pixels I see no reason why you cannot assume those wattage values are reasonably accurate. Referring to your Join Date, I suggest searching the ACL Forum for Threads pertaining to 5 Volt versus 12 Volt; Regulated versus Resistor pixels. Numerous threads exist which detail pros and cons of those pixel types.
 

TerryK

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I have looked at both links, considering both supposedly use the same LED then the mA and wattage ratings have to be a little suspect
I checked both too. The regulated seems a bit 'light' but not to a point that causes me to wonder. The resistor though seems to be 25% to 50% low for what I would expect. Always missing is how they determine and under what conditions values are obtained.
 

AussiePhil

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I checked both too. The regulated seems a bit 'light' but not to a point that causes me to wonder. The resistor though seems to be 25% to 50% low for what I would expect. Always missing is how they determine and under what conditions values are obtained.
We seem to be on the same page... the regulated ones are likely close enough if the current is correct. the 2811 DS says 18.5mA for output for 55.5mA and then add the LDO overhead to get close to 60mA, i don't have any to measure and confirmed.
The unregulated ones are low based on the real world measurements from yesterday with around 30mA and 36W per pixel with optimal power input delivery.
 
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