This is the wrong strip to buy!

[OldMarty]

Hey all,

I *almost* bought some of this strip, but after closer looking i believe it has 3 leds turn on togetehr as 1 pixel?

So, turning on 1 pixel will light up 3 leds, not 1.

Probably not the single channel/single led everyone would expect.....

So, don't be fooled ;-)


The description on Aliababa is:
5m DC12V 60leds/m 20pcs ws2811 ic/meter(20pixels) led digital strip;IP68;waterproof in silicon tube

https://www.aliexpress.com/item-img/5m-DC12V-60leds-m-20pcs-ws2811-ic-meter-20pixels-led-digital-strip-IP68-waterproof-in-silicon/1921783413.html

 

[David_AVD]

This is completely normal for 12V strip. No fooling going on at all.

 

[fasteddy]

This is completely standard and normal for 12vdc because of the fundamentals of LED circuit design.

The 5050 LED used in the strip runs at 3.2 volts for blue and green and 2.3 volts for red so with 5vdc you will only need a smaller % of the voltage to be dropped to run a single LED. With 12vdc this % is much higher and requires a lot of energy to be dissipated through heat when running 1 LED per section, to over come this they connect LEDs in series
Now with LEDs if you connect them together in a series circuit then the current for all 3 LEDS is the same as if running 1 LED but the voltage will add together with each LED thus making the voltage drop much lesser and a much more efficient design. This is the basic principal of LED circuitry and this can be seen in traditional string lights and rope lights where there are many LEDs in a series circuit to allow the circuit to run closer to its designed voltage without having to manage too much voltage drop.

So there is no scam and nothing wrong with this strip and unfortunately its more a case of just not understanding what you are purchasing which can be difficult at first as there are so many choices.

I suggest reading the ACL 101 lighting manual for more information on LED circuits