Mixing 5V and 12V pixels Printable version

The short answer for mixing 5V and 12V pixels is... don't. Plugging in a wrong lead could send 12V down your 5V pixels and ready for the scrap heap. But if you must do this, read on. This page is ordered from simpler to more difficult or risky approaches.



Tip: If you plan to use both 12V and 5V pixels, consider standardising on a different plug for each to prevent destroying your 5V pixels from accidentally hooking them up to 12V. You could differentiate between 5V and 12V by:

• Plug type: Use xConnect for 5V and Ray Wu 13.5mm for 12V or vice versa
• Insulation colour: Use black for 5V and white for 12V or vice versa

Easiest option: Choose one voltage and stick with it

The safest option of all is to pick a voltage at the start of your pixel display journey and stick with it. Standardise on being an all 5V or all 12V display.

Dedicate each controller to one voltage

If you do need to power pixels of different voltages, one of the simplest methods is to stick to only one voltage per pixel controller or enclosure. If you have for instance six pixel controllers and have roughly the same number of 5V and 12V pixels, you could designate three controllers for 5V and the remaining three for 12V operation.

Use DC-DC converters to step-down from 12V to 5V

If the majority of your lights are 12V but you only have a few 5V pixels, a DC-DC converter is an option. These in-line devices step down from one DC voltage to a lower DC voltage. To go from 12V to 5V you will need a 12V to 5V DC-DC converter.

Utilise a controller's separate banks for alternate voltages

Many 16-port fused output pixel controllers have two banks of pixel outputs and each bank has a dedicated connection for power input. This means you could set aside half of the outputs for 5V control and the remaining half for 12V pixels. For this you will need both a 5V and a 12V Switch-mode DC power supply.

Advanced option: Inject separately fused power to your different voltage pixels

If the majority of your pixels are 5V but you have the odd string of 12V, then you could do the following:

• Wire up your pixel controller for 5V operation
• Directly connect any 5V pixels to the controller outputs as normal
• For 12V pixels, only connect the data to the pixel output and not the V+
• For 12V pixels, separately inject 12V power into the pixels directly. Remember to route this 12V supply via a fuse board with suitably rated fuses!
• Be VERY careful to not feed in 12V into your 5V pixels.

For this you will need both a 5V and a 12V Switch-mode DC power supply.

This particular method can also be used to daisy-chain a 12V set of pixels after a 5V set of pixels from a single controller output.