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Here are example for WLED chain installations, make used of its different capabilities.
scenario
Let's go from the most basic, to the most complex installation. We will start with a standalone device.
For very tiny installations, with less than 60 LEDs, or 1 meters of 60 LEDs/meter strips:
- connect the 5V LED strip to the 5V screw terminal and one of the IO spring loaded ports next to it
- use a 5V 2A USB power supply and connect it to the USB-C power
- don't forget to specify the 2000 mA limit in the WLED LED configuration
For tiny installations, with 5 meters of 30 LEDs/meter strips:
- connect the 5V LED strip to the 5V screw terminal and one of the IO spring loaded ports next to it
- use the screw terminal to also have separate wires for power injection on the LED strip in the middle and or other end of it
- connect a 12V to 48V 2A (or more) power supply to the barrel jack
- the on-board 5V regulator will provide power to the LEDs (up to 3A)
For medium installations:
- connect the 5V LED strip ground and data wires to the board (see above)
- use an external 5V power supply powerful enough for the number of LEDs you want
- connect the external power supply to the 5V screw terminal
- connect the LED strip power pins directly to the power supply
- connect additional cables from the power supply to the strip to inject power every 2.5 meters (else the white will appear more orange)
For large installations:
- connect the 12V LED strip ground and data wires to the board (see above)
- use an external 12V power supply powerful enough for the number of LEDs you want
- connect the external power supply to the 6-60V screw terminal
- connect the LED strip power pins directly to the power supply
- thanks to the 12V supply, you need far less injection points (every 5-10 meters should be enough)
For small wide-spread installations:
- this uses multiple boards, and chains tiny installations
- on each board, connect the 5V LED strip to the 5V screw terminal and one of the IO spring loaded ports next to it
- on only the first board, connect a 12V to 60V (the higher to better) 2A power supply to the barrel jack or 6-60V screw terminal
- connect all boards using Ethernet cables on the RJ45 ports, allowing the first board to power all others
For outdoor wide-spread installations:
- this is similar to small wide-spread installations, but the boards are mounted in waterproof enclosures
- since the barrel jack port is not accessible anymore, use the 6-60V screw terminal
- since the RJ45 ports are not accessible anymore, and the RJ45 connector do not fit through the enclosure cable cables anymore, cut Ethernet cables and insert the individual wires in the RJ45 1-8 spring loaded terminals (the color of the wires is described on the back of the board, or just look at the cut RJ45 connector)
- you can insert the two wires of both Ethernet cables in each terminal
For large wide-spread installations:
- connect the 12V LED strip ground and data wires to the board
- use multiple external 12V power supplies powerful enough for each site
- only connect one board to the external power supply to the 6-60V screw terminal
- connect all boards using Ethernet cables, allowing the first board to power all others
LED strip
5V LED strips are very common an cheap, and suited for small installations. But the LED strips have only small traces to carry the power, with non-negligible resistance. The brighter the LED is, the current it uses, the higher will be the voltage drop. This voltage drop accumulated along the LED strip, leaving the last LEDs on the strip with a lower voltage. This cause the blue LED to not be as brightness, making the white more orange.
One way to compensate for this voltage drop it to use power injection. Connect additional thicker wires from the power supply to the middle or end of the LED strip. But this also requires large power supplies to be able to deliver more current.
Another way is to use 12V LED strips. Thanks to the higher voltage, the LED require less current, reducing the voltage drop. And a voltage drop on higher voltages has relatively less effect. This requires far fewer power injection, or brighter lights. It also makes the power supplies more compact, and allows using not as large cables.
power supply
The board has a built-in 5V DC-DC converter. This allows powering the board using off-the-shelves 12V to 48V power supplies. The power can come from the barrel jack, screen terminal, or Ethernet cable. The power is injected back to the Ethernet port. The board with also provide enough power for the 5 meters of LED strips.
For larger LED installations, connect the 5V or 12V LED strips directly to the external power supply suited to it. Connect ground and data of the LED strip to the board. Only connect one of the chained board to the power supply.
DMX
WLED is normally controlled over WiFi, but this is unreliable for large installation, particularly when multiple devices need to be controlled simultaneously. To cope for that, DMX512 support has been added. The DMX signals are on the RJ45 port. Thus chaining multiple devices not only provides power, but also data. No more air interferences, and distance limitations.
Any of the WLED can act as DMX master controller, and all others are slave devices. If you are using an external DMX controller, use a XLR adapter. This allows connecting regular XLR cables, and will forward the data through the RJ45 port. The adapter also allows injecting power.
The boards have a DMX switch to configure the DMX bus daisy chain. In the chain position, the data signals are passed through to the other RJ45 port. This should be used on all boards in the chain except the last. In the end position, a 100 Ohm termination resistor is put on the data lines to mitigate signal reflection. This should de used on the last board in the chain, if it also ends the DMX chain. In the loop position, the data lines are passed back on the RJ45 port, returning through the chain. This should be used on the last board in the chain, if you want to continue the DMX chain (i.e. on the DMX out port on the XLR adapter).