Use them all the time. Love then. Putting 40 meters of strip in my new home renovation project, controlled via WIFI.

Bob

 

Use them all the time. Love then. Putting 40 meters of strip in my new home renovation project, controlled via WIFI.

Bob

Maybe I should give them an experiment. Been messing with home automation and smart things.

Ron

 

Instead of addressable LED strips, maybe a panel?

 

I’d go on Amazon and search for RGB strip LEDS.

Three Arduino PWM pins can control MOSFET drivers for each of the three colors. You can use appropriately sized MOSFETs,a few in parallel if necessary to drive multiple strips.The strips are configured to use a constant voltage, typically 12V. You don’t need a higher voltage, but your supply will have to provide enough current for all of the strips. Or you can use multiple 12V sources, divided amongst the individual strips to supply enough current.

Divide and conquer will make it easier.

 

I’d go on Amazon and search for RGB strip LEDS.

Three Arduino PWM pins can control MOSFET drivers for each of the three colors. You can use appropriately sized MOSFETs,a few in parallel if necessary to drive multiple strips.The strips are configured to use a constant voltage, typically 12V. You don’t need a higher voltage, but your supply will have to provide enough current for all of the strips. Or you can use multiple 12V sources, divided amongst the individual strips to supply enough current.

Divide and conquer will make it easier.

Why settle for each strip being the same color when you can have individually addressable LEDs (each with a unique 24-bit RGB value of any color you set).

 

And, if you want, animated waves of colour running across the panel. Or, sections at different colours ....
I too would vote for addressable LEDs.
No power drivers needed , just the one Arduino pin.

 

I'm wondering what the OP really wants to do because going beyond R, G and B LEDs is way complicated. I'd like to hear what he is trying to do and his definition of every color (or every color shown in his array). I thought other people here would support that question rather than someone undermining my comment to say...

what i'm trying to do is make a led light for the plants i want to grow in my aquarium. these plants are really high demanding on light, so yes around 100W is needed. and who told everybody hear i want to drive them on 100% power? the reason i want to dim the leds is so i can use them on many different tank sizes and jsut turn up or down the power for the needs of the tank. the colors i used in the picture i posted are chosen so i understand what it is. i think the red green and blue colors are obviuous, the pink is called full spectrum, the puprle is UV and the light blue one is cyan. i chose these colors for my own needs. and what is so complicated about going beyond R G B is i want a single channel for every color? the channel for R G B is the same as the other colors, the only difference is that the R G B use more power......

 

Or you can use WS2812, 13, or 15, strips, which have individuality addressed RGB LEDs with 256 levels for each color. All can be controlled by a single GPIO pin on your Arduino. No additional circuitry needed.


Bob

or i can't because they don't give the power i need.....

 

If you can lower your specs about output voltage to around 50 Volts then there are multiple C.C. drivers out there with PWM option.
But for the current specs of 60-80Volts you may want to look for Meanwell IDLC-65-700, they are around 25$/pcs
https://www.meanwell-web.com/content/files/pdfs/productPdfs/MW/IDLC-65/IDLC-65-spec.pdf

i found some meanwell ldd driver for 350ma and 700ma with an output voltage of 2-56v and pwm dimmable. i think these will work fine and i can design a "small" pcb where i can place them in. i don't think this thread is gonna help me anymore because i get comments with info i don't need and i didn't ask for.....

thanks for your input!

 

Meanwell parts are good quality so I wish you well.
Just a note 'tho.
The info you put in Post #27 would have been helpful to be in the first post.
Often we find here that thread starters do not put complete info on line at the start to help us give good answers. So, the forum answers tend to drift off what is actually wanted.
For instance, I thought you were only after illumination, not enough light to grow plants.
Please let us know how the Meanwell drivers work out for you.
Maybe even a photo of your finished project.

 

Meanwell parts are good quality so I wish you well.
Just a note 'tho.
The info you put in Post #27 would have been helpful to be in the first post.
Often we find here that thread starters do not put complete info on line at the start to help us give good answers. So, the forum answers tend to drift off what is actually wanted.
For instance, I thought you were only after illumination, not enough light to grow plants.
Please let us know how the Meanwell drivers work out for you.
Maybe even a photo of your finished project.

i will post some pictures and info about how i did in when it is finished!!
i will also put more info in the first post next time, thanks for the tip.

 

I would have helped if you had told us up front that this is for plant growth. That is not what I assumed when you said “aquarium light.”

If you want to approximate full sun, you need 1300W of light(not electricity.) LEDS are about 50% efficient, so your 100W of LEDs gives you 50W worth of light, the equivalent if full sun on 50/1300 m^2 or 384 cm^2, about a 20 cm (8 in) square.

Bob

 

I would have helped if you had told us up front that this is for plant growth. That is not what I assumed when you said “aquarium light.”

If you want to approximate full sun, you need 1300W of light(not electricity.) LEDS are about 50% efficient, so your 100W of LEDs gives you 50W worth of light, the equivalent if full sun on 50/1300 m^2 or 384 cm^2, about a 20 cm (8 in) square.

Bob

i know and im sorry for that.
but if i say i want to power 100W of high power leds you could have known that led strips will not do the job....

 

i know and im sorry for that.
but if i say i want to power 100W of high power leds you could have known that led strips will not do the job....

No wonder you assumed that we should have assumed we should know what you are talking about, you assumed incorrectly. Just 2.5 meters of Individually addressable LEDs will require 100W at full power. That's only three strips at 30" each at the top of your tank.

 

i know and im sorry for that.
but if i say i want to power 100W of high power leds you could have known that led strips will not do the job....

Why? It would take 333 if them. They come at as much as 144 per meter, so 2+ m of strip formed into a square would do it.

Bob

 

Why? It would take 333 if them. They come at as much as 144 per meter, so 2+ m of strip formed into a square would do it.

Bob

yeah you are right about that. the reasson is go with 1watt high power leds is because they penetrate the water better, that's what i need for my aquarium.

 

No wonder you assumed that we should have assumed we should know what you are talking about, you assumed incorrectly. Just 2.5 meters of Individually addressable LEDs will require 100W at full power. That's only three strips at 30" each at the top of your tank.

yes but they dont penetrate the water as good as 1watt high power leds....

 

yes but they dont penetrate the water as good as 1watt high power leds....

What measurement method do you use because that is a very unusual claim. Seems more like a "gut feel" claim or a "but I'm still right" claim with no evidence.

 

What measurement method do you use because that is a very unusual claim. Seems more like a "gut feel" claim or a "but I'm still right" claim with no evidence.

i used a par meter for this

 

i used a par meter for this

And which LED strips did you use in your comparison? You know, LED strips with comparable 100w of LED power that you didn't think existed.