{"product_id":"flexible-rgb-led-strip-dotstarapa102sk9822-compatible-60-ledmetre","title":"Flexible RGB LED Strip (DotStar\/APA102\/SK9822 Compatible) - 60 LED\/Metre","description":"\u003cp\u003ePart of \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eour \u003c\/span\u003eIlluminate\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e range\u003c\/span\u003e of LED strips and accessories, this \u003cstrong\u003e1 metre\u003c\/strong\u003e flexible RGB LED strip is packed with \u003cstrong\u003e60 RGB LEDs\u003c\/strong\u003e giving you lots of blinky for your project! Great for advancing from basic LEDs, learning how to code, lighting projects, art and many \u003cem\u003emany\u003c\/em\u003e more uses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey use \u003cstrong\u003eAPA102\u003c\/strong\u003e LEDs which are the same types used in the popular 'DotStar' range. These work in the exact same way and can be easily controlled using the same libraries, such as the well-established FastLED Arduino library.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe LEDs used in these strips are much more forgiving than WS2801 (the type used in NeoPixels) as they don't have the same fussy timing or pin requirements. Just two pins are needed - one for clock and one for data, making them very easy to get started with.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe strips have a female JST-SM connector and require a 5V power supply. They can consume up to 60mA peak per LED, so using your microcontroller's 5V line isn't going to work well unless you're running a very short strip. We recommend a separate power supply such as our 5V 5A PSU. See the wiring section below for more information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe PCB inside these strips\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e 12\u003c\/span\u003emm wide. \u003c\/strong\u003eYou can cut the flex PCB at the cut lines anywhere on the strip - handy if you want to join multiple strips together with connectors, shorten strips or add your own wiring. When doing this, keep the current requirements mentioned above in mind and be aware that there's only so far you can go before you'll start seeing dimming\/brown-out at the end. \u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSome of our connectors do not fit these wider 12mm strips\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e - check the connector specs before buying!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote\u003c\/strong\u003e: The LEDs may sometimes be SK9822 depending on the batch, but they function in the exact same way as APA102 LEDs. \u003cstrong\u003eWe cannot accept returns on modified strips\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eHow to Wire Up APA102\/SK9822 LED Strips\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirstly, some important points on power, and we'll assume you're using a separate power supply:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnly power these LED strips with a quality regulated 5V power supply - anything above 5V will damage the strip!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYou must ensure a common ground between your microcontroller and the LED Strip power supply\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEstimate for around 60mA (peak) per LED\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLED Strip Connector\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese strips have a 4-pin female JST-SM connector, which includes 4 coloured wires which we've indicated in the table below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable width=\"262\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"135\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWire colour\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"127\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eBLACK\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eGND\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eGREEN\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eData\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eBLUE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eClock\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eRED\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e5V\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are also additional red and black (5V and GND) wires next to this connector. These are the same 5V and GND lines - these just offer an alternative way to externally wire power to the strips.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen using an external power supply, we suggest using a DC terminal block power adapter to allow you to easily wire in the power lines from the strip and join the GND lines from the power supply and microcontroller. You will also need to ensure there is a common ground (GND) connection between your microcontroller and the LED strip power supply (see wiring section below for more info).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou may want to pick up some 4-pin JST-SM Plug + Receptacle sets for your project.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eArduino Wiring\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere's an example for the Arduino UNO, using the same pins and wiring as we used when taking the colourful product photos further up the page:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable width=\"511\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"135\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWire colour\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"127\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"121\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePower Supply\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd width=\"128\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArduino\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eBLACK\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eGND\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eGND\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eGND\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eGREEN\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eData\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eDigital Pin 4\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eBLUE\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eClock\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eDigital Pin 5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eRED\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e5V\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e5V\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e-\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eArduino Code\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe're big fans of the excellent FastLED Arduino library which can be installed on the Arduino IDE. The documentation is detailed, easy to follow and there are lots of example scripts available in the library to get you started.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe highly recommend grabbing a coffee and reading the FastLED documentation fully before continuing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eArduino Library Install\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo install the FastLED library in your Arduino IDE, go to \u003cstrong\u003eSketch --\u0026gt; Include Library --\u0026gt; Manage Libraries\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe search for \"FastLED\" and install the FastLED option as seen below (already installed for us). Once installed, close the window and restart your Arduino IDE.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg alt=\"FastLED Library Install\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0176\/3274\/files\/fastLEDlibrary_1.png?v=1634306269\u0026amp;width=700\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs an example, for the blinky product photo you can see above we used the 'DemoReel100' example sketch from \u003cstrong\u003eFile --\u0026gt; Examples --\u0026gt; FastLED --\u0026gt; DemoReel100\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe then modified the sections below to match the 60 LED strip, the pins we used on our Arduino and the order of the RGB wiring (more on that below):\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e#define DATA_PIN \u003cstrong\u003e4\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e#define CLK_PIN \u003cstrong\u003e5\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e#define LED_TYPE \u003cstrong\u003eAPA102\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e#define COLOR_ORDER \u003cstrong\u003eBGR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e#define NUM_LEDS 60\u003c\/pre\u003e\n\u003cpre\u003e\/\/ tell FastLED about the LED strip configuration\u003cbr\u003e\/\/FastLED.addLeds(leds, NUM_LEDS);\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFastLED.addLeds(leds, NUM_LEDS).setCorrection(TypicalLEDStrip);\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/pre\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRGB or BGR?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDepending on how our suppliers wire the strips (which can change between batches) the RGB colour order can be reversed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom our testing, at the time of writing our APA102 strips are 'BGR' so you'll need to set this in your scripts to get the right colours showing. This page explains this in more detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eResources\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFastLED Library\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFastLED GitHub Wiki\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFastLED Community (Reddit)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdafruit Dotstar Library\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eArduino IDE\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePackage Contents\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1x 1m 60 LED (per petre) APA102 RGB strip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you purchase more than one, you will receive multiple separate 1m strips (not a combined length)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Illuminate","offers":[{"title":"1m \/ Black","offer_id":48624251699418,"sku":"wno1789687912638","price":14.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0824\/8318\/3834\/files\/flexible-rgb-led-strip-dotstarapa102sk9822-compatible---60-ledmetre_1.jpg?v=1789687940","url":"https:\/\/memoryfoamwear.shop\/products\/flexible-rgb-led-strip-dotstarapa102sk9822-compatible-60-ledmetre","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}