No tiny level shifter IC. These use a single mosfet level shifter that is much easier to solder.
No high-current auxiliary output. I had put this on the previous versions because I wanted to be able to reinforce the RGB LEDs with strips of pure white. Now that RGBW strips are commonplace, I removed that.
I’m really short on ESP8266 chips. If you have a ESP 7, 12, 12E, 12F, or anything with that footprint, it’ll work. You can also buy them on Digikey for $10.50.
To purchase
Post here so others can see how many have been taken
If anyone wants to do a build night together for these I will open the space for such a purpose. Also if you are new to SMD (surface mount soldering) I will get you going. i.e. just buy the kit.
A common problem on these LED strips is providing enough 5v current. If the strip is too long, the voltage sags on the far end, causing the colours to be dimmer and more orange. The solution is to “inject” power at various points. For that I made these catwalk PCBs. I included two in each kit.
These give you a bit more surface area to glue down the strip and tie in some power or extra capacitors or whatever. Also useful to terminate the ends of each row and jumper the data.
All of the “full kits” are gone, so I’m out of ESP8266 chips. If anyone wants a full kit and is willing to wait a bit, I’ll source more chips to make more full kits.
Hi @lukecyca, After our chat the other day, I’m curious to use this for my lightbox/window project. I’ll take 2 kits and will likely need the power injection pieces as the box will be about 5’*1.5’. Will send over PayPal now…
If anyone is interested in doing a bulk order for the wifi chips, I’d be happy to help coordinate. Thanks!