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Need Recommendation for WLED Controller & Power Supply for SK6812 Strips

Hey everyone,

I recently bought the Athom WLED 2812B LED Strip Controller, but I overlooked its 3A output limit.

My setup consists of two SK6812 LED strips, each with 81 LEDs. According to the product description, each LED consumes a maximum of 0.3W (Amazon link).So in total:

Power consumption: 81 LEDs × 0.3W × 2 strips = 48.6W
Required power supply: 5V / 9.72A

My Plan

I want to connect both LED strips to one controller using a JST Y-cable (Amazon link), with the strips mirroring each other.

Since the 3A max output of my current controller is too low, I'm looking for a new WLED-compatible controller that:

Supports Home Assistant integration
Allows OTA updates via Home Assistant

Power Supply Concerns

Right now, I'm using this 5V 10A power supply: Amazon link.However, I've read that 5.5mm barrel connectors might have a 3A limit, which could be an issue.

Questions

Can anyone recommend a suitable WLED controller for my setup?
Is my current power supply sufficient, or should I switch to a different one?
Would using the 5.5mm connector be a potential bottleneck?

I’d really appreciate any advice—thanks in advance!

4 comments

Comments (4)

Athom_Support

My suggestion is to use separate power supplies for the light strip and the light strip controller, so you don't have to worry about the current problem. Then connect the GND of the two power supplies together, and connect the signal line output by the controller to the light strip.

Tim Ta

Replying to

Okay, but even with two separate power supplies, each strip still requires more than 3A (81 LEDs × 0.3W = 24.3W → 4.86A). If I use one controller with two power supplies, wouldn’t I still hit the 3A output limit of the controller?

Yesterday in bed, I thought about replacing the controller with the Athom WLED ESP32 Music Addressable LED Strip Controller. This would allow me to connect both strips directly without needing a Y-cable to mirror them. It also has a relay, which saves energy and makes the system safer since the strips are completely powered off when the lights are off.

As far as I can see, the controller can be powered either via two separate cables or using the 5.5mm barrel plug. But I’m still unsure about the 5.5mm plug—doesn’t it have a 3A limit? There’s no clear information in the product details. Would this be a problem?

Athom_Support

Replying to

Yes, the 5.5mm barrel plug is current limited, so you still use two separate cables to power the controller

Tim Ta

Replying to

But I still have the question why are there power supplys with that plug out there with >10A if the plug itself is limited to 3A? Its weird. I would like to have a open installation which my cats could touch without dying. So I would to prefer to have something like the 5.5mm barrel plug. But if this is technical not possible then I don't know. Why isn't the 3A limit mentioned at the product page of the following controller, which has a 5.5 barrel plug port, too?: https://de.athom.tech/blank-1/wled-esp32-music-addressable-led-strip-controller

Edited