If your after nice uniform lighting on a strip that’s over 5m and using 60leds per meter @ 12v I’d do what Rob suggested and power it from both ends of the strip using appropriate gauge wire.
As mentioned before the best configuration is to use a dedicated power supply for the strip and just use a simple low wattage 5V USB phone charger to power the D1 mini (esp32 controller).
High amp 5v or 12V power supplies (in general) are fairly cheap. Always order one that is more amps/watts than what you actually require. This will put less stress and heat load on the PS and will ensure longevity. Only costs an extra $5 to $10. Is a no brainer. Always make a system that’s slightly over engineered when it comes to power…
Like I also mentioned before I’d also highly recommend getting a relay module to shut off the 240V power feed to the power supply (for the actual strip) when it’s not being used. The controller can control the relay. The strips do suck some power while they are idle (more so with the 12v ones) . This relay (see below) will do the job… It directly attaches to D1 mini controller boards for a neat and tidy installation. . They can be used with other ESP based controllers by using jumper wires to attach …
Also steer clear of “WS” based strips and go with SK6812.
Colour, appearance and effects are way better. The SK6812’s are based on 5v but with some slightly heavier gauge cable they aren’t a problem. Most strips you have to power from both ends anyway so doesn’t really matter. There is a very big visual difference between RGB strips and RGBCW strips. The white channel adds a lot …
AU $0.76 5％ Off | For Wemos D1 Mini Relay Shield One Channel for Wemos D1 Mini Relay Module For Arduino ESP8266 Development Board
