Hardware Requirements

Components needed for your FastLED project.

Difficulty Level: ⭐ Beginner Time to Complete: 20 minutes (reading and shopping list preparation) Prerequisites: None - start here if you're buying hardware You'll Learn:

• Which microcontrollers work with FastLED and which to choose
• What LED strip types are compatible and their differences
• How to calculate power supply requirements for your project
• Essential safety components (capacitor, resistor) and why they matter
• How to properly wire everything together safely

Essential Components

Microcontroller

Any of these popular boards work with FastLED:

• Arduino (Uno, Nano, Mega, etc.)
• ESP32 (recommended for WiFi projects)
• ESP8266 (NodeMCU, Wemos D1 Mini)
• Teensy (3.x, 4.x)
• STM32 (BluePill, etc.)
• Raspberry Pi Pico (RP2040)

LED Strip

Popular LED strip types:

• WS2812B (most common, also called "NeoPixel")
• APA102 (also called "DotStar", requires clock pin)
• SK6812 (similar to WS2812B, RGBW available)
• WS2813 (has backup data line)

Power Supply

Critical: Your power supply must provide sufficient current.

• Rule of thumb: 60mA per LED at full white brightness
• Example: 100 LEDs = 6A minimum

Note: Most patterns use 30-50% of max current. Use FastLED.setMaxPowerInVoltsAndMilliamps() to limit draw.

Additional Components

Highly Recommended:

• 1000µF capacitor - Place across power supply terminals to smooth voltage
• 220-470Ω resistor - Place on data line near microcontroller

Optional:

• Level shifter (for 3.3V microcontrollers driving 5V LEDs)
• Breadboard and jumper wires (for prototyping)

Wiring Diagram

Basic connection diagram:

Power Supply (+5V) ----+---> LED Strip VCC
                       |
                       +---> Microcontroller VIN/5V (if needed)

Power Supply (GND) ----+---> LED Strip GND
                       |
                       +---> Microcontroller GND (MUST share ground!)

Microcontroller GPIO --[220Ω resistor]---> LED Strip DATA

Power Supply (+) --[1000µF capacitor]-- Power Supply (-)

Important Warnings

Never:

• Power long LED strips from the microcontroller's 5V pin (max 500mA typically)
• Run LEDs without a shared ground between power supply and microcontroller
• Connect/disconnect LEDs while powered on

Always:

• Use a dedicated power supply for LED strips with 30+ LEDs
• Connect GND from power supply to both LED strip AND microcontroller
• Add a capacitor across power supply terminals
• Start with low brightness when testing

Next Steps

• Installation and Setup - Set up your development environment
• Your First Blink Example - Test your hardware