Datasheet

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60 NeoPixels × 20 mA ÷ 1,000 = 1.2 Amps minimum

60 NeoPixels × 60 mA ÷ 1,000 = 3.6 Amps minimum

The choice of “overhead” in your power supply is up to you. Maximum safety and reliability are

achieved with a more generously-sized power supply, and this is what we recommend. Most power

supplies can briefly push a little extra current for short periods. Many contain a thermal fuse and will

simply shut down if overworked. So they may technically work, but this is the electronics equivalent

of abusing a rental car.

I estimate I need a 3.6 Amp power supply. I have a 10 Amp supply on-hand. Will this cause my

NeoPixels to explode?

As long as the output is 5 Volts DC, you’re golden. The LEDs will only draw as much current

(Amperes) as they need. So extra Amps are OK — in fact, it can be a good thing. The larger

power supply will run cooler because it’s not being pushed to its limit.

Excessive voltage, however, will definitely kill your LEDs.

Extra Amps = good. Extra Volts = bad.

What about batteries and “Amp hours”?

Amp-hours are current over time. A 2,600 mAh (milliamp-hour) battery can be thought of as

delivering 2.6 Amps continuously for one hour, or 1.3 Amps for 2 hours, and so forth. In reality,

it’s not quite linear like that; most batteries have disproportionally shorter run times with a heavy

load. Also, most batteries won’t take kindly to being discharged in an hour — this can even be

dangerous! Select a battery sufficiently large that it will take at least a couple hours to run down.

It’s both safer for you and better for the longevity of the battery.

I need to power LOTS of NeoPixels and don’t have a power supply that large. Can I use several

smaller ones?

Maybe. There are benefits to using a single supply, and large power supplies are discussed

below. “Non-optimal” doesn’t necessarily mean “pessimal” though, and we wouldn’t discourage

anyone from using what resources they have.

If you go this route, the key is to have all of the ground pins among the strips connected in

common, but the +5V from each power supply should be connected only to one length of

NeoPixels — those should not all be joined. Every power supply is a little different — not

precisely 5 Volts — and this keeps some from back-feeding into others.

Giant Power Supplies

Adafruit offers 5V DC power supplies up to 10 Amps (http://adafru.it/658). This is usually sufficient

for a couple hundred NeoPixels or more. For really large installations, you’ll need to look elsewhere.