Do I need Arduino for WS2812B / APA102 or is Raspberry 3 enough?

  • Hello everyone,


    Probably very easy to answer but I couldn't really find the answer.


    I want to do a DYI Ambilight project from any HDMI source. There are tons of good videos but I am still confused about 2 things. Hope someone can clarify this.


    1st Many videos indicate that I need an Arduino (besides the Raspberry Pi3 B) especially when using WS2812B but some videos seem to skip the arduino part while everything is pretty much the same but they are using the APA102 controller LED.


    So now I don't really understand if the controller (WS2812B vs APA102) determines if I need the Arduino or why some builds need one and others do not.


    Don't get me wrong the Arduinos are very cheap but there are so many parts already (HDMI switch/ HDMI Splitter / HDMI to AV converter / USB Video Grabber and Raspberry Pi3) that I would like to leave out any additional parts if I don't need them.


    I would rather pay a bit more for APA102 LED's if that would allow me to not use the arduino.



    Also, quick follow-up question. Would you generally recommend the APA102 over the WS2812B in any case or would you say the difference is quite minor. I am by no means an Audio/Videophile and just want a good experience.



    @Mods: If I created this in the wrong section please move if you can.



    Thanks.

    • Offizieller Beitrag

    1. yes apa102 are recommended
    2. ws2812b work also without an arduino BUT very difficult to handle...

Jetzt mitmachen!

Sie haben noch kein Benutzerkonto auf unserer Seite? Registrieren Sie sich kostenlos und nehmen Sie an unserer Community teil!