Hardware for first Hyperion, Advice needed

  • Hello!


    Im looking at building a Hyperion setup for a 65" TV and after several days of research I've hit something of a brick-wall and could use some expert advice on choosing the correct hardware in order to make this as painless (and awesome :) ) as possible. I will confess I'm far from an expert in these matters so advice would be appreciated.


    To give an idea of by build, the source is going to be an nVidia Shield (running Kodi) or (preferably?) using the second HDMI out on a amplifier (using a HDMI>Analog converter).


    Reading up, it seems that APA102 LED's are the preferred option due to build quality and ease of integration with a RaspPi, I've found a option in my price range that is 60LED/m
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pr…smid=A104DYTN77JRUS&psc=1


    But I have concerns on powering approx 5m of the strip to fit the TV in question will require quite high amperage, around 20amps?, there is another option on the same strip at 30LED which would make powering lot simpler but I'm unsure if the reduced density would be noticeable.


    For the higher amperage, I am unsure what type of connectors I would need for the interlinks (between the LED strips), cable gauge etc, Im a little worried about my house burning down :p


    I was looking at these connectors/cables/psu as an option for the 30LED strips, but unsure if they would be safe for the 60 variant:


    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pr…smid=A357KU1OITB325&psc=1 - 20am PSU (Its pretty.. industrial looking..)


    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pr…smid=A15CV0JLY2L4YT&psc=1 - "Solderless connectors"


    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pr…smid=A25GI8AK4G3KQ2&psc=1 - General purpose wire.


    I am very open to alternative options, including using other hardware rather than a RaspPi (e.g. NodeMCU/ESP devices) if that will provide a better/simpler option.


    I know this is a bit of a screed, but again any advice would be appericated


    Thanks!

  • Hi Slyboots!


    I've recently built two setups for HDMI input for 65" TVs so I think I can give you some advice based on what I learned in the process (I'm relatively new to this as well but my builds work great). I'll apologize in advance for how long this is going to be... :)


    LEDs:
    I went with APA102, as you mentioned; very easy to work with (no additional arduino required) and gave me no trouble at all. Other types will certainly work, but APA102 were painless in my experiences. As for the number, I went with 60/m as it seems to be the "sweet spot" from what I researched. 30/m is fine, but I got the impression 60/m looks best (better than 30/m but without the overkill/power concerns of 144/m).


    Power:
    In my build I used just under 5m, roughly 280 LEDs if memory serves. I used a 5V 30A power supply unit (PSU) for a couple reasons; first, I powered the rPi 0 and all the LEDs from the same PSU.


    rPi 0 would need 1A
    300 LEDs(5M) x 0.06A(60mA each) would need 18A
    Total = 19A needed to power everything.


    You would think 20A would be enough, but for safety, you should always allow some overhead (ideally 25%) in a power supply so it's not running at or too near max capacity. Leaving this overhead means the components don't have to work as hard and therefore run cooler. In terms of that industrial look, they all look like that once you get above 15A from my experience. Let me also add that you will absolutely need a multimeter for this build; many of these power supplies allow you to fine tune the voltage, so you'll want to ensure that you have your PSU set to 5V - this may sound intimidating but it's very very simple.


    Wires:
    I used a combination of 14 AWG, 16AWG and 18AWG wiring. All you need to ensure is that the wiring you use is rated for the current that will pass through it, which will end up being less than you think. This is largely because with a build as large as this, you'll need to cut the strip into four lengths for each side of your tv, which will each be individually connected to your PSU. There are a few sound reasons for this but it's a bit to explain, if you're interested I can upload some of my hand sketches for the wiring which is probably the best way to show you. In terms of wire connectors, use WAGO terminals, also called "lever nuts".


    LED Connections:
    You're best to learn to solder. It's really not tough, nor expensive and the results are way better than if you use the solder less connector options. The solder less clips like you linked will work, but they don't make as reliable a connection and they can wear out and come loose as they heat and cool and eventually lose their shape over time.


    There's a lot more I can share with you but I think this covers most of your immediate questions. If you want any more detail on my build, I'm happy to share the steps, exact components, and my personal "schematics" I used if it will help you.


    Good luck!

  • Hello! Thank you for your advice and guidance :) I had already ordered the products Im afraid as it had been several days before anyone responded :facepalm:


    However everything you are saying makes a lot of sense and its good to know Im on the right track. If I have to replace the 20amp PSU so be it, it was by far the cheapest component anyway :)


    Hopefully if it all goes to plan I'lll post some photos (and not.. burn my house down )

  • Happy to help!


    I'm not sure what your exact plan is (one long strip or four pieces) but in the interest of safety however, do NOT use the wire you've linked to in your original post for power. Correct me if I'm wrong but that looks to me to me be 22AWG wire which is only rated for 7A max. If you are powering that whole strip from one end the LEDs could pull double that amount at times (at all LEDs full white they could pull up to 18A if you used the whole 5M strip), it is not safe.


    As a side note, powering a strip that long from only one end is also likely to cause problems with the LED colour towards the end of your strip due to current drop off.


    You can reference this chart at Adafruit https://learn.adafruit.com/wires-and-connections/wire-guages, but definitely get some heavier gauge wire for power and do the math (300 LEDs x 0.06A(60mA each) = 18A) to make sure your build is safe.


    Let me know if you have any other questions!

  • Afternoon! We've figured the best thing to do will be to split the LED strips in 4 as you say, but with the power split over 2 strips each.


    We've got some AWG 17 4-core wire, its about 1mm area, So about 20amps - similar to this https://www.diy.com/department…y-white-5-m/188988_BQ.prd


    Since each two-pair of power cable will only be powering two strips, and if have done our math correctly, the max draw should be 9A (150LED's per strip = 9A) and with the shorter lenght this should reduce the risk of drop-off (as each strip will only be 2 meters max)


    Then we'll use bell-wire for the Data/clock since thats low/no voltage for the data lines to the Raspberry Pi which we are going to power over standard USB connection, May look at powering this from the LED PSU at a later date, but that might require a larger PSU etc etc...

  • I'm glad I ran into this post. I've been trouble getting my setup to work.


    Hardware:
    65" 4K TV
    WS2812B = 276 (corners folded)
    Arduino Nano
    5V 10A PSU
    RPi3
    HDMI 4K splitter w/ downscaling
    USB Grabber (UT007)
    HDMI2AVI


    The start sequence runs fine, but I'm not getting anything else. Everytime I start Hyperion the start sequence runs, but it doesn't respond to the app or hdmi capture. I also suspect it's not grabbing images. I'm not sure how to check if the USB grabber is working, but I suspect that I may insufficient power.


    If anyone has any tips on how to check my USB grabber I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm also gonna have to figure out how to solder to use a 5V 20A PSU.

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