WLED on a Sonoff - Part2 - DIY Logic Level Shifter

Sometimes you can not install your Sonoff Basics and Power Supplies close to your LEDs. Of course you can easily extend the power and data cables you will have a problem if the 'Data' wire is too long.

Pretty much all addressable LEDs need a 5volt level on the data wire. While most will work fine if they are commanded by the 3.3volts coming out of an ESP chip, longer cables will drop this 3.3volt signal too much. Making for some frustrating colour and effect issues.

In this video I show you two ways of making a cheap 'Logic Level Shifter' to boost the 3.3volt signal back up to a nice healthy 5volts of the 'Data' wire.

WLED on a Sonoff Basic

WLED is without a doubt THE BEST controller for your LED needs. 
Programmed to run on most ESP devices it can control hundreds of NEO-PIXELs LEDs, those individually addressable LED strips & strings to produce thousands for colours and many MANY effects.

The trouble is, these ESP devices and development boards, without some additional hardware, don't control the power to the strips - leaving your PSUs running 24/7.

 

Even when not lit, these LED 'Pixels' still draw around 1mA each and when you consider the average strip has 300 of these LEDs on, that's about a 1/3 of an Amp.

Now consider many of these strips adorning your home all year round just sitting there during the day and only being lit at night or even just for the holidays, you'll quickly see that's a HUGE waste of power.

⚡In fact, it's over SIX THOUNSAND Hours a year ! ⚡

Enter my tutorial...

Installing WLED on a Sonoff Basic has some massive advantages. First, it's compact and a nicely cased unit with convenient screw terminals. However, more importantly... It has a built in Mains switching Relay!

In this tutorial I show you have to use a Sonoff Basic to not only control your LEDs but with the on-board relay to shut them all down COMPLETELY when not in use!