Preferred Wire Gauge?

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KallieOnMars
 
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Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2018 12:35 pm

Preferred Wire Gauge?

Post by KallieOnMars »

I'm a complete n00b to circuit building and am wondering if there's a "standard" wire gauge to use, especially when working with the Pro Trinket and Adafruit 60/m LED strips. I have 26 AWG in my cart right now, as that's what a German cosplayer I follow uses (or thereabouts, hers is in mm^2 and 26 AWG was the closest), but idk if that's too small? Is there a too small?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Preferred Wire Gauge?

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

The best gauge for a particular application depends on a number of factors such as:
How much current does it have to carry?
How long does it need to be?
Any non-electrical requirements such as bulk or flexibility.

A 60 pixel strip could need 3.6A or more if driven to maximum intensity white. In that case, 26AWG would be too small - even for a very short run. But most projects don't need to run LEDs at maximum intensity. You might want to take a look at this guide for some ideas on efficient power usage:
https://https//learn.adafruit.com/sippi ... neopixels/

22 AWG stranded is probably a better choice for the +5v and GND runs of sort to moderate length. The signal wires don't carry significant current, so you can get away with the smaller (and more flexible) 26 - or even 30 AWG silicone coated wire for that.

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