I wanted to connect some LEDs to my ESP32 to make VoiceAssistant give me feedback when it listens and when it communicates… a LED ring of about 12 LEDs more or less (WS2812). Can I power them directly from my ESP32 or is an external power supply better? From what I understand the ESP32 can deliver a maximum of 500mah per PIN on 5V (even if I use a 2A power supply). What do you recommend doing?
Thanks
You will require an external power supply. The GPIOs can source about 40mA each max. Though that is not recommended. Especially as the LDOs on most cheap boards are rated at 250mA. 500mA for a good one.
in most of the tutorials I see online on youtube… no one uses a transformer for the led strips. But on the 5V PIN the maximum if I’m not mistaken is exactly 500mA. On 12 leds set to about 5/10% of their brightness they shouldn’t absorb much.
There’s not exact maximum for 5V pin. It doesn’t go trough voltage regulator neither through Esp chip. It depends on the circuit on that specific board you have if/what diode there is between usb and 5V pin.
12LEDs at 10% makes ~70mA and can be considered safe.