RGB strip length more than 2m

[Cold_Fire_18]

Hello everyone!

I bought a 5 meter long RGB LED strip and cut into 2 equal pieces for lighting up the top and bottom of my desk. Then, using a Y-splitter, I connected them to the M8F's RGB Header and they are working perfectly in all modes with very good brightness (my room is bright in the day but the light from the 5m strip is still not affected by it). At night, the strip is bright enough for me to move around my room as usual without turning on the main ceiling lights.

My concern is would this damage the motherboard in anyway? The manual only says use strips below 2m for maximum brightness. So if I can accept a lower brightness, I assume that I should be able to use this 5m strip without anything going wrong.

I am posting this to get your thoughts/experiences on this. I will post pictures in like a week when I am done with all the wiring on my desk.

Let's talk about RGB!

[Nate152]

Hi Cold_Fire_18

The RGB header is capable of supplying up to 2 amps (24 watts), as long as you're not exceeding that it should be fine.

[Cold_Fire_18]

Hello Nate152, nice to see you again.

I am using this strip.

https://www.lazada.sg/5m-12v-72w-smd...6.html?boost=2

It is stated as 72 watts. Do I assume that it is only taking in 24 watts? The header cannot output more than 12V and I suppose that the current has a limit too, that's why I think that it is safe.

[Nate152]

I imagine you're pushing the RGB header to the limit, this could impact the longevity of the header.

[Cold_Fire_18]

I agree. When I tried white at the brightest setting, after a few seconds the lights start flickering with an increasing rate. I have to use it at a lower brightness or switch back to cyan. I guess when all the 3 leds are lighted up, it is too much for the header to handle. I will stick to only displaying colours and see how it goes. Hope I don't fry anything else on the board.